Portrait of American cartoonist Charles Schulz (1922 - 2000), creator of the Peanuts comic strip series, seated at his drawing table, pen in hand. Photo by Hulton Archive
Gallery of Charles Schulz
1962
Charles M. Schulz with a few of his Peanuts characters, including (from left) Linus (with blanket) Lucy van Pelt, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy. Image dated January 1, 1962. Photo by CBS
Gallery of Charles Schulz
1967
Sabastopol, California, United States
American cartoonist and illustrator Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000) plays football with his family, Sabastopol, California, 1967. Photo by Bill Ray
Gallery of Charles Schulz
1967
Sabastopol, California, United States
American cartoonist and illustrator Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000) throws his head back as he laughs, Sabastopol, California, 1967. Photo by Bill Ray
Gallery of Charles Schulz
1968
Charles Monroe Schulz
Gallery of Charles Schulz
1978
Portrait of American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2001), creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip, sitting at his studio drawing table with a picture of his character Charlie Brown and some awards behind him. Photo by CBS Photo Archive
Gallery of Charles Schulz
1978
Cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator of the strip "Peanuts," shown at desk with sketches for cartoon.
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz leaning on a drawing board with a life-size Snoopy puppet next to him. Photo by Matthew Naythons
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts, at his home. Photo by Nat Farbman
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Charles Schulz. Photo by NBCU Photo Bank
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, United States
Cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz, who draws Peanuts at Candlestick Park, for day honoring his character Charlie Brown. Photo by Nat Farbman
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Charles Schulz in front of a stained glass window featuring Snoopy and Woodstock. Photo by Douglas Kirkland
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Charles Schulz with Snoopy Cartoon. Photo by Douglas Kirkland
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Cartoonist Charles Schulz. Photo by Douglas Kirkland
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Cartoonist/illustrator Charles M. Schulz with one of his family's five dogs in California. Photo By Bill Ray
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, United States
Cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz, who draws Peanuts at Candlestick Park, for day honoring his character Charlie Brown. Photo by Nat Farbman
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, draws in his studio near a stuffed Snoopy toy.
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Charles M. Schulz shooting pool with his daughter Jill. Photo by Bill Ray
Gallery of Charles Schulz
California, United States
Cartoonist/ illustrator Charles M. Schulz at home in California. Photo By Bill Ray
Gallery of Charles Schulz
Charles Schulz at his desk. Photo by Douglas Kirkland
Portrait of American cartoonist Charles Schulz (1922 - 2000), creator of the Peanuts comic strip series, seated at his drawing table, pen in hand. Photo by Hulton Archive
Charles M. Schulz with a few of his Peanuts characters, including (from left) Linus (with blanket) Lucy van Pelt, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy. Image dated January 1, 1962. Photo by CBS
Portrait of American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2001), creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip, sitting at his studio drawing table with a picture of his character Charlie Brown and some awards behind him. Photo by CBS Photo Archive
(The first volume in the best-selling archival series coll...)
The first volume in the best-selling archival series collecting the most beloved comic strip ever. Many of these formative strips have never been collected or reprinted anywhere else.
(This is Charles M. Schulz's third book in this field. The...)
This is Charles M. Schulz's third book in this field. The way does it, the round little figures you know in the world of "Peanuts" stretch out into the long, skinny, but still lovable young people you find in this book. As you can see, they're nothing like the juvenile delinquents we hear so much about. They get along reasonably well with that older generation who is trying to bring them into maturity. They have some serious doubts about themselves sometimes. They go to church and are active in their church youth groups. They ask some penetrating questions and have been known to puncture some egos. You'll enjoy them again and again in this latest book.
(A reissue of the classic gift book that defines love thro...)
A reissue of the classic gift book that defines love through the simple acts and moments of everyday life with Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang.
(Charlie Brown finds himself floating out to sea on a pitc...)
Charlie Brown finds himself floating out to sea on a pitcher's mound, Snoopy ends up in Kansas City on his way to Wimbledon, and the rest of the Peanuts gang find themselves in equally confusing situations.
(In a fearsome nightmare, Snoopy imagines he is a poorly q...)
In a fearsome nightmare, Snoopy imagines he is a poorly qualified sled dog in the Far North, struggling to survive in the inhospitable, uncomfortable wilds.
(In this story, based on the new feature-length movie, Cha...)
In this story, based on the new feature-length movie, Charlie Brown and his friends go to France as exchange students, building international friendships.
(Fascinated by Fifi the poodle, Snoopy becomes a star trap...)
Fascinated by Fifi the poodle, Snoopy becomes a star trapeze artist in the circus, but when their tyrannical trainer decides to dye Fifi and Snoopy pink, Snoopy looks for the exit.
Charles Monroe Schulz was an American cartoonist, illustrator and author. He is best known as the creator of Peanuts, the child-centered comic strip.
Background
Ethnicity:
Charles Monroe Schulz's father was of German, while his mother was of Norwegian heritage.
Charles Monroe Schulz was born on November 26, 1922, in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. He was the son of Carl and Dena Schulz. His father was a barber. Charles loved to read the comics section of the newspaper with his father and was given the nickname "Sparky" after Sparkplug, the horse in the Barney Google comic strip. He began to draw pictures of his favorite cartoon characters at age six.
Education
Charles Monroe Schulz attended Richards Gordon Elementary School in Saint Paul, where he skipped two half grades. Later, he studied at Central High School of Saint Paul.
During World War II, Charles Monroe Schulz was drafted into the army and sent to Europe, rising to the rank of sergeant. After the war, he returned to Minnesota. For a while, he worked part-time for a Catholic magazine and taught for Art Instruction, Inc. He then as a freelance cartoonist with the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Saturday Evening Post.
He created the Peanuts strip (originally entitled Li’l Folks) in 1950, introducing a group of three-, four-, and five-year-old characters based upon semiautobiographical experiences. The main character is Charlie Brown, who represents a sort of "everyman," a sensitive, but bland and unremarkable child. As the strip became more popular, new characters were added, including Sally, Charlie Brown's sister; Rerun, Lucy's brother; Peppermint Patty; Marcie; Franklin; José Peterson; Pigpen; Snoopy's brother Spike; and the bird, Woodstock.
Meanwhile, during the initial years of publication of Peanuts, he came up with a sport-oriented comic strip, "It’s Only a Game'. This strip lasted for two years until 1959 due to the increasing demand for Peanuts. For nine years, from 1956 to 1965, he contributed a single-panel strip featuring teenagers to Youth, in a publication associated with the Church of God. In 1957 and 1961, he illustrated two volumes of Art Linkletter's 'Kids Say the Darndest Things'. Furthermore, he illustrated a collection of letters, Dear President Johnson, in 1964.
The year 1990 marked the fortieth anniversary of Peanuts. An exhibit at the Louvre, in Paris, France, called "Snoopy in Fashion," featured three hundred Snoopy dolls dressed in fashions created by more than fifteen world-famous designers. It later traveled to the United States. Also in 1990, the Smithsonian Institution featured an exhibit titled, "This Is Your Childhood, Charlie Brown... Children in American Culture, 1945–1970." By the late 1990s, Peanuts ran in over two thousand newspapers throughout the world every day.
Schulz was diagnosed with cancer in November 1999 after the disease was discovered during an unrelated operation. He announced in December 1999 that he would retire in the year 2000, the day after the final Peanuts strip.
Charles Monroe Schultz became a Christian after World War II, when his father introduced him to a pastor, but already had a foundation from the Church of God in Minnesota. During this time, Schultz transitioned into Bible studies, and other faith groups that helped him rekindle his faith. He would become a Methodist Sunday school teacher for ten years in California, and defended his faith through his medium.
During the 1990s, he considered himself a secular humanist and said he didn't go to church anymore. "I do not go to church anymore. I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in." In 2013 his wife said that her husband was a deeply thoughtful and spiritual man.
Views
Charles Monroe Schulz counted George Herriman, Roy Crane, Elzie C. Segar, and Percy Crosby as influences.
Quotations:
"Be yourself. No one can say you're doing it wrong."
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, rest this afternoon."
"Friendship isn't about who you've known the longest. It's all about the friend who comes and stands by your side in bad times."
"Do what is absolutely you and nobody else."
"Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use."
Membership
Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club
,
United States
1959 - 2000
Personality
Charles Monroe Schulz was an avid hockey fan. In Santa Rosa, he owned the Redwood Empire Ice Arena, which opened in 1969. In 1998, he hosted the first Over 75 Hockey Tournament. He also enjoyed golf. In his youth, he had a passion for classical music.
Interests
golf, classical music
Artists
Andrew Newell Wyeth
Sport & Clubs
ice hockey
Music & Bands
Johannes Brahms
Connections
On April 18, 1949, Charles Monroe Schulz married Joyce Halverson. He adopted Halverson's daughter, Meredith. They had four more children: Monte, Craig, Amy, Jill. In 1972 they divorced. In September 1973, he married Jean Forsyth Clyde.