The Peanuts franchise has lived rent-free in the minds of millions for 75 years. Across comic strips, television, movies, and other spin-off media, Charlie Brown and the gang have remained a beloved staple of pop culture. The result winds up contributing to some of the funniest Peanuts comics of all time.
When Peanuts proves to be that funny, it’s hard to stop thinking about. If it is a visual gag, readers tend to replay the moment in their heads long after they put down their comic strip (or the newspapers that they originally appeared in. If it’s a funny or clever line, then that’s when readers can’t stop laughing as they keep repeating it in their heads or even dissecting what makes it so clever. Peanuts is over 70 years old, so the supply of comics produced by Charles Schulz that we can’t stop thinking about is endless.
10
“Now I Hate Him!”
First Published: October 2, 1950
Few Peanuts comics have fans thinking prolifically about them quite like the very first Peanuts comic. At first glance, when this came out in 1950, it probably didn’t have readers thinking so long and hard about it. It was certainly funny, but there’s nothing here that demands such a complicated thought process or prolonged thinking.
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10 Peanuts Comics That Take Us Back To A Simpler Time
From music giants in the ’50s to the aerobics explosion in the ’80s, Peanuts had some select comic strips that truly feel like products of their time.
However, this one lives in the minds of fans rent-free because this set the tone for every Peanuts comic that followed, and it’s interesting to think about how Peanuts would continue to follow the blueprint laid out in this comic. Charlie Brown’s mere existence, without saying a word, is enough to draw ire from his peers for virtually no reason. Anyone who has ever read a Peanuts comic before should know that that’s basically the running theme of every comic he features in.
9
“Thump!”
First Published: May 12, 1954
Charles Schulz rarely produced wordless comics for Peanuts. The quick, sharp wit of the children in these comics was widely one of the strips’ biggest sources of praise for him and his stories, while the dialogue often led to some of Peanuts‘ greatest visual gags. This, though, makes for a happy exception to one of Schulz’s rules for Peanuts.
Not a single word is spoken, and yet, this strip speaks volumes.
One simple series of panels of Charlie Brown on a swing set until he falls off manages to be one of the funniest comics ever produced for the franchise, and it’s all because of that “Thump!” sound effect. Not a single word is spoken, and yet, this strip speaks volumes. The thump sound, depending on what sound a reader imagines in their mind, can sound cartoonishly enough to get laugh. Even better, readers don’t even see Chuck in harm’s way. The thump followed by his disappearance says it all without saying or showing much.
8
“Those Were Chocolate Creams!”
First Published: May 31, 1954
Lucy can often be a thorn in Charlie Brown’s side, usually with physical humor, but this one is more subtle than her usual bag of tricks. Here, it seems evident that Lucy doesn’t want to share her bag of candy with Charlie Brown, so she poses a simple question: “You don’t like coconut, do you, Charlie Brown?”
This leads Charlie Brown (and, by proxy, the reader) to assume her bag is full of coconut-flavored candy, discouraging good ‘ol Charlie Brown from even thinking about asking. It isn’t until she finished the bag that she reveals she was actually eating chocolate creams, a candy that Charlie Brown probably would have been more likely to have shared. Contrary to popular belief, Lucy is more Charlie Brown’s friend than foe, but moments like these has readers assuming otherwise.
7
Snoopy’s First Appearance as His World War I Flying Ace Alter Ego
First Appearance: October 10, 1965
Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace alter ego has been a fan-favorite for years, and this is where it all began. Just like how someone couldn’t possibly forget their first kiss or their first car, a true Peanuts fan can’t forget the first time they saw Snoopy step onto the scene as WWI Flying Ace.
Out of all the running gags and personas that Snoopy has had over the years, this one has always stood out beyond the rest as his best. In his first on-panel appearance, WWI Flying Ace Snoopy addresses his grand crew ahead of a dramatic hunt for the Red Baron. Just as he’s in pursuit over enemy lines, his pipe dream is interrupted by Linus, leading Snoopy to ponder if he’s better off just getting a job with a good commercial airline.
6
“If Tomorrow is Already Today, Charlie Brown…”
First Published: August 12, 1972
One reason why Peanuts can be so thought-provoking is because it can be surprisingly philosophical every once in a while. Despite being written for a kid-friendly audience, Peanuts never downplayed its readers and treated them with sincerity and maturity. Peanuts refused to dumb itself down or shy away from complex conversations.
This is one such example, as Charlie Brown hopes for a better tomorrow outloud, only for Linus to interject that in some parts of tomorrow, tomorrow is already today and today is yesterday, meaning that on bad days, technically speaking at least, tomorrow couldn’t possibly be a better day. Linus’ nihilistic answer is one of the more frequently shared Peanuts panels, almost like a meme, since so many fans are pondering Linus’ position. And if it’s too bleak to think about, Charlie lightens the mood with some classic Peanuts sarcasm.
5
“I’ve Read Nine Books in a Row Without Understanding Any of Them!”
First Published: July 7, 1974
As much as Peanuts were largely made for children, Charles Schulz did touch on ideas that made adults think about the bigger picture in life. Specifically, he challenged topics that adults don’t tend to think about often. Here, he talks about the idea of achieving a goal for the sake of it rather than learning from it.
The Peanuts Gang are as earnest as they come, allowing for the pondering of such curious topics and questions come off as all the more honest. In one of Peppermint Patty’s best moments with Marcie, she comes off as brutally honest in telling her best friend that despite reading nine books, she’s learned nothing. She’s achieved her goal, but it’s rendered mute when no takeaway message is derived from the experience. It gets adults thinking about if there’s any validity to the goals they make, like a New Year’s Resolution.
4
“Woodstock Never Understands Anything!”
First Published: July 12, 1974
The best Peanuts comics tend to feature the duo of Snoopy and Woodstock. Their friendship makes for the funniest entries, but this one might be their most relatable. Everyone has been in a situation where they wanted to share something, maybe a joke, that they thought was hysterical, only to get no response in return.
It never ceases to be an awkward moment, and Snoopy learns that feeling firsthand. The best part about this scenario is that Peanuts offers something of a double meaning from this interaction. It could just reflect the awkward experience of a comedic bombing, but it could also acknowledge the fact that the two just don’t speak the same language. Snoopy thinks Woodstock doesn’t understand his joke, but the truth is that the bird may not speak dog.
3
Schroeder’s Music Makes Snoopy Float
First Published: October 26, 1975
If anyone in the Peanuts Gang knew they were in a comic the whole time, it had to be Schroeder. It showed in the way he showed out on the piano every time, as if he knew someone was watching him at all times. The Ludwig van Beethoven enthusiast made melodies that were sweet enough to come to life.
It’s an idea that often goes overlooked, but when readers think long and hard about most stories wherein he plays the piano, Schroeder’s music notes often become an active character in the strips. In the past, Snoopy and Woodstock have used these notes as racetracks, and here, Snoopy attempts to use one as a resting bed, until the notes become far too scattered for him to handle and keep a steady balance. Beyond thinking about the in-universe implications of Schroeder’s notes, readers also once again ponder Peanuts‘ rare wordless comics.
2
“You Said If I Took Part in the Spelling Bee, All I’d Have to Do Is Spell Words … You Didn’t Say I Had to Spell ‘Em Right!”
First Published: March 6, 1979
Anyone who makes a living as a writer can admit that writing can be incredibly hard sometimes. Usually, it’s not even the actual writing that’s difficult, but instead, it can be the proofreading process that’s hard. Life would be much easier if editors had their own editors, because spelling mistakes are just that common to come across.
If anybody knows just how difficult writing and (most importantly) spelling can be, it’s competitive Peanuts visionary Charles Schulz. That might be why he decided to dedicate an entire comic to the struggles of spelling. Spelling the word inscrutable proves difficult enough for Franklin that he forfeits his spelling bee, retreating back to his seat. He seems to have misunderstood the point of a spelling bee, but frankly, trying to spell correctly is enough to make anyone want to quit.
1
“How About No Sarcasm, But Lots of Biting”
First Published: June 2, 1984
Peanuts has always been best known for visual gags like Charlie Brown trying to kick his football, but one underrated feature to these strips is the utterly clever use of wordplay play Charles Schulz regularly exercised in his comic strips. Even three decades into its run, Peanuts was at its funniest 40 years ago in how these comics utilized wordplay.
Perhaps the writer/artist’s best feat came when depicting Snoopy impatiently waiting for his food. As per usual, he has some smart-alecky comments to make in his head. Even when Sally can’t speak Snoopy’s language or read his mind, she knows Snoopy well enough to warn him about his biting sarcasm. As he bites down on his bowl, Snoopy asks “How about no sarcasm, but lots of biting?” When Peanuts commits to such smartly used wordplay, it lives rent free in our heads.
- Created by
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Charles M. Schulz
- Cast
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Christopher Shea, Kathy Steinberg, Bill Melendez, Sally Dryer, Peter Robbins, Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Mariel Sheets, Lisa DeFaria, Venus Omega Schultheis
- Movie(s)
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The Peanuts Movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown’s All Stars!, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
- Character(s)
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Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy van Pelt, Linus van Pelt, Sally Brown, Pig-Pen, Marcie (Peanuts), Peppermint Patty, Woodstock