Minnesota native Charles Shulz’s beloved 'Peanuts' turn 75 years old
Cartoonist Charles Schulz displays a sketch of his beloved character "Snoopy" in his office in Santa Rosa, Calif. in 1997.
Ben Margo | AP 1997
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Audio transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING] NINA MOINI: There it is. Today marks 75 years since Charles Schulz's beloved comic strip debuted on October 2, 1950, in St. Paul. I'm talking about, of course, the Peanuts Comics. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and their friends have had a huge impact on culture here in Minnesota and worldwide. Here to reflect on that is a huge Peanuts fan, who also happens to be the senior exhibit developer at the Minnesota Historical Society, Kate Roberts. Thanks for joining me, Kate.
KATE ROBERTS: Thank you, Nina. I'm happy to be here.
NINA MOINI: I love ending our week here for us. Anyway, it's a Thursday on such a fun note at Charles Schulz Peanuts. It just brings a smile to your face especially, I think, for Minnesotans starting here in St. Paul 75 years ago. For anyone who doesn't know, would you tell us a little bit about why he started the comic?
KATE ROBERTS: Oh, sure. So he was born in Minneapolis, but his family moved to St. Paul in 1922. And then he lived here for most of his life. He went away to serve in World War 2. He had been interested in comics and drawing from an early age. He had taken correspondence courses, actually in high school with. And so he was ready when he came back to make a career as a cartoonist.
And I think from the start also was really interested in looking into the lives of young people. His early strip, pre-Peanuts was called Lil Folks. And what he wanted to do through that and what he did through his whole career I think, was really explore the human condition through these characters who were small children with great insights and great ideas on life.
NINA MOINI: And then tell us a little bit it was over time, a little bit, but just how it gained so much popularity.
KATE ROBERTS: Yeah, it's a good question. I think the characters and the storylines are timeless and they're eternal, and we can all relate to them. So I think that was a big part of why it gained popularity. He was also lucky enough. I mean, it took him a while to get traction, but really very little time.
He was syndicated in 1950. So his first comic strip, Peanuts Comic Strip, was in the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post as well, of course, as the Star Tribune. So he had a pretty good circulation from the start. And then I think because he had these charming characters that also had an edge, that also were really thinking and were able to be very relatable, I think that's what led to his popularity. And then, of course, when we get into the '60s, we start seeing the merchandising and the TV specials, and everything else where it really boomed.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I remember I was a Camp Snoopy kid myself growing up in the South Metro, back when it was Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America. Minnesotans will know, they'll remember. But I'm curious, what are some of the pieces in this collection that stand out to you?
KATE ROBERTS: In the Minnesota Historical Society Collection?
NINA MOINI: Yeah, are there things that are items that are in your collections related to Peanuts?
KATE ROBERTS: Oh, definitely. Yeah, what I think great about our collection is that it goes very deep. So some of my favorite things, we have some wonderful early figurines, the first figures that were approved by Charles Schulz to be made into his characters. But we also have-- I think some of my favorite things are the things that you wouldn't necessarily see.
For example, in our government records for the Richard Gordon School in St. Paul, there's a notebook kept by a teacher that includes Sparky, Charles Schulz. Sparky as a fifth grader with his class. And it's just a wonderful photo. And the best part about it is that he and his classmates are all wearing the little helmets like Snoopy, the World War I flying ace. [LAUGHTER] That was the style at the time. So you see that correspondence.
Another really fun thing in our collection, we have the papers of the real Charlie Brown. And there was a man named Charles Brown that Charles Schulz taught with at art instruction schools in Minneapolis. And he asked Charlie Brown if he could name his central character after him. Hidden among the real Charlie Brown's papers is a charming Valentine, the Charles Browns that Charlie Schulz said to him in 1950. It's beautiful.
So I think that's what's so fun about our collections, is that we have some really great deep dives into Charles Schulz's whole life.
NINA MOINI: It sounds like it.
KATE ROBERTS: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, And what else is fun to watch is-- it's great you're doing this exhibit, is how many younger people, maybe it's through TikTok or other ways that younger generations, Snoopy has become very popular? It seems to be-- what a resurgence be a fair word to use, do you think? I think it's always been pretty popular.
KATE ROBERTS: Yeah, I mean, that's a good point Nina. It's always been popular, but I do feel like his characters particularly relate to Gen X and others today. I think there's a couple. One thing is the range of emotions. The characters from Snoopy's happy dance all the way to Lucy's angry outbursts. Charlie Brown is perpetually angsty. That's very relatable.
And I think in the world we live in now, it's important to see that characters have that full range of emotion. I think the characters are memorable, especially Snoopy. And there's so much great merchandise out there now. And a lot of it is very high quality because the Schulz family is still involved in licensing the way Charles Schulz was from the very start. So lots of reasons. But yeah, I agree, he's definitely having a well-deserved resurgence.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and remind us how folks can experience the exhibit.
KATE ROBERTS: Well, right now, we did an exhibit in 2023. So it's not open right now, but I do want to refer people both to looking online at our museum collections site at mnhf.org. And folks will be able if you type in Charles Schulz, if you type in Peanuts, you can find a lot of images and other things there.
I also want to send people to our partner when we did the exhibit, and that's the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa. And they have a wonderful website as well. So those are two great online resources.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and I wonder too since you're such a big fan, is there something that sticks out to you for just why you're a fan or maybe a favorite character of yours that you want to share? Because I can hear it in your voice that you really love this.
[LAUGHTER]
KATE ROBERTS: I do love this stuff. I think what I like about this is the Minnesotan of Charles Schulz. I mean, he left St. Paul in 1958. He didn't leave Minnesota behind, but he didn't live here. He moved to California. But so much of the Minnesota experience is in his strips. Everything from all four seasons clearly represented, and all the sports that he would have played as a young man are represented.
I think the characters have what I don't know, for better or worse we call Minnesota values. They persevere. They find humor in different situations. They're very loyal to their friends. And just the fact that it is so timeless. But yeah, I would say, there's a lot in Peanuts that we can all feel proud of and relate to.
NINA MOINI: Absolutely, and timeless. 75 years later, and probably always will be. Kate, thanks so much for sharing your fandom and your time with us, really appreciate it.
KATE ROBERTS: Of course, thank you very much.
NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Kate Roberts, a Peanuts fan and the senior exhibit developer at the Minnesota Historical Society.
KATE ROBERTS: Thank you, Nina. I'm happy to be here.
NINA MOINI: I love ending our week here for us. Anyway, it's a Thursday on such a fun note at Charles Schulz Peanuts. It just brings a smile to your face especially, I think, for Minnesotans starting here in St. Paul 75 years ago. For anyone who doesn't know, would you tell us a little bit about why he started the comic?
KATE ROBERTS: Oh, sure. So he was born in Minneapolis, but his family moved to St. Paul in 1922. And then he lived here for most of his life. He went away to serve in World War 2. He had been interested in comics and drawing from an early age. He had taken correspondence courses, actually in high school with. And so he was ready when he came back to make a career as a cartoonist.
And I think from the start also was really interested in looking into the lives of young people. His early strip, pre-Peanuts was called Lil Folks. And what he wanted to do through that and what he did through his whole career I think, was really explore the human condition through these characters who were small children with great insights and great ideas on life.
NINA MOINI: And then tell us a little bit it was over time, a little bit, but just how it gained so much popularity.
KATE ROBERTS: Yeah, it's a good question. I think the characters and the storylines are timeless and they're eternal, and we can all relate to them. So I think that was a big part of why it gained popularity. He was also lucky enough. I mean, it took him a while to get traction, but really very little time.
He was syndicated in 1950. So his first comic strip, Peanuts Comic Strip, was in the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post as well, of course, as the Star Tribune. So he had a pretty good circulation from the start. And then I think because he had these charming characters that also had an edge, that also were really thinking and were able to be very relatable, I think that's what led to his popularity. And then, of course, when we get into the '60s, we start seeing the merchandising and the TV specials, and everything else where it really boomed.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I remember I was a Camp Snoopy kid myself growing up in the South Metro, back when it was Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America. Minnesotans will know, they'll remember. But I'm curious, what are some of the pieces in this collection that stand out to you?
KATE ROBERTS: In the Minnesota Historical Society Collection?
NINA MOINI: Yeah, are there things that are items that are in your collections related to Peanuts?
KATE ROBERTS: Oh, definitely. Yeah, what I think great about our collection is that it goes very deep. So some of my favorite things, we have some wonderful early figurines, the first figures that were approved by Charles Schulz to be made into his characters. But we also have-- I think some of my favorite things are the things that you wouldn't necessarily see.
For example, in our government records for the Richard Gordon School in St. Paul, there's a notebook kept by a teacher that includes Sparky, Charles Schulz. Sparky as a fifth grader with his class. And it's just a wonderful photo. And the best part about it is that he and his classmates are all wearing the little helmets like Snoopy, the World War I flying ace. [LAUGHTER] That was the style at the time. So you see that correspondence.
Another really fun thing in our collection, we have the papers of the real Charlie Brown. And there was a man named Charles Brown that Charles Schulz taught with at art instruction schools in Minneapolis. And he asked Charlie Brown if he could name his central character after him. Hidden among the real Charlie Brown's papers is a charming Valentine, the Charles Browns that Charlie Schulz said to him in 1950. It's beautiful.
So I think that's what's so fun about our collections, is that we have some really great deep dives into Charles Schulz's whole life.
NINA MOINI: It sounds like it.
KATE ROBERTS: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, And what else is fun to watch is-- it's great you're doing this exhibit, is how many younger people, maybe it's through TikTok or other ways that younger generations, Snoopy has become very popular? It seems to be-- what a resurgence be a fair word to use, do you think? I think it's always been pretty popular.
KATE ROBERTS: Yeah, I mean, that's a good point Nina. It's always been popular, but I do feel like his characters particularly relate to Gen X and others today. I think there's a couple. One thing is the range of emotions. The characters from Snoopy's happy dance all the way to Lucy's angry outbursts. Charlie Brown is perpetually angsty. That's very relatable.
And I think in the world we live in now, it's important to see that characters have that full range of emotion. I think the characters are memorable, especially Snoopy. And there's so much great merchandise out there now. And a lot of it is very high quality because the Schulz family is still involved in licensing the way Charles Schulz was from the very start. So lots of reasons. But yeah, I agree, he's definitely having a well-deserved resurgence.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and remind us how folks can experience the exhibit.
KATE ROBERTS: Well, right now, we did an exhibit in 2023. So it's not open right now, but I do want to refer people both to looking online at our museum collections site at mnhf.org. And folks will be able if you type in Charles Schulz, if you type in Peanuts, you can find a lot of images and other things there.
I also want to send people to our partner when we did the exhibit, and that's the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa. And they have a wonderful website as well. So those are two great online resources.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and I wonder too since you're such a big fan, is there something that sticks out to you for just why you're a fan or maybe a favorite character of yours that you want to share? Because I can hear it in your voice that you really love this.
[LAUGHTER]
KATE ROBERTS: I do love this stuff. I think what I like about this is the Minnesotan of Charles Schulz. I mean, he left St. Paul in 1958. He didn't leave Minnesota behind, but he didn't live here. He moved to California. But so much of the Minnesota experience is in his strips. Everything from all four seasons clearly represented, and all the sports that he would have played as a young man are represented.
I think the characters have what I don't know, for better or worse we call Minnesota values. They persevere. They find humor in different situations. They're very loyal to their friends. And just the fact that it is so timeless. But yeah, I would say, there's a lot in Peanuts that we can all feel proud of and relate to.
NINA MOINI: Absolutely, and timeless. 75 years later, and probably always will be. Kate, thanks so much for sharing your fandom and your time with us, really appreciate it.
KATE ROBERTS: Of course, thank you very much.
NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Kate Roberts, a Peanuts fan and the senior exhibit developer at the Minnesota Historical Society.
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