Charles M. Schulz was born in 1922 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He had a lifelong love of comics and drawing, publishing his first cartoon at age 15. After serving in World War 2, Schulz created the comic strip Li'l Folks, which was later renamed Peanuts by its syndicate. Peanuts debuted in 1950 and became hugely popular, being adapted into TV specials, movies, and merchandise. Schulz worked on Peanuts until his death in 2000, leaving behind one of the most influential and beloved comic strips of all time.

1. Charles M. Schulz
1922-2000

2. CREATOR OF PEANUTS
• BORN IN MINNEAPOLIS,
MINNESOTA
• HE WAS NICKNAMED
SPARKY BY HIS UNCLE
• HE AND HIS FATHER HAD
A RITUAL AS A BOY OF
READING THE
FUNNIES(COMICS)
TOGETHER
• HE ALWAYS KNEW HE
WANTED TO BE A
CARTOONIST

3. PUBLISHED AT 15
• SPARKEY MOVED TO
CALIFORNIA WHEN HE
WAS 6 FOR A YEAR BEFORE
MOVING BACK TO
MINNESOTA
• CHARLES HAD A FAMILY
DOG NAMED SPIKE(WHICH
WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR
SNOOPY)
• CHARLES WAS VERY
PROUD WHEN RIPLEY’S
BELIEVE IT OR NOT
PUBLISHED HIS DRAWING
OF THE FAMILY DOG AT 15

4. ART ON HOLD
• CHARLES SERVED IN THE
MILITARY DURING WWII,
THEREFORE HE PUT HIS
CAREER ON HOLD.
• HE SKETCHED EPISODES
OF DAILY ARMY LIFE.
• IN 1945 HE RETURNED
TO ST. PAUL MINNESOTA
TO CONTINUE HIS
CARTOONING CAREER.

5. SUBMITTING HIS WORK
1947-1950
• CHARLES DREW A
WEEKLY COMIC STRIP
FOR THE LOCAL PAPER
• HE ALSO SOLD 17 COMIC
GAGS TO THE SATURDAY
EVENING POST
• HE HAD MANY
REJECTIONS FROM
PUBLICATIONS THAT DID
NOT WANT HIS WORK

6. PEANUTS IS BORN
• After several
rejections, Schulz
sold his Li'l Folks
strip to United
Feature Syndicate.
They renamed his
strip Peanuts, a title
he never liked.
• October 2, 1950 —
Peanuts debuted in
seven newspapers.
The syndicate paid
him $90 for his first
month of strips.

7. PEANUTS MAKING HISTORY
• 1960 — Hallmark created the
first Peanuts greeting cards,
and Peanuts art and animation
was first used by the Ford
Motor Company for their
popular Ford Falcon
advertising campaign.
• Peanuts was on the cover of
TIME magazine in 1965
• 1965- CHARLIE BROWN
CHRISTMAS debuted on
television
•

8. 1969-1990
• April 28, 1969 — Grand Opening of
the Redwood Empire Ice Arena
(currently known as Snoopy's Home
Ice) in Santa Rosa, California, starring
1968 Olympic Gold Medallist Peggy
Fleming and the Vince Guaraldi trio.
• May 1969 — Charlie Brown and
Snoopy accompanied astronauts on
Apollo X.
• December 4, 1969 — The first full-length,
animated Peanuts movie
debuted at Radio City Music Hall in
New York City. The film was later
nominated for an Academy Award for
Best Original Score.
• January 1, 1974 — Schulz presided as the Grand
Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade in
Pasadena, California.
• 1975 — Peanuts celebrated its 25th anniversary. It
was carried in approximately 1,480 U.S. and 175
foreign newspapers with 90,000,000 readers. The
14th television special, You’re a Good Sport, Charlie
Brown, aired in October and later won an Emmy for
Outstanding Children's Special.
• December 5, 1975 — The second major theatrical
performance based on Peanuts characters,
Snoopy!!! The Musical, premiered at the Little Fox
Theatre in San Francisco. Within the next ten years
it would also appear off Broadway at Lamb's
Theatre and in London's West End at the Duchess
Theatre. It had revivals in London and New York in
the 2000s.
• 1978 — The International Pavilion of Humor in
Montreal named Schulz "Cartoonist of the Year."

10. THE PASSING OF CHARLES M. SCHULZ
• February 12, 2000 —
Charles Schulz died
Saturday evening in his
home in Santa Rosa of
complications from colon
cancer; he was 77 years
old.
• February 13, 2000 — The
final Sunday Peanuts strip
appeared in newspapers
around the world.