Charles Schulz’s creation remains a milestone in comic history.
When Peanuts debuted on Oct. 2, 1950, it featured a modest cast in just seven daily newspapers before eventually expanding to more than 2,600 publications across the globe.
Before the iconic gang took shape, Schulz worked on a similar Minnesota-based project titled Li’l Folks for the St. Paul Pioneer Press starting in 1947. After his editor denied him a raise above $10 per comic, Schulz left the paper and brought his work to United Feature Syndicate, which requested a name change to avoid confusion with an older 1930s strip called Little Folks.
The new title drew inspiration from the children sitting in the studio audience of The Howdy Doody Show, who were famously referred to as the peanut gallery.
Schulz Faced Health Challenges During His Final Weekdays
The half-century run of the Peanuts gang came to a close in early 2000 as Schulz faced health challenges. In November 1999, he suffered a series of strokes and was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, prompting chemotherapy and forcing him to contend with rapidly declining vision.
On Dec. 14, 1999, Schulz announced his retirement, making it clear that his departure from the drawing board was not by choice. The final standard weekday strip ran on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000, depicting a snowball fight with notably shaky line work that reflected the cartoonist’s physical struggles.
The Farewell Message
On Jan. 3, 2000, Schulz published his final daily sequence, featuring an image of Snoopy at his typewriter alongside a personal letter addressed to his readers.
“I have been fortunate to draw Charlie Brown and his friends for almost 50 years. It has been the fulfillment of my childhood ambition,” Schulz wrote in his announcement, according to historical records of the comic’s final syndication.
“Unfortunately, I am no longer able to maintain the schedule demanded by a daily comic strip. My family does not wish Peanuts to be continued by anyone else, therefore I am announcing my retirement.”
Because Sunday strips were produced weeks in advance, several more installments followed into the winter. The very last Sunday strip ran on Feb. 13, 2000, featuring a framing device of Charlie Brown on the phone telling a friend that Snoopy was writing, accompanied by a retrospective border of classic panels.
An Eerily Poetic Conclusion
Just one day before that final Sunday farewell appeared in print, Charles Schulz passed away from a heart attack at age 77 on Feb. 12, 2000.
