Peanuts arguably enjoyed its height of popularity in the 1960s, a decade which featured the debut of the comic’s first television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The special became an instant holiday classic, and helped cement the enduring pop culture legacy of creator Charles Schulz’ work. With the strips published in April, 1964 having very recently celebrated their 60th anniversary, they continue to make audiences laugh.

Debuting in 1950, Peanuts went through a number of changes in the 1960s, with just one being the transformation of the look of the characters; the ’60s spawned the most iconic looks of the characters, which generations of readers have become familiar with.

Likewise, in the ’60s, new characters were introduced, and other already present characters were given more attention. For instance, Lucy became more of a focal point of the series and Franklin, who became a main character, was introduced in the later part of the decade. Overall, it was a highly significant era for Peanuts.

10

Rain, Rain Go Away

April 4th, 1964

Baseball games can be a drag if rain starts pouring. Lucy recognizes the annoyance of inclement weather as evident in this comic strip. During one of the Peanuts’ baseball games, a downpour starts to occur, necessitating Lucy to get resourceful and use her baseball cap and a stick from the ground as a makeshift umbrella.

As unorthodox as her umbrella may be, Lucy’s invention does work, seemingly keeping her dry from the rain. While holding her creation is helpful for keeping out of the rain, it, no doubt, will be a problem if she gets any fly balls thrown her way. She is not the best player when both of her hands are free so when one of her hands is holding her pseudo-umbrella, there is a low chance of Lucy being the MVP of this rained out game.

9

April Fool

April 1st, 1964

Charlie Brown has had a crush on the Little Red Haired Girl since her debut in 1961. He would never stop having (unrequited) feelings for her, being a present part of Peanuts until its end in 2000. His crush on her had been going on three years strong at the time of this 1964 comic strip.

It was pretty common knowledge among the Peanuts kids of Charlie Brown’s crush, something Lucy used to her advantage in a mean April Fools’ joke. Telling Charlie Brown, who despite being hopelessly devoted to her, rarely had the courage to speak to her, that Little Red Headed Girl wanted him to eat with her, he gets excited and thinks he may have a chance. Unfortunately for him, he comes back to Lucy knowing that she was lying, who reveals it was an April Fools’ prank all along.

8

It’s A Living!

April 26th, 1964

Snoopy plays shortstop on Charlie Brown’s baseball team. He is not always a fantastic player, sometimes not paying attention to the point that a baseball flies right at him and he does not even notice until the ball hits him on the head. Yet, despite his inconsistent baseball abilities, Snoopy practices more than anyone would expect, especially given the lazy nature of the beloved beagle.

Right when he wakes up, he gets to work practicing, but not without taking a nap. By nighttime, he is ready to sleep, satisfied with his day, as he considers, “It’s a living”. He does not get paid for his baseball practicing, so like most things when it comes to Snoopy, it’s all in his imagination. Regardless, hopefully his practice will pay off and his team can finally get a win. However, as the ensuing decades would show, the team would rarely win more games, with their victories only happening when Charlie Brown was absent.

7

It’s Taken Off His Bowling Score

April 6th, 1964

Violet may not be the most familiar character to Peanuts audiences since she saw a decrease in appearances following the introduction of newer characters like Sally and Peppermint Patty, as well as Lucy gaining more popularity and storylines. However, she was still considered a core Peanuts character in the ’60s, with this comic a testament to her presence in Peanuts throughout the 50s and early ’60s.

In Peanuts lore, it is established that Violet comes from an upper-class home, and as a result, often brags (one wonders why she wasn’t a fan favorite). Something she especially brags about is her father, usually saying how her dad is better than Charlie Brown’s. However, the pair did have more cordial moments, where they would discuss their fathers’ quirks instead, like this strip shows. Discussing how her father has been studying all sorts of lofty topics lately, Charlie Brown imagines that those readings would help her dad out a lot, yet it has only seemed to help in taking her father’s mind off bowling.

6

Happiness Is Being Sad Too

April 28, 1964

Given that Lucy thinks that she is a qualified mental health professional, she freely espouses advice, frequently unsolicited. Linus, her own brother, is just minding his own business when Lucy goes up to him and shares her very strange and confusing views on happiness. She doesn’t just express her views on happiness to Linus, but rather yells them at him, before adding “and don’t you forget it” as he walks away.

Her expressive response to his happiness will likely ensure that he won’t forget what she is telling him, but it won’t be for good reasons. As much as Lucy likes to think she is wise, Linus takes a more peaceful approach to his words of advice and giving his opinion. As a result, Linus is definitely the less crabby between the two siblings, arguably making him the happier of the two as well.

5

A Watched Supper Dish

April 29, 1964

There are few things that Snoopy takes as seriously as he does his dinner. One could even argue that he cares more about his dinner than Charlie Brown. An example being seen when Charlie Brown, his owner that gives him unconditional love, was in the hospital and the only thing Snoopy cared about was that it meant he wouldn’t be fed that night.

Since Snoopy has such a love for his supper, and food in general, he always waits excitedly with much anticipation for his dinner. As a result, he stares at his food bowl, hoping his meal will come sooner. However, as he very well knows, watching his supper dish does not make his food come any faster. Humans and dogs alike can relate to Snoopy, with Snoopy’s actions in this comic being very familiar to anyone who has gone to a restaurant hungry and the food cannot come out soon enough.

4

The “Van” In Ludwig Van Beethoven

April 24th, 1964

As much as Schroeder would like to play his piano in peace, Lucy makes sure to put an end to it, always asking him questions or making very pointed statements in his direction. On occasion, they’re able to discuss what Schroeder cares about: Beethoven. Although, Lucy does not always have the best intentions when bringing up Schroeder’s favorite. When she tells him that the Van in Ludwig Van Beethoven does not mean anything, she expects Schroeder to get upset or disturbed.

To her surprise, he has no reaction at all, surprising and annoying Lucy in the process. Lucy will say almost anything to get Schroeder’s attention. Infuriating her is the fact that very little actually amounts to much of a response from him, making her often obnoxious attempts for naught, much to her misfortune and to the reader’s humor.

3

The Security Blanket

April 17th, 1964

Linus is one of Lucy’s most favored case studies in her career as a pint sized psychiatrist. His obsession with his security blanket will forever perplex his big sister and, as a result, Linus is one of Lucy’s most frequent patients, behind Charlie Brown, of course. Linus and his security blanket are also an area of scientific study for Lucy, being the focus of her science project.

At the science fair, other kids have chosen more typical subject matter like looking at plant life or setting up a maze for a mouse. Lucy, on the other hand, has submitted her brother and his security blanket as her entry for the science fair. Linus, no doubt, does not enjoy being a part of Lucy’s science project, but if it keeps him close to his security blanket, he is more than willing to do it, showing his dependency on it.

2

Five Dollars Worth Of Bubble Gum

April 12, 1964

A fictional baseball player called Joe Shlabotnik is an unseen character of Peanuts, who is Charlie Brown’s favorite baseball player. Charlie Brown is such a fan of the ball player that he is willing to forego his beloved comic books in favor of using his five dollars to buy a lot of bubble gum in order to get a Joe Shlabotnik baseball card. For added context for those who are not aware, bubblegum sticks for kids included baseball cards, starting in the 1930s until the early ’90s, with its peak occurring in the 1960s, which is the time of this comic.

Reliably, Charlie Brown, despite buying a huge amount of gum, doesn’t get the card he wants while Lucy, who only spends a mere penny, gets his desired card on her very first try. The comic is a great reflection of a childhood activity for kids of the ’60s, with many a child buying gum in hopes of getting their baseball card of choice.

1

Don’t Worry About Him

April 21st, 1964

Lucy raises a valid question when she wonders how Snoopy will find the bone he has buried. Yet, Charlie Brown being the good, caring owner he is, knows exactly how Snoopy will find his bone: a big sign that says the date and a picture of the bone. Lucy can say what she wants, but Snoopy has an objectively good system. He even puts a picture of a bone on the sign to make doubly sure that he will find his beloved bone when he wants it again.

Lucy always likes to think the worst of Snoopy, getting irked by his happy dance or calling him stupid in this comic, yet he often surprises her. While he very much has his own faults, like his temper, he is more capable than what Lucy gives him credit for. With a perfect system of how to get his buried bone back, he can happily ignore Lucy and her derision.