The Peanuts Cartoons from August 1964 offer a retrospective look at Charles Schulz’s legendary comic strip while it was still in its early years—at least, relatively speaking, as it’s nearly fifteen years in publication, out of an eventual run spanning half a century. These 64 selections show Charles Schultz’s keen understanding of his creations, and how he allowed them to change and grow.
A very highly regarded decade for Peanuts, The comic strips of the 1960s managed to consistently elicit laughs, while continuing already established running gags, or adding to themAs seen in the case of Snoopy’s Doghouse.
As the ’60s progressed, iconic beagle Snoopy became steadily less dog-like, and more anthropomorphized. More fantastical elements also began to appear in the strip in this era; To use Snoopy again as an example, some of​​​​his funniest logic-defying doghouse jokes originated during this time – making it essential to revisit for all Peanuts Fans.
10
“Blue Jays scare me to death”
First published: August 1, 1964
For someone who would eventually have a bird for a best pal, Snoopy didn’t get off to the best start with the feathered creatures. Before Woodstock became Snoopy’s assistant and friend, there were birds that would spend time in Charlie Brown’s yard and on Snoopy’s doghouse. The birds that preyed on Woodstock were not always a welcome presence for Snoopy, as indicated by this comic strip, Where Snoopy screams and jumps in terror at the sight of blue jays.
While Snoopy would eventually get along with other species of birds, for whatever reason, it’s blue jays specifically that make him terrifying like no other. It’s not often that readers see Snoopy scared and shaken, this comic is an interesting look at the beloved beagle’s personality.
9
“I don’t understand managers who refuse to use good strategy”
First published: August 17, 1964
Unfortunately for those Peanuts Kids, they can never win a baseball game…unless Charlie Brown is gone. Regardless, as manager of The Peanuts Baseball teamHe’s there pretty much all the time, so they lose pretty much all the time. Lucy, trying to win for a change, suggests that they enact the strategy of telling the opposing team the wrong game location so the Peanuts Team can win by office.
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Apparently, a win is a win in Lucy’s book, fair or not. Charlie Brown will have none of this plan, however, and Lucy is frustrated that her team manager doesn’t recognize her fool-proof strategy. She should have known that Charlie Brown would prefer to play fair and square; He has never been one to play fast and loose with the rules.
8
“They were talking about me!”
First published: August 29, 1964
Most Peanuts Readers know that Woodstock speaks in a “chicken scratch” language that only other birds and Snoopy seem to understand, but many may not realize that the birds pre-dated Woodstock in Peanuts History actually started the trend. Unfortunately for Snoopy, he already knew the dialect even before he met Woodstock, and he had two birds to listen to him. Talking about him at the Brown family’s bird bath. Based on Snoopy’s face, the birds definitely didn’t speak well of him.
Things would eventually get better between Snoopy and birds, starting with his friendship with Woodstock and then his time as a leader of a scout troop consisting of all birds, the Beagle Scouts. However, before the fateful relations with important birds of the Peanuts universe, Snoopy was stuck being terrorized by blue jays or gossiped by some angry birds.
7
“I don’t think you musicians know what love is”
First published: August 6, 1964
Lucy can be a bit of a hard-liner, a fact no one knows more than Schroeder. Lucy tries and tries, without success, to get him to steer away from his piano and switch his attention to her. At her breaking point in the passage, she lambasts Schroeder, and musicians in general, for having only one-track minds for music, never paying any attention to love. in turn, Schroeder meets his own breaking point, playing a tune so loudly it drowns out Lucy’s commentary, hilariously depicted in the final pane as music notes obscuring her mouth.
While Lucy is no doubt seething at Schroeder, he is no longer bothered, happily back to playing his piano. It’s easy to see where Lucy is coming from with her lesson, so as beneficial as Schroeder’s actions may be to himself, it only serves to prove Lucy’s case.
6
“I’m mailing it as a self-addressed envelope”
First published: August 16, 1964
Linus has a special attachment to his security blanket, more so than any child ever. He goes to insane lengths to keep his blanket safe with him. As much as Linus loves his blanket, he still has people (and dogs) trying to take it from him, including his own sister Lucy, Snoopy, and even his grandmother. Although Linus, of course, loves his grandmother and loves it when she comes in, the fact that she will try to remove his blanket is enough to fill him with fear and dread.
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He can’t even hide the blanket, because Grandma knows all his secrets. Pushed to get creative in order to have his security blanket safe and sound, he enacts a pretty ingenious plan: He mails the quilt to himself so that it will be safe in the hands of the United States Post Office while his grandmother comes to visit, and it will be returned to him when she is gone.
5
“What I need is a permanent custodian!”
First published: August 24, 1964
Snoopy’s Doghouse has a much bigger interior than it seems, in a classic running gag Peanuts That first appeared in January 1954. Over the next decade, Snoopy’s Doghouse grew more extravagant and huge. In 1964, it was further established that his doghouse had a library with fluorescent lights. Given that Snoopy has a life goal to finish the behemoth Tolstoy novel War and peaceIt’s not all that surprising that the pup would have a library in his unassuming mega mansion.
Given that Snoopy’s doghouse seems to be a never-ending labyrinth of luxury, he thinks he needs a permanent custodian for his humble abode, Instead only Linus and Charlie Brown do routine maintenance as needed. Here, it’s obvious that Snoopy is the king of his castle, which explains why he doesn’t lift a finger to help Charlie Brown and Linus replace the lights in his own house.
4
“You always have to say something sarcastic, don’t you?”
First published: August 18, 1964
The Peanuts Baseball team has a shockingly low number of wins. While everyone may like to blame Charlie Brown for their substandard track record, Lucy is actually the all-around worst player on the team. Everyone seems to be aware of this, even you, as emphasized by the comic strip. When Lucy tries to give a pep talk to Charlie Brown, since it’s the last game of the season, Charlie Brown tries to give her one right back.
But Lucy wasn’t having it, Thinking that Charlie Brown’s words to her to play her best were just him being sarcastic about her terrible baseball playing skills. As usual, Charlie Brown can’t please anyone; He tried to motivate Lucy, and instead, Lucy was insulted instead, in a classic Peanuts Bit of miscommunication.
3
“Someone left the light on the pool table”
First published: August 10, 1964
Just a few days before, Peanuts Readers learned that Snoopy’s doghouse has a library – now, here, Charles Schulz reveals that it also contains a pool table, As Snoopy tries to snooze on his roof, only to be awakened by a light from within, which he immediately knows is the One.”Over the pool table.”
Snoopy doesn’t think too much that he has to sleep outside, but he does get confused when the light above the pool table is left on, keeping him awake. As was the case in so many hilarious ones Peanuts Comics, Snoopy has a unique take on the problem with his pool table and the Mary Poppins bag of a doghouse he has.
2
“I’m glad he’s happy”
First published: August 13, 1964
For a lot of kids, it can be a treat to camp outside, even if it’s just in the backyard. Charlie Brown puts aside his neuroticism for the night and excitedly tells Snoopy that his mom is allowing him to sleep in a tent in the backyard. Snoopy is also very happy with this, not because of any kind of excitement that they can camp together, but because it means that he gets to sleep in his owner’s bed.
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Having Charlie Brown’s bed all to himself is a major treat for Snoopy, who is typically used to sleeping on top of a doghouse roof, which may not be too comfortable. It might be easy to assume that Snoopy would want to camp with Charlie Brown. However, Snoopy is one beagle who likes the comforts of home, even if it’s not his place.
1
“The whole trouble with you is that you don’t understand the meaning of life”
First published: August 4, 1964
Lucy likes to fancy herself a psychiatrist and life coach of sorts. Does she have the caring nature to do such a duty? No, not at all, but that has never stopped Lucy before, as seen in this memorable Peanuts Comic strip. Blaming Charlie Brown for not understanding the meaning of life, Charlie Brown turns the tables on her and asks if she understands, to which she does a classic cut and reminds him that they are talking about him, not about her.
It is safe to say that Lucy knows no more about the meaning of life than Charlie Brown, but she would never let him know that, always having to be a know-it-all. Although everyone can point to Charlie Brown as the neurotic one of these Peanuts Group, Lucy doesn’t fare much better, stuck in her own existential questioning as any normal eight-year-old tends to do.