Peanuts was born the same year that I was born, so we grew up together. For years, I would cut the comic strip out of the paper, and save it in a cardboard box. I loved Peanuts, I fell in love with each and every character. I have owned snoopy banks, lunch pails, bows for my hair, pillows for my bed, dangling things for my car. I never grew tired of Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown or any of the Peanuts gang. Every Christmas I faithfully watch the Peanuts Christmas movie and I never miss, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."
So in 1976 when I had a chance meeting with Sparky Schultz it was a great honor for me. We only spoke for about 15 min. And I never actually let on that I really knew who he was, because he was the kind of person who shied away from the spot light. I was very, very sad when he passed away a few years ago. It was like the end of childhood.
I saw a special about his life on TV last night. It was a very interesting look into the mind of the man who brought life to a handful of round headed kids on paper, and one large nosed dog......
I found out that he was human after all with all of the fears and anxieties that all of us face. The only difference he put them all down on paper. People often would say to him, "just who is the real Charles Schultz?" And he would answer, "all you have to do is read my comic strip and you ARE seeing the real me. And it is true, he wrote his life out, four cartoon cells at a time for over 50 years.
Posts
21 comments:
Fantastic that you actually got to meet the writer of your favourite cartoon - not many people can say that Nea.
Nea, I love peanuts my son also is a fan. If you get chance Nea, nip over and see the new addition to my family.
I grieved, too. There is a little Charlie Brown in all of us.
I loved Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang- used to read them faithfully as a kid.
HI Akela, I used to Ice skate, and I lived about 50 miles from Santa Rosa where he and his wife built a brand new Ice Skating rink. So i used to go down and skate there. I was sitting, watching the kids and he came by to talk. I later found out that is how he met his second wife......a chance meeting in the rink......man If I only hadn't been married at the time, hehe......
Hi Queenie, I will be over as soon as I say hi to everyone who responded to this post.
I guess Peanuts was universally loved...wasn't it...
Hi Quilly, Sparky's Mom had died of cancer, and it was his greatest fear, getting cancer, so when he got it, he was devastated. It is reflected in most of his comic strips after he found out he had it......
They asked him why he didn't seek counciling and he said, "it might riun my writing."
Hi Cindy, I still love Peanuts, and still read them when I can find them, but there won't be any new ones.......when he retired, so did "the gang." I have been to the museum built to hold all of the Peanuts stuff, but it really doesn't do it justice.
hey but his wonderful work still rocks on! "-"
Hi Elween, yes, it will last a lifetime in syndication......thankfully......every year I must see my Peanuts movies....:):)
I agree N. There was always an apt saying from Snoopy for solving a tricky problem!
Oh you could have been wife #3! :)
Hi HHB, it is funny how much influence the Peanuts comic strip had on my life. I think mostly because I was a rather lonely child myself, so I could relate to the moods in the strip.....and the humor, and the salvation of self esteem.......all things I also grappled with. Imagine going through your life NEVER getting to kick a football.......for some reason I understood that emotion.
What do your memories of the strip bring to mind? What was the saying from snoopy, if you can remember it?
Hi Akela, actually at the time I met him, he was looking for wife number #2, I think, haha. But I was only about 25....and he was already about 40, or more, I never did compare our ages, but I know he never impressed me in THAT way, haha. I just admired his mind........I doubt even money impressed me back them. haha
Which brings up an interesting thought to me, would I have ever married someone who I was greatly impressed with, just to be that close to them. hmmmmmmmmmmm, Maybe....haha
Nea
I love Snoopy, he is my hero, so much so, I have a plastic figure of him as the world war one flying ace glued to the dashboard of my car, gazing out the window and leading me safely on any car journey's I undertake.
He's such a good luck mascot, that I took him to Australia this year and stuck him on the dashboard of the hire car!
Pete...;-)
XXX
I also loved Peanuts. I even worked out a presentation of The Good News according to Peanuts that I did in a number of churches.
Hi Pete, I was glad to hear that about you and Snoopy....because I am exactly the same way, I have a small white doghouse with a red roof, and snoopy is ontop as the flying ace.....with ears a flapping in the breeze, he has been with me for more than 40 years........I even named my dog snoopy, he was a dalmation. There is a place in my heart for all the peanuts gang, I am partial to Woodstock also.......I have quite a few of him also. I am a sucker for snoopy.
HI Dr. John, I would go to church if you were the pastor. But I never ever met anyone like you in any church that I ever went to...haha.
The Good New according to Peanuts would be something I would enjoy........
nea
After reading about him through you, I want to be him nea.
Thanks for sharing.
I LOVE Peanuts! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Now I'm off to check out your other blog.
Post a Comment