Charles M. Schulz (Minneapolis November 26, 1922 – Santa Rosa February 12, 2000)
Charles M. Schulz was an American cartoonist who became known worldwide for his comic book series Peanuts. The strip originally began with Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy (a Beagle). Later the piano-playing Schroeder joined in, as well as the dominant and often fake Lucy van Pelt and her little brother Linus, Charlie’s best friend. Initially, the series had no main character, but eventually Charlie Brown was given this role. In the fifty years the strip was published, adults were never featured and the children aged only about two years. Peanuts is one of the most popular and influential comics ever. At its peak, the strip appeared in 2,600 newspapers around the world and had more than an estimated 355 million daily readers. For his work, Charles Schulz even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The last Peanuts strip was released the day after Schulz’s death. It was Schulz’s wish that the strip be discontinued when he himself was no longer able to draw it.
The characters live on in reprints and the original Snoopy collection designed by Jim Shore.
