Appealing to kids and adults alike with its sense of humor and lovable characters, Peanuts has had many running gags that are consistent fan favorites. There are the many escapades that Snoopy gets up to as well as Lucy’s trademark stories, like her advice booth and her crush on Schroeder. Given that the strip has been around since the ’50s, it is only natural that Peanuts has spawned as many running gags as it has.
With its tried and true sense of humor, Peanuts has many recurring jokes and situations that can make readers laugh without fail. Many of the running gags are so popular that they made their way into the many Peanuts television specials. Consequently, this has extended the longevity of the running gags even further for audiences of all ages to enjoy, even those who can’t yet read.
10 Unrequited Love
The Peanuts Gang is Unlucky in Love
Peanuts and its unique sense of humor frequently sees one of its members getting the short end of the stick somewhere. This is most seen in the many unrequited crushes the Peanuts gang engages in. For example, there is Lucy who is head over heels for a disinterested Schroeder.
Similarly, there is Sally who adores her Sweet Babboo Linus, but the problem is that he usually can’t get away from her fast enough. Also, Peppermint Patty and her best friend Marcie have crushes on Charlie Brown, who does not respond in kind. Lastly, there’s Charlie Brown, who likes the Little Red Headed Girl but this crush is, of course, not reciprocated.
9 Sally’s Mottos
Sally is Always Embracing New Philosophies
Sally tends to live in her own world. She always mispronounces or misunderstands things as she sees them. Likewise, she tends to adopt sayings and philosophies at the drop of a hat. None of her newfound philosophies are particularly deep. In fact, her mottos are always very common sayings, like “Who Cares?“, as seen in this strip.
Sally has actually had multiple running gags for the strip. Some of these include her incorrect reports for school, or trying to get big brother Charlie Brown’s bedroom for herself. Another instance is Sally confiding her troubles to the school building. However, her mottos and philosophies seem to be her most enduring gag.
8 Charlie Brown’s Terrible Baseball Team
All the Peanuts Gang Members are Terrible at Baseball
Managed by Charlie Brown, the Peanuts baseball team and their dysfunctional lineup has been a mainstay running gag for decades. Common jokes in the baseball team strips involve Lucy being the worst player and Charlie Brown’s optimistic but less than stellar talents as manager and sometimes pitcher.
Hilariously, in a 1958 strip, the one game that Charlie is not able to attend because he’s home sick, sees the team win for once. It’s not fair to single out Lucy and Charlie Brown as the weak links, however, since all the members are such awful players. Snoopy, who plays shortstop, even falls asleep on the field during games. Peanuts’s adorable beagle shouldn’t ever count on a baseball Air Bud situation in his future.
7 Disliked Nicknames
Sweet Babboo, Sir, Chuck
There are many nicknames that the Peanuts kids call each other, like Peppermint Patty calling Charlie Brown “Chuck.” What is even more common is the kids being called nicknames they don’t like. Peppermint Patty, who seems to be fond of nicknames when it comes to others, doesn’t like it so much when it happens to her, as seen in Peppermint Patty’s interactions with Marcie.
For instance, Marcie loves to call her “sir,” but Patty does not like it and makes it known from time to time. Additionally, Linus dislikes being called “Sweet Babboo” by Sally, who pays no mind when Linus makes it clear to not call him that.
6 Holidays
Holidays Celebrated the Peanuts Way.
The holidays are always celebrated uniquely and interestingly by the Peanuts gang, who put their own spin on the festivities. For instance, there is Linus’ love of the Great Pumpkin, which is a Halloween mascot with the characteristics of Santa Claus that Linus has confused to make his own holiday creation.
There is also the Easter Beagle aka Snoopy, who makes grand entrances and gives Easter eggs to the Peanuts children. Unfortunately, he usually runs out of eggs before he gets to poor Charlie Brown. The celebration of the holidays as presented in the Peanuts strip became popular enough to warrant television specials that continue to be remembered fondly today.
5 Linus’ Blanket
Linus’ Security Blanket Inspires Many Jokes
Linus’ security blanket was a part of Peanuts since the early ’50s all the way to the end of the comic’s run. Many jokes and storylines come from Linus and his extreme attachment to his blanket. There were the stories where Lucy would try to get rid of the blanket once and for all, while there were other comics that saw numerous characters disapproving of the unhealthy attachment.
There was even the recurring joke of Snoopy trying to steal the blanket all for himself. Linus’ insatiable need for his blanket may seem superfluous, but when the many uses of the blanket are known, it’s a bit easier to see where he’s coming from. It is not only a security blanket, but also a grappling hook, scarf, kite, parachute, hammock, and even a hospital robe for Snoopy’s brother, Spike.
4 Snoopy’s Beagle Scouts
Snoopy the Scout Leader Leads a Troop of Birds into the Wilderness
With Snoopy as their leader, birds Woodstock, Fred, Roy, Wilson, Conrad, Olivier, Harriet, Bill and Raymond are their own form of the Scouts, taking on the moniker of the Beagle Scouts after Snoopy, of course. A running gag of the strip since the 1970s, the Beagle Scouts are tested by Snoopy for their wilderness survival capabilities, which they usually fail at.
To be fair, Snoopy is not the best Scout Master to teach them. For instance, he thought that the N on a compass stood for “nowhere.” However, Snoopy does his best and tries to teach the domesticated birds that the great outdoors has its virtues just like root beer and chocolate chip cookies.
3 Lucy Pulling Away The Football From Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown Never Stops Trying to Kick the Football
Included in both the comic strips and the beloved television specials, the football gag is a time-tested running staple of Peanuts. The ultimate trust exercis—distrust, that is—the gag involves Lucy persuading Charlie Brown to kick the football that she’s holding, only for her to whip it away when he runs up to the ball, making him fall.
Lucy may look like the bad guy in the many football gag strips. However, this may all be Charlie Brown’s fault because in a strip from 1953 (predating the football gag) he tells Lucy that girls don’t belong on football fields and that she is hopeless. As a result, it puts the football strips in a new light and makes it seem like Lucy is getting her revenge on Charlie. After knowing the context behind the football gag, it’s likely Charlie Brown brought the decades of punishment on himself.
2 Snoopy’s Alter Egos
Snoopy Has No Shortage of Imaginative Characters to Play
Snoopy has a wild and active imagination. He loves to imagine himself in interesting scenarios, usually far removed from reality. Consequently, it is a running gag of the strip to show Snoopy’s various alter egos and the situations they get involved in. There are several Snoopy personas, with some of the most well known being the Easter Beagle, the World War I Flying Ace, and Joe Cool.
In addition to the most popular, there are also the other characters he inhabits, like the World Famous Attorney, Tennis Player, Author/Novelist, and Surgeon. There’s actually so many more, but to list them all would take up a whole page. While Snoopy loves to attach a “World Famous” qualifier onto several of his alter egos’ titles, they are rarely exceptional. This is seen by the numerous rejection letters he receives as an author and the losing of all his cases as an attorney.
1 Lucy’s Psychiatry Booth
She’s the Psychiatrist the Whole Peanuts Gang Turns To
Lucy is a know-it-all who is always bossing everyone around and telling them her opinion even if they do not ask for it. However, there are times when people, especially Charlei Brown, come to Lucy for advice they genuinely want. It is at those times that Lucy’s psychiatry booth is in full effect.
Usually, Charlie Brown is her customer, which isn’t surprising given the neurotic thinking and morose mood he engages in. However, she has also counseled other members of the Peanuts. The gag debuted in 1959 and has been a favorite of fans since its first appearance.
Peanuts
- Created by:
- Charles M. Schulz
- First Film:
- The Peanuts Movie
- Cast:
- Christopher Shea, Kathy Steinberg, Bill Melendez, Sally Dryer, Peter Robbins, Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Mariel Sheets, Lisa DeFaria, Venus Omega Schultheis
- TV Show(s):
- The Snoopy Show, Peanuts by Schulz
- Movie(s):
- 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):
- Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy van Pelt, Linus van Pelt, Sally Brown, Pig-Pen, Marcie (Peanuts), Peppermint Patty, Woodstock
