Unseen precursor to Charles Schulz’s Peanuts unearthed by family friend The latest in a long line of historical comic-related auctions is coming up at Heritage Auctions‘ next event –a never-before-seen pre-Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz. Here it is: Created in the late 40s between Schulz’ first work Li’l Folks and the debut of Peanuts in 1950, it contains characters that bear more than a passing resemblance to future Peanuts stars Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The artwork is being offered by the family of the late Frieda Rich, a lifelong friend of Schulz who served as the inspiration for the Frieda character with the famous “naturally curly hair.” This will be one of many pieces that’ll hit Heritage Auctions’ auction block on May 5, and the organizers expect this piece to bring more than $20,000 alone.
I understand that. "Peanuts" is still a cash cow - what other strip would stay in the paper a decade after it ceased to exist as a continuing entity? (Which is a disgrace, IMO - it drives me nuts that newspapers cut good new strips while they continue to run decades-old "Peanuts" strips.) But just because they ARE making them doesn't mean they SHOULD, so I didn't agree with your wish for a new "Peanuts" theatrical flick...
One of my favourite Schulz panels. He was a huge influence on me growing up, I was all into cartoons until discovering comics at age 10 and then sf paperback covers (especially DiFate, Frazetta, Vallejo, etc. at age 14-15 when I took up acrylic painting. My art came out very different from my influences though, I paint on the romantic side of photo-realism. My favourite artist ever is Richard Estes. Hopper did a number on me too. Here's my stuff: flickr.com./thom_osburn
I'd invite fans of Charles Schulz to my hometown for this: http://www.schulzmuseum.org/ if you haven't visited already.
As a 10 year old kid, my parents took me down to Florida and we visited Cape Caneveral since I was WAY into the space program at the time. Anyway, while we were there, I bought this and now have it up for auction on EBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120716934792&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT Back then I bought anything that had to do with "Peanuts". As I recall it had to do with the fact that I believe the upcoming mission (Apollo 12 ?) was nicknamed "Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
This was, apparently, done at the behest of Schulz himself. TBH, I really don't think they lose anything by being in b&w. The Complete series, btw, is now up to Vol. 15 (1979-1980), which just came out a couple weeks ago. I can't pretend that the strip's glory days weren't well and truly over by that point, but nonetheless...I'm finding it very difficult to stop collecting the series, even after having told myself I'd cut things out around the mid-'70s. Good Lord, I had that same red lunchbox as a kid and had quite literally forgotten all about it!
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and me go way back to the dreary days of lengthy hospital stays as a young child.
Growing up when my family would take long summer vacations out west, I would always get one or two of the paperback book collections of strips each time to read on the train ride out there. I also read it in the newspaper everyday as well, and for many years cut out every Sunday color strip to keep. Once it was time to move out of the house, those yellowing sheets of newsprint were tossed.
Click on this link (at the Charles Schulz Museum) and look for the year "1934"....the inspiration for Snoopy
If you're traveling here to see the Schulz Museum you could fly in to the Charles M Schulz Sonoma County Airport from Portland, Seattle and Las Vegas. Take a picture with the Snoopy, Woodstock and Lucy statues scattered around the city.
I remember back in the late 60's when every home in the country had a copy of this on their living room shelf:
As a kid in the '70s I had that one too, as well as a couple of the other "little books" like Love Is Walking Hand in Hand and I Need All the Friends I Can Get. A few years back, a small publishing house called Cider Mill Press faithfully reproduced those books down to the smallest detail. Well worth picking up if you're a fan. http://cidermillpress.com/peanuts.html
Pre order for 83 - 86 box http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Pean...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338425240&sr=1-1
Well, he wasn't a great artist, but he did make the best comic strip of all-time. Others create better drawings/art, but no one made anything as great as "Peanuts"...
The Complete Peanuts 1987-1990 Gift Box Set http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Peanuts-1987-1990-Gift-Box/dp/1606996819/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377475664&sr=1-1&keywords=complete peanuts
