December 25. Charles Schulz. Schulz was an American cartoonist with a sense of dignity and the power of his work. In 1950, he published the first-ever Peanuts comic strip. It was well-written, well-drawn, and well-loved around the world. People enjoyed the Peanuts cartoons because they addressed deep and complex issues that many people face. The humor served a high purpose, and served it well.
Schulz had originally named his strip Li’l Folks, but the syndicate changed the name to Peanuts. Later, in an interview, Schulz said: “[The name Peanuts is] totally ridiculous, has no meaning, is simply confusing, and has no dignity—and I think my humor has dignity.”
And he had dignified fans. President Ronald Reagan once wrote to Schulz and said that the president identified with Charlie Brown. And the 1969 Apollo 10 command module was named Charlie Brown and a lunar module was named Snoopy. Today’s story shows Schulz at his dignified work.
When you have the boldness to be authentic, people pay attention.
Schulz kept it real. Whatever he produced was authentic. Whatever he produced could wrestle with life’s biggest questions—and it should!—as long as it resisted the temptation to skim the surface.
Consider: A Charlie Brown Christmas—the Peanuts classic. Before that first airing, television executives called it “flat.” And it only aired at all because, sponsored by Coca-Cola, it was on the docket.
Even Schulz’s own team thought it was doomed. After watching it for the first time, one of them said, “I think we’ve ruined Charlie Brown.”
Yet when it aired that historic Thursday night in 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas captured nearly half of the television-viewing audience. Soon it won the Peabody Award and an Emmy.
Now, more than fifty years later, many families consider this cartoon to be the official start of their Christmas celebration.
According to the method of the day, with A Charlie Brown Christmas, Schulz and his team did everything wrong. At the time, less than nine percent of television shows had religious content, but Schulz insisted that the real story of Christmas be shared.
“That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them.
“‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem! How will you recognize him? You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger!’
“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God: “‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,’ they sang, ‘and peace on earth for all those pleasing him’” (Luke 2:8–14 TLB).
“If we’re doing this show … I’m going to add some meaning to it. I don’t want it just to be something funny.… I think we should talk about the true meaning of Christmas—at least what it means to me.”
The director pushed back. “This is religion. It just doesn’t go in a cartoon.”
Schulz’s retort was firm. “If we don’t do it, who will?”
When a team member assumed there would be a laugh track, Schulz simply got up and left the room. No discussion.
Later, critics complained about the jazz music track. Using children instead of adults to do the voices was said to make the show “amateurish.” But A Charlie Brown Christmas worked. Perhaps a better description would be, “It’s authentic.”
Schulz knew a thing or two about authenticity. For years, his comic strip had been an extension of his personal journey. Charlie Brown, with his introspection and self-doubt, had grown out of Schulz’s struggle.
He was put two years ahead in school, which made him the perfect target for bullying. Like Charlie Brown, he had often felt left out. After returning home from military service during World War II, Schulz got serious about faith.
Always one to dig deep, he spent hours studying the Bible, marking up the margins, circling key words, and writing personal insights. As he journeyed and questioned, so did his characters. In 1985 Sally asked, “When we die, will we go to heaven?”
Charlie responded, “I like to think so.”
A bit of an enigma, Schulz was never happier than when he had a good idea, was drawing it well, and someone laughed at it. At the same time, he wasn’t satisfied unless his work had depth.
“I hate shallow humor,” he said. “I hate shallow religious humor, I hate shallow sports humor, I hate shallowness of any kind.”
For decades Charlie Brown and the gang made society think about the big questions—and a whole culture was impacted.
“Anybody who is writing finds he puts a little bit of himself in all of the characters, at least in this kind of a strip,” said Schulz. “You have to put yourself, all of your thoughts, all of your observations and everything you know into the strip.”
Do you put your authentic self into your work? When you have the boldness to be authentic, people pay attention.
Solomon, Charles and Lee Mendelson. The Art of Making Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2012.
Lind, Stephen J. A Charlie Brown Religion: Exploring the Spiritual Life and Work of Charles M. Schulz (Great Comics Artists Series). Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, November 4, 2015.
Townsend, Allie. TIME. “Q&A: Charlie Brown Christmas Producer Lee Mendelson.” Published December 23, 2011. https://entertainment.time.com/2011/12/23/qa-charlie-brown-christmas-producer-lee-mendelson/.
Inge, M. Thomas, editor. Charles M. Schulz: Conversations. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2000. Charles M Schulz Museum. “The Life of Charles M Schulz.” Accessed July 7, 2020. https://schulzmuseum.org/timeline/.
Story read by Joel Carpenter
