Peanut protagonist Charlie Brown was well acquainted with unrequited love, as he pwas sought after by the “Little Red Head Girl” for much of the strip’s fifty years of publication, but was never able to get her to return his affections. In fact, he never acted on his feelings, creating one of the great one-sided love stories of all time.
Based on a real person from artist Charles Schulz’s past, the Little Red Head Girl has become a staple of Peanutand one of the characters that really emphasized the sad nature of Charlie Brown, which came to define the character.
Charles Schulz himself once proposed to a red-haired woman, and her rejection subsequently resulted in unrequited love becoming a recurring theme in his work. To emphasize this, the Little Red-Haired Girl has never appeared in a Peanut panel, emphasizing how Charlie Brown fawned on her from a distance.
10
“I would give anything in the world if that little red-haired girl would come and sit with me.”
First published: November 19, 1961
Lunchtime was never a fun time for Charlie Brown. Lunch time is when he usually takes the time to blame himself for a multitude of reasons, or to mourn the little red-haired girl from afar, a perennial Peanut theme first introduced in this cartoon. He just wants to spend his lunch hour with his crush, but unfortunately, he’s never been able to muster up the courage to do so.
His passion for the little red-haired girl would last until the end of the year. Peanut executed in 200. Thirty-nine years is an incredibly long time to pin for someone, but then again, Charlie Brown never had the courage to talk to her, so he can’t put the blame on anyone else.
9
“I never said hello to her!!”
First published: July 16, 1969
In a heartwarming storyline for Charlie Brown, it is revealed that the little red-haired girl is moving out of the neighborhood. When Charlie Brown finds out that the little red-haired girl is leaving town, he regrets that he thought he had years to finally work up the courage to talk to her, but now it’s too late. Linus suggests that he say goodbye to her before it’s too late, but this makes Charlie Brown even more upset as he admits that he did.never even said hello to her“, making his farewell feel a little awkward in the process.
Interestingly, Charlie Brown has obviously thought long and hard about his plans to speak with her, describing possible encounters of “the sixth grade swim party“until prom. Unfortunately for him, everything passes before his eyes when he sees that those opportunities are no longer an option.
8
“Suddenly I’m writing country western music”
First published: October 4, 1969
Charlie Brown can sometimes feel things a little too deeply. Case in point, his heartbreak after the little red-haired girl moved away without Charlie Brown being able to tell her his feelings for her…or tell her anything, really. Likewise, if there’s one thing country music loves to sing about, it’s heartbreak.
When Charlie Brown lies awake at night with his thoughts about the little red-haired girl, he struggles with what he should do about his feelings for her. Talking to yourself about it, he realizes that his passionate thoughts make him sound like a country music songwriter. Honestly, he’s not wrong, from what he says in this comic. Unrequited love and all the feelings that come with it are in full force for poor Charlie Brown.
7
“It’s her! It’s the little red-haired girl!”
First published: December 20, 1969
After the pain of losing the little red-haired girl when she moved away, Charlie Brown thinks he will never see her again. Little does he know that a few months later he will end up meeting her again on his school ski trip with the rest of the group. Peanut gang. Everything is going well for Charlie Brown, as things can, at least for him, on his ski trip, but when he’s on his first chairlift ride, he sees the little red-haired girl and goes crazy… literally.
He falls from the ski lift, landing in the snow. As kids come from all over the state to the ski slopes, Charlie Brown pauses to wonder at the possibility of her being there only for him to get stuck on the way, well, in his seat, at the sight of her.
6
“Hitting her won’t solve anything, sir”
First published: June 13, 1972
Although it may be a big secret to the rest of the world Peanut gang, Peppermint Patty has a huge crush on Charlie Brown, or Chuck as she likes to call him. However, it’s no secret to her best friend Marcie, nor to the readers. As much as Peppermint Patty tries to deny her crush on Charlie Brown, Marcie knows her too well to believe her denial. When Peppermint Patty and Marcie meeting the little red-haired girl at summer camp sends Peppermint Patty into a tailspin.
She immediately becomes upset and jealous when she hears that the girl Charlie Brown constantly pined for is in the same camp as her. Acting like she just wants to get to know the girl, Peppermint Patty may have other plans in mind, as Marcie points out, causing the pair to almost fight.
5
“She doesn’t think about me because I’m nothing and you can’t think about anything”
First published: May 30, 1978
The little red-haired girl moved away in 1969, but returned in 1978, with Charlie Brown featuring her again in this comic. He mentions to Linus how he is always thinking about her, but that his thoughts are not reciprocated by the little red-haired girl, since he is “a nothing” and “you can’t think of anything.” Linus does his best and tries to correct Charlie Brown by telling him that he is nothing, which Charlie Brown imagines to mean that he is above nothing, but just barely, registering at 0.00001.
To say that Charlie Brown doesn’t have the best self-esteem would be a huge understatement, which usually only gets worse when he thinks about the Little Red-Haired Girl, like in this comic. He never thinks he’s enough for her, no matter how much Linus tries to cheer up his friend.
4
“Hey kid, your lover is here!!”
First published: December 28, 1978
Now that the little red-haired girl has returned to the neighborhood, Charlie Brown returns to his strategy of longing from afar. However, this time it’s a little scary, as he decides to hide behind a tree in her house to watch her. This doesn’t look very good on paper, but his intentions aren’t bad; he simply isn’t safe enough to talk to her or reveal his presence, so he resorts to hiding.
Lucy tries to help Charlie Brown Grab your crush’s attention in a way that’s bold enough for the little red-haired girl to discover Charlie Brown exists, but subtle enough to not be obnoxious. Unfortunately for Charlie Brown, his subtle way of letting her know that Charlie Brown exists is extremely embarrassing.
3
“You pretend you’re the little red-haired girl, okay?”
First published: February 10, 1985
Given Charlie Brown’s feelings for her, it’s not all that surprising that a Valentine’s Day comic was made about the little red-haired girl. In a festive comic strip The peanuts, Charlie Brown gave the little red-haired girl a Valentine’s Day card, but he’s still too nervous to give it to her in person, so he wants to practice giving it to her. As a result, Charlie Brown enlists Snoopy to pretend to be the little red-haired girl for the roleplay exercise to ease Charlie Brown’s nerves.
When Snoopy appears, it’s clear he’s decided to go method acting, wearing a red wig that looks like something out of Little Orphan Annie. It’s safe to say that Charlie Brown didn’t plan for Snoopy to go any further with his Little Red-Haired Girl disguise.
2
“I wonder what would happen”
First published: November 6, 1986
Charlie Brown often tries to think of ways to approach the little red-haired girl, but is usually too scared to act on his ideas. Things seem to have changed this Peanut strip, which shows Charlie Brown wondering how she would react if he winked at her – and apparently he actually does, until the reader realizes that he didn’t wink at the little red-haired girl because she wasn’t even at school that day.
Perhaps this is a step in the right direction; he starts acting how he wants to when she’s not there to prepare him for when she is. When it comes to Charlie Brown, things tend not to go the way he wants. Although, at least he’s trying. You can be sure to bet that Charlie Brown won’t even try to wink at the little red-haired girl when she returns to school.
1
“I think someone is in front of you”
First published: May 25, 1998
The little red-haired girl may be mentioned a lot in the comics, but she is never portrayed, with one big exception. The little red-haired girl was silhouetted in this comicbeing the only comic book to feature Little Red Haired Girl. At the Spring Fling, everyone Peanut gang is there, including a hopeful Charlie Brown who would like to dance with the little red-haired girl.
Every time he tries to approach her to dance, something gets in the way, like Peppermint Patty and Marcie interrupting. Likewise, when Charlie Brown is about to go up to the little red-haired girl to dance a fox trot, Snoopy, in his Scott Fitzgerald Hero alter ego, has already taken her to dance. Peanut Charlie Brown just can’t catch a break, especially when his love life is at risk.