A Legend's Farewell Creator Of 'Peanuts' Is Retiring After 50 Years,
But Charlie Brown, Snoopy And Friends Will Go On And On
Jan 03, 2000, (INTERNET WIRE via COMTEX) -- His message begins, with
perfect rightness, "Dear Friends" --- for who in the world doesn't feel
like a close personal pal of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and all
the other pint-sized legends of "Peanuts"?
Today Charles M. Schulz bids farewell to his daily installments of
"Peanuts" with the above letter to readers, bringing to a close the
half-century run of the world's most beloved comic strip.
But the "Peanuts" world won't close up shop. New Sunday strips will run
until Feb. 13, when Schulz plans a final farewell. After that,
newspapers --- including the Journal-Constitution --- will continue to
run daily and Sunday reprints from the past 26 years.
And "Peanuts" characters will loom as large as ever in a $1
billion-a-year worldwide empire of theme park attractions, videos,
books and other licensed products. (Would you believe a chain of Snoopy
Place restaurants based in Singapore?)
Still, the day-to-day narrative of "Peanuts," the ever-unfolding comedy
(with streaks of high drama), is done. For Charlie Brown, the yearning
for the little red-haired girl will go forever unrequited, the
successful football kick (with Lucy diabolically "holding")
unconsummated. Schulz, 77 and receiving chemotherapy for colon cancer,
has decided to give up the rigors of the strip because of his health.
Assuming that the treatments are successful, he hopes to concentrate on
select "Peanuts" projects.
Paige Braddock, a former Atlantan who is creative director of Charles
M. Schulz Creative Associates in Santa Rosa, Calif., the six-person
studio that coordinates all "Peanuts" products, is in regular contact
with Schulz at his California home and says the cartoonist is looking
forward to writing screenplays for more "Peanuts" animated videos when
his cancer treatments are completed. Already in production in London is
"It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown," the first of a series of new
videos contracted with Paramount.
As for the reprints, they will commence in the Constitution and other
newspapers Tuesday, with classic strips from as far back as 1974, a
cutoff date stipulated by Schulz, even though he has been drawing
Charlie Brown and several of the other characters since 1950. A
spokesman for United Media, which syndicates the strip to 2,600 papers
worldwide, explained that by 1974, all the major characters ---
including Pig Pen, Peppermint Patty and Woodstock --- had been
introduced and the strip had basically achieved its current look.
"Mr. Schulz isn't as fond of reprinting his earliest strips, because
his drawing style has constantly evolved," said Lisa Wilson of United
Media. "For many younger readers, the '70s strips will be brand new. We
hope that, with these reprints, we can cushion the shock of Mr.
Schulz's retirement --- give people their daily dose of 'Peanuts'
comfort and joy."
One of those who lives for those injections is Sandy Norman, a
homemaker who for the Christmas holidays decorated two rooms of her
Rockmart home entirely with ornaments and plush figures of Snoopy and
Woodstock.
"What a cool yet classy dog," she said of the multiple-role-playing
cartoon canine. "The 'Peanuts' characters may be retiring, but I
believe there is too much history around for them to fade away."
Jodi Goldfinger of Stone Mountain saluted her longtime favorite,
Charlie Brown, who "thinks he's a loser but he's not, because he keeps
on trying no matter how often the 'kite-eating' tree chomps his kite.
Thank you, Charles Schulz, for keeping the kid alive in all of us."
Mike Luckovich, editorial cartoonist for The Atlanta Constitution, said
that one of the biggest thrills of his career was being asked by
''Sparky'' (as Schulz's friends call him) to advise him on the choice
between two possible endings to a "Peanuts" strip. Schulz took the
Atlantan's advice.
Luckovich said that many of the nation's foremost syndicated
cartoonists are conspiring to pool their talents and create "a very big
surprise for Sparky" in late May, when he will be honored with the
Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Cartoonists
Society Reuben Awards convention in New York. As recently as last
spring, Schulz was spotted outside a convention hall tossing a baseball
with friends --- keeping in touch with one of the all-American
wellsprings of Charlie Brown's angst.
"Sparky's a very nice, gentle person, and some people may even think
he's difficult to approach, because he's so shy," Luckovich said. "I
think there's still some Charlie Brown in him, after all."
And a lot of Snoopy too, perhaps. Like the shyest of humans, Snoopy
never spoke, but he had a bold, colorful interior life that we could
telepathically share by means of thought balloons. Like Snoopy, Schulz
could play myriad roles in his own mind. Fittingly, it's Snoopy whom we
see in today's final "Peanuts" strip, mulling over the typewriter
magically balanced on the peak of his doghouse roof.
It's a portrait of the artist as a young beagle, dreamily scanning the
horizon, interpreting the clouds.
Copyright 2000 Internet Wire, All rights reserved.
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