Peanuts Gangs

Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. The strip is the most popular and influential in the history of comic strips, with 17,897 strips published in all,[1] making it "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being".[2] At its peak, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages.[3] It helped to cement the four-panel gag strip as the standard in the United States,[4] and together with its merchandise earned Schulz more than $1 billion.[1] Reprints of the strip are still syndicated and run in almost every U.S. newspaper.

The strip focuses entirely on a miniature society of young children, with no shown adult characters. The main character, Charlie Brown, is meek, nervous, and lacks self-confidence. He is unable to fly a kite, win a baseball game, or kick a football.[5]

Peanuts is one of the literate strips with philosophical, psychological, and sociological overtones that flourished in the 1950s.[6] The strip's humor (at least during its '60s peak) is psychologically complex, and the characters' interactions formed a tangle of relationships that drove the strip.

Peanuts achieved considerable success with its television specials, several of which, including A Charlie Brown Christmas[7] and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,[8] won or were nominated for Emmy Awards. The holiday specials remain popular and are currently broadcast on ABC in the U.S. during the corresponding seasons. The Peanuts franchise met acclaim in theatre, with the stage musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown being a successful and often-performed production.

In 2013, TV Guide ranked the Peanuts television specials the fourth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time.[9] A computer-animated feature film based on the strip, The Peanuts Movie, was released on November 6, 2015.

The Characters
Charlie Brown -  the central and main protagonist in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. He has been hailed as one of the best cartoon characters of all time, and he has become one of the great American archetypes and the only Peanuts character to have done so.

Snoopy - the iconic deuteragonist of the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. He is the pet beagle of Charlie Brown who owns and cares for him. Snoopy is blessed with a rich, Walter Mitty -like fantasy life.

Schroeder - a major male character in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. He is distinguished by his precocious skill at playing the piano, as well as by his love of classical music and the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in particular. Schroeder is also the catcher on Charlie Brown's baseball team and the object of Lucy van Pelt's unrequited love.

Lucy Van Pelt - a major female character in the Peanuts comic strip and the animated TV specials and movies based on it. She is the older sister of Linus and Rerun.

Linus Van Pelt - a major character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. He is Lucy and Rerun's brother. Linus always means well and tries to smooth over any storms that arise amongst the gang. A source of frustration for him is Lucy, who always belittles him, particularly over his security blanket. In spite of his insightful nature, he has a naive belief in the Great Pumpkin. He is Charlie Brown's best friend.

Pig-Pen -  major male character in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. He is best known as the character with a cloud of dirt that constantly follows him.

Sally Brown - a major female character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. She was introduced to the strip in 1959 and her final appearance was February 6, 2000, right before the farewell strip which appeared the next Sunday. She is the younger sister of Charlie Brown.

Woodstock - a major animal character in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. He is best known as Snoopy's sidekick and best friend. He is named after the 1969 music festival in New York state. He first appeared in Peanuts in 1966 but did not have a name until the early 1970s.

Peppermint Patty - a major female character in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. She is not to be confused with Patty, and she is almost always referred to and addressed by her complete nickname.

Franklin - a major male character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. Introduced on July 31, 1968, Franklin was the first African-American character to appear in the strip.

Marcie -  a major female character, forever known for her unassuming sweetness and intellect. She was officially introduced into the cast of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip on July 20, 1971 (although a look-alike character named "Clara" appeared in the strip with her friends Sophie and Shirley as early as 1968).