This is a list of characters from the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. This list contains limited information on the characters; for more, visit their respective articles.
Main characters
| Character | Date Introduced | Last appearance | Character traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Brown | October 2, 1950 | February 13, 2000 | The main character, an everyman with ever-changing mood and grace; Strangely, he is regarded as both a loser and leader by the other kids and is befriended, reviled and ostracised by most of them as well; he takes his frequent failures extremely hard, yet rises out of nearly every downfall with renewed hope and determination. |
| Patty | October 2, 1950 | November 27, 1997 | An early character who never really developed a distinct personality of her own. After her first few years as the strip's token female, by the mid-1960s she was seen only occasionally, making widely spaced background or minor appearances. She was merged with Violet and Frieda as a composite character in the 1967 off-Broadway play You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. |
| Shermy | October 2, 1950 | June 15, 1969 (Possibly November 9, 1975) | Another early character who was Charlie Brown's best friend and straight man before Linus, Schroeder and Franklin came into the picture. Shermy started appearing very sporadically and infrequently around mid-1954 and by the late 1960s, was seen only in widely spaced cameos. |
| Snoopy | October 4, 1950 | February 13, 2000 | Charlie Brown's pet dog, a beagle. Intelligent beyond his species, he is independent-minded and prone to daydreaming and fantasies. |
| Violet Gray | February 7, 1951 | November 27, 1997 | Patty's best friend; a vain and snobby girl; served as an early love interest of Charlie Brown. She was usually seen with Patty, and like that character, Violet was slowly phased out of the strip throughout the 1960s, thereafter making only infrequent background or cameo appearances. |
| Schroeder | May 30, 1951 | September 12, 1999 | Piano-playing prodigy and catcher on Charlie Brown's baseball team; Lucy's unrequited love interest; ardent admirer of Beethoven; Charlie Brown's closest friend besides Linus. |
| Lucy Van Pelt | March 3, 1952 | February 13, 2000 | Linus' older sister; a bossy, fussy, crabby girl who sometimes torments Charlie Brown, frequently bullies Linus, battles with Snoopy, and who has a crush on Schroeder. |
| Linus Van Pelt | September 19, 1952 | February 13, 2000 | Lucy's younger brother; Charlie Brown's blanket-toting best friend; Sally's unrequited love interest; the most insecure but the smartest and most intellectual out of all the characters; a frequent philosopher and theologian. |
| Pig-Pen | July 13, 1954 | September 8, 1999 | The character who attracts dust, making him extremely filthy. In one strip, Pig-Pen is perfectly clean, until he steps outside and instantly become dirty. "I'm a dust magnet! ", he tells an incredulous Charlie Brown. |
| Sally Brown | August 23, 1959 | February 13, 2000 | Charlie Brown's younger sister who has a crush on Linus; often complains, overreacts or overanalyzes situations; she often shows little respect for her older brother. |
| Frieda | March 6, 1961 | November 22, 1985 | The girl who brags about her "naturally curly hair" and is quite obsessed about her beauty. Introduced in 1962, Frieda was already being phased out by the late 1960s, and after 1975, made only background appearances. In a running gag, Frieda tries to force Snoopy to chase rabbits against his will. |
| Woodstock | March 4, 1966 | February 13, 2000 | Snoopy's best friend; a tiny yellow bird. First seen in 1966, Schulz did not give him a name until June 22, 1970.[1] |
| Peppermint Patty | August 22, 1966 | February 13, 2000 | A freckle-faced tomboy who has a crush on Charlie Brown, and whom she calls 'Chuck'; leader of a baseball team and one of Charlie Brown's rival managers; she has difficulties with school, where she often falls asleep at her desk; for several years she did not realize Snoopy was a dog. |
| Franklin | July 31, 1968 | November 5, 1999 | An African-American child; was initially bemused by the strange kids (and Snoopy) in Charlie Brown's neighborhood; has intelligence and rationality comparable to Linus; plays on Peppermint Patty's baseball team. |
| Marcie | July 20, 1971 | February 13, 2000 | A mild-mannered, plain and bookish girl; Peppermint Patty's best friend despite their different personalities; calls Peppermint Patty "Sir"; secretly likes Charlie Brown. |
| Rerun Van Pelt | March 26, 1973 | February 13, 2000 | Younger brother of Linus and Lucy; frequently rides on the back of his mother's bicycle; often takes his siblings' places and roles. |
| Eudora | June 13, 1978 | June 13, 1987 | Sally's best friend; a girl she met at a camp who then moved down the street. |
| Peggy Jean | July 23, 1990 | July 11, 1999 | Charlie Brown's girlfriend in later years after the Little Red-Haired Girl. |
Snoopy's siblings
Unseen characters
- Adults implied in the strip include: the characters' parents; Linus van Pelt's teacher Miss Othmar and her replacement, Miss Halverson; Charlie Brown's baseball hero Joe Shlabotnik; and Linus' blanket-hating grandmother. Adults in most of the Peanuts animated cartoons are only heard by the unintelligible sounds of a trombone ("wah-wah-wah").
- The Little Red-Haired Girl, Charlie Brown's crush. Although she is seen in many animated television specials, she was never seen in the strip itself.
- The Great Pumpkin, an imaginary figure whom Linus believes to appear on Halloween Night in the most sincere pumpkin patch in order to deliver presents to good children.
- The Red Baron, Snoopy's nemesis while in the guise of a World War I Flying Ace. The battles occur while Snoopy is perched on his doghouse that becomes his Sopwith Camel. The battles between Snoopy and the Red Baron began in an October 10, 1965 Peanuts strip.
- The Cat Next Door who often destroys Snoopy's house.
References
- ^ Charles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts, 1967-1968, New York, Fantagraphic Books, pp. 41-42, 83, 207, 227-228.