People like to celebrate the New Year with a bang, something that Peanut I also like doing it. Like this Peanut Showcases holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas in its comic strips - including some truly classic stories - New Year's is also shown annually.
Despite some of these comics being over 60 years old, these New Year's comics remain relatable for readers, whether it's Charlie Brown and Lucy not being invited to New Year's parties, resolutions, or no parties. New Year's comics manage to differ from each other year after year, despite the strip's fifty-year run, while also establishing hilarious jokes. Similar to how Halloween has the Great Pumpkin joke or how winter has the joke of Snoopy being someone's skating partner, Peanut New Year's comics have their own share of ongoing jokes.
10
"Dancing Beaglettes"
December 30, 1979
Partying at the Woodstock New Year's Eve party, Snoopy is living his best life, sipping beer and dancing to his heart's content. The party hits a snag when Snoopy realizes that dancing Beaglettes (similar to human Rockette dancers) are not at this party, and he throws a fit. He then insults the Woodstock group, returning home. Like any good friend, the two patch things up by apologizing (even though Woodstock didn't really have anything to apologize for) as they hug and Snoopy wishes Woodstock a happy new year.
However, Snoopy still hasn't gotten over missing Beaglettes. Snoopy, as eccentric as he may be, can embrace his flair for the dramatic, as seen in this comic where he makes much ado about nothing. If Woodstock ever throws another New Year's Eve party, it would be wise to include the Beaglettes if you're planning to invite Snoopy.
9
"Because neither do I!!!"
January 1, 1980
Discussing the possibility of Beethoven being invited to New Year's Eve parties with Lucy, the leading authority on Beethoven, Schroeder responds that he was probably not invited. Lucy, wanting to complain, exclaims that she doesn't feel sorry for the musician because she wasn't invited to any New Year's party either. Being surly and bossy, it's no big surprise that Lucy isn't the first choice to be invited to a party.
The reason for Lucy's outburst actually makes a little sense when you understand the context. When New Year's Day comes and goes, Lucy is upset and her feelings hurt because no one invited her to a New Year's party. She is so upset that she thinks about it for days after New Year's Day, bugging Snoopy about why someone as charming as her never received any invitations.
8
"To improve"
January 1, 1992
On the first day of the New Year, Peppermint Patty and Marcie call Charlie Brown, demanding to know which one he decides he likes best. Marcie corrects her friend's use of words only for it to go over Peppermint Patty's head, as she thinks Marcie is saying Charlie Brown better decide, which she relays to him over the phone.
Peppermint Patty isn't the best student in the world (in any subject), so Marcie's English class failing while she's on the phone is completely in character. Marcie is undoubtedly the brains of the duo, but Peppermint Patty is the one who has the courage to ask Charlie Brown this question. When Charlie Brown doesn't give them an answer over the phone, they go to his house, not willing to take no for an answer.
7
"Bang!"
December 31, 1990
In Needle's desert with his cactus friend, there aren't many ways for Spike to celebrate New Year's in the middle of nowhere. As a result, Spike decides to start the new year with a bang...by saying the word bang. Either way, it's not like he and his cactus friend have any booze to toast at the start of the New Year, so Spike might as well celebrate the New Year in his own idiosyncratic way.
Spike, like his brother Snoopy, is a unique individual who lives life on his own terms. Consequently, even holidays, including New Year's Eve, gain a distinctive feature that sets him apart from others, even from his own brother, who celebrates the New Year in a more typical way, like at parties.
6
"Is that a guarantee?"
January 1, 1962
Lucy isn't typically someone who looks forward to the new year, tending to be grumpy about it, which isn't exactly a surprise when it comes to Lucy. A testament to his New Year's disdain and grumpiness occurs in a comic strip when Charlie Brown innocently wishes Lucy a Happy New Year. He's met with a lot of attitude for no real reason when Lucy starts giving him the third degree on how to say "Happy New Year"doesn't guarantee it will be a happy new year.
She gives a fiery speech, and all Charlie Brown can say is his trademark line: "what a shame!" Every reader who sees this exchange can identify with good old Charlie Brown in this comic. After seeing Lucy's negativity about New Year's Day, it's even stranger that Charlie Brown is labeled as the Debbie Downer of the group.
5
"A day before its time..."
December 30, 1983
It's not that uncommon for Charlie Brown to get the upper hand. In fact, it's practically normal for Charlie Brown to end up with his feelings hurt or being treated harshly and unfairly. Holidays are not exempt or off-limits to Charlie Brown's misfortune, with New Year's Eve included in the poor boy's string of misfortunes, as seen in this comic.
Charlie Brown is disheartened that he has never been invited to New Year's parties, thinking about all the people who go to the parties all dressed up, with Snoopy rubbing himself in his New Year's best clothes a whole day before, right outside Charlie's window. Brown. It's hard enough that he doesn't get invited to anything, but to make matters worse, his own dog gets invited to parties while he doesn't.
4
"This year is no better than the last!"
January 1, 1963
Lucy likes to make a habit of complaining about the new year or how the year doesn't get better just because it's new. In other words, he likes to start the new year with some pessimism. Given her tendency to mourn the new year, she has a series of New Year's comics that show her lack of enthusiasm for the new year.
An example occurs in a Peanut takes where, out of nowhere, Lucy reminds Charlie Brown of a point she said before, that this year is no better than last year. Predicting that 1963 will be no better than 1962, Lucy already aims for this year to be the same as the previous one and all the ones before it. Between her frustrations with her younger brothers and her general tendency to be grumpy, she brings her less-than-stellar attitude to 1963 - and to all future years, for that matter.
3
"Do you love me, Chuck?"
January 1, 1993
For some reason, Peppermint Patty has the nerve to ask Charlie Brown about his feelings for her on New Year's, as seen in several comics. Since she has a crush on her good friend Chuck, it's only appropriate that she tries to figure out his feelings for her. In 1993, Peppermint Patty calls her friend Chuck on New Year's Day to wish him a Happy New Year and then the heavy question of his love for her - and whether it exists - arises.
Charlie Brown thinks quickly and does the old missed call trick, acting as if the call didn't go through and that she needs to hang up and not dial again, while Snoopy looks on disapprovingly. While Charlie Brown's response may not be the best, Peppermint Patty really catches the boy off guard, so you can't be too hard on him.
2
"Are we out of canapés?!"
December 31, 1992
Having a big party at his house on New Year's Eve with his many bird friends, Snoopy discovers he is out of hors d'oeuvres. Snoopy's genuine surprise at running out of appetizers for his guests when he has an entire flock of birds at his party is a bit exaggerated given the large size of his party. Regardless, a lack of food won't delay a Snoopy party, with the happy-go-lucky beagle capable of making fun of any situation... even if he's the only one having fun.
With as many bird friends as Snoopy has, we wonder what Snoopy served for appetizers due to their wildly different tastes and diets. As furious as Snoopy was at Woodstock one year about not having dancing beagles at his party, it's definitely a worse fault for the party to not have enough food for the guests, making Snoopy look like he's not the best party host.
1
"These are character traits!"
January 1, 1959
Lucy gives Linus a list of all his flaws to fix, so he can be a better person next year. Linus is understandably quite upset about this (who would take kindly to a list of their own faults?), but counters that the items are not his faults, but rather his.character traits."Lucy disagrees with many of the Linus"character traits,” such as his attachment to the security blanket and his borderline obsession with his teacher, Miss Othmar.
On the first day of 1959, Lucy decides to do something about the annoyances her little brother poses to her, but it's very likely that her list of faults will remain untouched throughout the new year, based solely on Linus's reaction. That Peanut strip is a perfect illustration of how Lucy takes the role of bossy older sister to the heights of a skyscraper.