Peanuts was created by Charles M. Schultz in 1950, and ran until Schultz’s death in the year 2000. That’s half a century of comic strips featuring the utterly iconic Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, and – of course – Charlie Brown. And with every comic, Peanuts confirms exactly why it’s so popular, not only throughout its syndication, but in a timeless way, making it a staple in the hearts and minds of fans all over the world.

While originating as a comic strip, Peanuts transcended the short-form comic medium into the realm of holiday specials, animated series, and feature films. However, there’s still something about the classic comic strip that no other form of Peanuts could ever top, making those original stories still – to this day – the best way to enjoy the adventures of Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang. And as of June 2024, an entire month’s worth of those comics turned 70, including an iconic first for Linus. Here are 10 of the funniest ones!

10

70 Years Ago, Peanuts Introduced Linus’ Iconic Security Blanket

Peanuts – June 1, 1954

Those who grew up reading the Peanuts comic strip, or even watching the Charlie Brown holiday specials know that Linus is almost never without his security blanket. There was never really an explanation given as to why Linus always had his blanket, but upon looking back at the blanket’s first appearance, the answer is deceptively simple. When Charlie Brown asks Lucy why Linus is holding a blanket in this comic, Lucy explains that it gives him a feeling of security – and it’s as simple as that.

Some might assume the blanket held some kind of unspoken sentimental value, but the truth is that Linus just feels better when the blanket is with him, and that’s made clear right from the start with this historic comic strip.

9

Snoopy Isn’t Above Begging Charlie Brown for Ice Cream

Peanuts – June 3, 1954

In this strip, Snoopy (who looks very different from his iconic appearance) notices Charlie Brown has some ice cream and stands on his hind legs, begging for some. This is a weirdly striking comic to look back on, as Snoopy has come so far in his Peanuts career, that it’s hard to imagine him as just being Charlie Brown’s dog, with the fact that he’s drawn walking on all fours visually off-putting. But, in those original Peanuts strips, Snoopy was basically just a regular pup, one who was not above begging for ice cream.

The idea of Snoopy that many Peanuts fans might have in their heads is one of a loner, pseudo-intellectual who prefers to go on his own side-adventures (maybe with Woodstock), which mostly take place within his own imaginary world, but as this comic proves, that’s far from the version fans got in the 1950s.

8

Charlie Brown Doesn’t Let His Cartoonishly Big Head Keep Him From Winning Hide-and-Seek

Peanuts – June 4, 1954

It’s no secret that Charlie Brown has a cartoonishly big head, with the size and ’roundness’ of it often commented on by other characters in the Peanuts strip. However, Charlie Brown doesn’t let his oversized cranium get in the way of him winning hide-and-seek. As he’s playing the game with Patty in the woods filled with particularly skinny trees, Charlie Brown finds a tree with a “For Sale” sign on it, which perfectly shields his large head from view.

Charlie Brown knows his head is big, and the comic strip has made it a running joke throughout the franchise (indeed, Lucy used his head to design a pumpkin she was about to carve in the Halloween special). And in this strip, it seems like Charlie Brown is in on the joke, while not letting it keep him from winning hide-and-seek.

7

Peanuts Highlights the Hilarious Chaos Brought On By Kids Having Fun

Peanuts – June 6, 1954

This comic strip shows practically every member of the Peanuts gang playing in the same place at the same time, all just doing their own thing. Charlie Brown is flying a kite, Lucy’s jumping rope, Schroeder’s running with a balloon, and Snoopy is going for a walk. While all of them look like they’re having their own separate fun, none of them notice when they get too close to each other, leading to them quite literally getting tangled up in each other’s activities.

While the final panel acts as the perfect punchline, the entire Peanuts strip perfectly captures the joys of childhood, which is a fantastic representation of the entire kid-focused franchise as a whole, as the purpose of Peanuts – first and foremost – is to accurately portray childhood through the eyes of Charlie Brown and his friends.

6

Charlie Brown ‘Saves’ Lucy in the Funniest Way

Peanuts – June 11, 1954

When Lucy is standing on a chair that’s been stacked on top of a box, Charlie Brown walks by and asks what she’s doing. Lucy explains that she’s trying to touch the sun, at which point Charlie Brown absolutely loses it. He knocks Lucy off her makeshift ladder, screaming that she’ll get burned if she tries to touch the sun for even another second longer.

Obviously, Lucy was in no danger of being burned by the sun (at least, no more danger than she’d be in standing on the ground), which is why it’s so funny that Charlie Brown genuinely thought he saved her. And the irony of the situation makes it even funnier, as knocking Lucy off the rickety platform put her in more danger than the sun ever did.

5

Snoopy Finally Gets that Ice Cream He was Begging Charlie Brown For

Peanuts – June 17, 1954

In an earlier strip, Snoopy was begging Charlie Brown for ice cream, which highlighted the fact that he was pretty much just a regular dog in the earlier Peanuts comics (that, and the fact that he didn’t yet walk on two-legs). However, in this strip, Snoopy is acting much more like the version of himself most fans are assuredly more used to. Snoopy sits in front of Charlie Brown and looks up toward the sky, prompting Chuck to do the same. Then, Snoopy sneakily steals Charlie Brown’s ice cream right off the cone before making a hasty escape.

Pulling a fast-one on Charlie Brown for his own benefit is such a classic Snoopy move, and it’s refreshing to see that, even during a time in Peanuts continuity where he was portrayed more as a regular dog, he’s always been unapologetically ‘Snoopy’.

4

Charlie Brown and Patty Relate Lucy’s Scream to an H-Bomb

Peanuts – June 18, 1954

Charlie Brown is crouched over a pretend plunger detonator with Patty looking down at him, wondering what he’s doing. Chuck explains that he and Lucy are “playing H-Bomb test…“, at which point, Charlie Brown pushes the detonator, and Lucy releases an explosive scream.

From beginning to end, this comic is ridiculously hilarious. Charlie Brown knows how absurd this game he’s playing with Lucy is, which is made clear by how he sort of trailed off when explaining it to Patty – as if he’s hearing it himself for the first time. Then, during the game, readers are left to ponder why these kids are playing this way at all. And then, fans are reminded of a simple truth: kids are weird, and Peanuts has always been great at capturing that weirdness.

3

The High Stakes of Kids Passing Secret Messages to Each Other is Portrayed Perfectly in Peanuts

Peanuts – June 20, 1954

In a series of “pspspsps” whispers, the members of the Peanuts gang are passing secret messages through each other, with the first message seemingly being a statement, which is followed by a question (asked by Lucy), which is finally answered by an agitated Schroeder, who blurts out at Lucy, “Because!“. And while the gang does a good job at keeping this message a secret (even from the reader), other Peanuts media gives fans a few clues as to what they’re talking about.

In a number of Charlie Brown cartoons, Lucy has made it clear that she has a crush on Schroeder, and he’s made it clear that he’s not interested. Based on this comic strip, it looks like Lucy wanted to know if Schroeder liked her, to which he replied “no“, at which point Lucy asked “why“, causing Schroeder to blurt out, “Because!“. While that’s just the best guess, it’s still a lot of fun to consider.

2

Snoopy Hilariously Ruins Schroeder’s Toy Boat Experience

Peanuts – June 25, 1954

When Schroeder is playing with his toy boat in a bowl of water with Snoopy next to him, all Snoopy seems to see is a bowl of water, aka his own personal beverage. Schroeder leaves his boat’s side for just a few moments, and that gives Snoopy plenty of time to guzzle the entire bowl of water, leaving nothing for the boat to float on. When Schroeder returns, Snoopy is long-gone, and his boat is at the bottom of the bowl.

It doesn’t seem as though Snoopy meant to be a troublemaker when he drank the water, but he definitely didn’t consider Schroeder in the slightest when he did so, and he was sure to hastily run away when the water was gone, marking this as yet another early example of Snoopy being a classic menace.

1

Charlie Brown Can’t Even Draw a Perfect Circle the Right Way

Peanuts – June 29, 1954

In the only full-color Peanuts comic of the month, Charlie Brown draws a perfect circle on a fence, and excitedly shows it to Violet as she’s walking by. However, Violet isn’t impressed, as she asks Charlie Brown, “What other kind of circles are there?“, which hilariously implies that Violet believes all circles are perfect, regardless of their circumference.

The funniest part of this comic is that, even when Charlie Brown does something perfectly – in this case, drawing a circle – he still somehow does it wrong. It’s no secret that Charlie Brown has absolutely terrible luck, as that’s been a running gag throughout every era of Peanuts lore (including and especially the holiday specials), and this comic highlights that heartbreakingly hilarious aspect of Charlie Brown’s character perfectly. That’s why this is one of the 10 funniest Peanuts comics that just turned 70.