History Creator / CharlesMSchulz

The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, located adjacent to his studio and an ice arena that the hockey-loving Schulz built for the community, houses a rotating collection of original strips and a permanent exhibit of items relating to his life (including a re-creation of his drawing room, complete with shelves full of books). There are dozens of books about his life and work, headed up by two full-length biographies: ''Good Grief'' (1988) by Rheta Grimsley-Johnson (an "authorized" bio that's actually quite frank about how the man who had such a big influence on American humor lived a SadClown life), and ''Schulz & Peanuts'' (2007) by David Michaelis (thorough, but somewhat controversial, as Schulz's family felt that it overemphasized his depression and dwelt rather sensationalistically on his failed first marriage).

After the family resumed their life in Minnesota, teenaged Schulz became a fan of the work of comic strip creators like George Herriman (''ComicStrip/KrazyKat''), Percy Crosby (''Skippy''), and Roy Crane (''Wash Tubbs & Captain Easy'') while he started working on his own cartooning. After a stint in the U.S. Army during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he worked at Art Instruction Schools in Minneapolis (the outfit behind the "Draw Me" ads that were ubiquitous in magazines and newspapers for decades) and created what would become the prototype for ''Peanuts'', a weekly panel called ''ComicStrip/LilFolks'', in 1947. After signing on with United Feature Syndicate, Schulz refined the strip into ''Peanuts'', first published on October 2, 1950.

Schulz, who moved from Minnesota to Northern California in 1958, oversaw the evolution of ''Peanuts'' from a daily comic strip into a full-blown [[Franchise/{{Peanuts}} franchise]], with animated television specials and movies and countless bits of merchandise. While ''Peanuts'' makes up the bulk of his life's work, he also did some book illustrations, some teenager-themed cartoons for ''Youth''--a magazine published by The Church of God[[note]]A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_(Anderson,_Indiana) denomination]] founded in 1881 and based in Anderson, Indiana, with Methodist roots, which is very Bible-centered and preaches "holiness living". It has a long history of promoting pacifism and opposing racism.[[/note]] (of which he was a longtime member)--and another syndicated strip called ''It's Only a Game'' (a weekly panel of sports-related cartoons).

After the family resumed their life in Minnesota, teenaged Schulz became a fan of the work of comic strip creators like George Herriman (''ComicStrip/KrazyKat''), Percy Crosby (''Skippy''), and Roy Crane (''Wash Tubbs & Captain Easy'') while he started working on his own cartooning. After a stint in the U.S. Army during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he worked at Art Instruction Schools in Minneapolis (the outfit behind the "Draw Me" ads that were ubiquitous in magazines and newspapers for decades) and created what would be the prototype for ''Peanuts'', a weekly panel called ''ComicStrip/LilFolks'', in 1947. After signing on with United Feature Syndicate, it would be refined into ''Peanuts'', first published on October 2, 1950.

Born in [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities St. Paul, Minnesota]] as the only child of German-American barber Carl Schulz and his Norwegian-American wife Dena Halverson, he was given the nickname "Sparky" by his uncle (after the horse "Spark Plug" from his favorite comic strip, ''[[ComicStrip/SnuffySmith Barney Google]]''). A bright child with obvious artistic talent, young Sparky skipped a couple of grades in elementary school, but as he became the youngest and smallest in his class, he suffered a rough adolescence. An ill-fated move by his family from Minnesota to the desert town of Needles, California also caused some disruption to his childhood.

The only child of German-American [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities St. Paul, Minnesota]] barber Carl Schulz and his Norwegian-American wife Dena Halverson, he was given the nickname "Sparky" by his uncle (after the horse "Spark Plug" from his favorite comic strip, ''[[ComicStrip/SnuffySmith Barney Google]]''). A bright child with obvious artistic talent, young Sparky skipped a couple of grades in elementary school, but as he became the youngest and smallest in his class, he suffered a rough adolescence. An ill-fated move by his family from Minnesota to the desert town of Needles, California also caused some disruption to his childhood.

** Shermy was named for a childhood friend, Charlie Brown, Linus, and Frieda were named for Art Instruction Schools co-workers, and there were many other examples of {{Tuckerization}} in ''Peanuts''.

Schulz, who moved from Minnesota to Northern California in 1958, oversaw the evolution of ''Peanuts'' from a daily comic strip into a full-blown [[Franchise/{{Peanuts}} franchise]], with animated television specials and movies and countless bits of merchandise. While ''Peanuts'' makes up the bulk of his life's work, he also did some book illustrations, some teenager-themed cartoons for ''Youth''--a magazine published by The Church of God[[note]]A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_(Anderson,_Indiana) denomination]] founded in 1881 and based in Anderson, Indiana, with Methodist roots, which is very Bible-centered and preaches "holiness living", which notably includes pacifism and antiracism.[[/note]] (of which he was a longtime member)--and another syndicated strip called ''It's Only a Game'' (a weekly panel of sports-related cartoons).

Schulz, who moved from Minnesota to Northern California in 1958, oversaw the evolution of ''Peanuts'' from a daily comic strip into a full-blown [[Franchise/{{Peanuts}} franchise]], with animated television specials and movies and countless bits of merchandise. While ''Peanuts'' makes up the bulk of his life's work, he also did some book illustrations, some teenager-themed cartoons for ''Youth''--a magazine published by The Church of God (of which he was a longtime member)--and another syndicated strip called ''It's Only a Game'' (a weekly panel of sports-related cartoons).

* AsTheGoodBookSays: While he wasn't particularly religious in his youth, after the war he became involved with a small Protestant sect called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_(Anderson,_Indiana) The Church of God]], and developed a major interest in Literature/TheBible. Bible quotes frequently found their way into ''Peanuts'', with ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas'' famously climaxing with Linus quoting the nativity story from the Gospel of Luke. Naturally, his Church of God cartoons feature many Biblical quotes and allusions.

* CanineCompanion: Schultz owned dogs most of his life, but by his account he never really connected with them until he adopted a dog named Andy in the early 90s. Around that time Snoopy became much more affectionate, often laying in Charlie Brown’s lap.

* DolledUpInstallment: The Church of God cartoons were later syndicated to other religious publications, where they were sometimes ran under the title ''Teen-nuts'', to suggest they were directly connected to ''Peanuts''.

* ExecutiveMeddling: According to some of his autobiographical books made during his lifetime. The reason Franchise/{{Hello Kitty}} and [[Creator/{{Sanrio}} Sanrio characters came into existence]] was a result of [[CreativeDifferences a disagreement he had with the company]]. They also grew tired of paying royalty fees to him. [[note]] Sanrio had merchandise rights for Snoopy back in the 60s and early 70s.[[/note]] As a result, [[StartMyOwn Sanrio decided to create their own characters]]. In later years, the company gained back the merchandise rights to the Snoopy/ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} franchise in Japan.

* {{Workaholic}}: Schultz produced all his own strips without assistants, and publicly criticized younger cartoonists who took sabbaticals like Garry Trudeau and Bill Watterson.

* SadClown: The dark edge that could sometimes be glimpsed in his work very much stemmed from a somewhat difficult life. He was a social misfit in his youth (and that youth taking place during TheGreatDepression didn't help matters). His mother died when he was 20, not long after he'd been drafted into the Army. After several years of waiting stateside,[[note]]He'd been granted a special furlough to attend his mother's funeral, which led him to get moved to a unit that stayed in the US, rather than stay with the units that most of his fellow class of draftees ended up in that got shipped to Europe after basic training, many of which ended up participating in D-Day. Schulz often reflected that his mother's death may well have saved his own life.[[/note]] his Army unit was suddenly deployed to Europe in the final days of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and even assisted in the liberation of Dachau, the longest-lived Nazi concentration camp. After he got home he endured a RejectedMarriageProposal. In 1966, at the height of his success, his visiting father suddenly died from a heart attack, and his studio burned down the same year. His first marriage ended bitterly after a prolonged separation. In 1981 he suffered a heart attack and underwent quadruple bypass surgery, and his health gradually declined in the ensuing decades.

* {{Workaholic}}: Schultz produced all his own strips, and publicly criticized younger cartoonists who took sabbaticals like Garry Trudeau and Bill Watterson.

The only child of a German-American [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities St. Paul, Minnesota]] barber and his Norwegian-American wife, he was given the nickname "Sparky" by his uncle (after the horse "Spark Plug" from his favorite comic strip, ''[[ComicStrip/SnuffySmith Barney Google]]''). A bright child with obvious artistic talent, young Sparky skipped a couple of grades in elementary school, but as he became the youngest and smallest in his class, he suffered a rough adolescence. An ill-fated move by his family from Minnesota to the desert town of Needles, California also caused some disruption to his childhood.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: The debut of ''Peanuts'' in October of 1950 came on the heels of two stinging rejections for Schulz earlier that year. ''Li'l Folks'' ended suddenly when the ''Pioneer Press'' rejected his request for better exposure, then he reached an initial syndication agreement for ''Li'l Folks'' with the Newspaper Enterprise Association syndicate, only for them to back out shortly afterwards. He later took some satisfaction when Creator/UnitedFeatureSyndicate bought out NEA, which UFS could afford largely because of its vast ''Peanuts'' revenue.

* GoshDangItToHeck: He didn't like to use profanity, instead preferring the UnusualEuphemisms "good grief!" and "rats!" which became world-famous thanks to his use of them in the strip.

[[NamesTheSame Not to be confused]] with Charles ''A.'' Schulz, the tubist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra since 1971.

!!Schultz's works provides examples of:

!!Tropes relating to Schulz's works and career:

!!Tropes relating to Schulz and his works:

!!Tropes in his works:

* EarlyBirdCameo: His first published artwork was a drawing of his dog Spike included in a 1937 ''Franchise/RipleysBelieveItOrNot'' panel (talking about Spike's habit of eating [[ExtremeOmnivore "pins, tacks, screws and razor blades"]]).

* SadClown: The dark edge that could sometimes be glimpsed in his work very much stemmed from a somewhat difficult life. He was a social misfit in his youth (and that youth taking place during TheGreatDepression didn't help matters). His mother died when he was 20, not long after he'd been drafted into the Army. After several years of waiting stateside, his Army unit was suddenly deployed to Europe in the final days of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and even assisted in the liberation of Dachau, the longest-lived Nazi concentration camp. After he got home he endured a RejectedMarriageProposal. In 1966, at the height of his success, his visiting father suddenly died from a heart attack, and his studio burned down the same year. His first marriage ended bitterly after a prolonged separation. In 1981 he suffered a heart attack and underwent quadruple bypass surgery, and his health suffered a gradual decline in the ensuing decades.

After the family resumed their life in Minnesota, teenaged Schulz became a fan of the work of comic strip creators like George Herriman (''ComicStrip/KrazyKat''), Percy Crosby (''Skippy''), and Roy Crane (''Wash Tubbs & Captain Easy'') while he started working on his own cartooning. After a stint in the U.S. Army during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he created what would be the prototype for ''Peanuts'', a weekly panel called ''ComicStrip/LilFolks'', in 1947. After signing on with United Feature Syndicate, it would be refined into ''Peanuts'', first published on October 2, 1950.

** Linus and Shermy were named after two of his friends, along with many other examples of {{Tuckerization}}

Schulz, who moved from Minnesota to Northern California in 1958, oversaw the evolution of ''Peanuts'' from a daily comic strip into a full-blown [[Franchise/{{Peanuts}} franchise]], with animated TV specials and movies and countless bits of merchandise. While ''Peanuts'' makes up the bulk of his life's work, he also did some book illustration, some teenager-themed cartoons for ''Youth''--a magazine published by The Church of God (of which he was a longtime member)--and another syndicated strip called ''It's Only a Game'' (a weekly panel of sports-related cartoons).

As the 20th century ended, his health rapidly deteriorated, and he announced his retirement on December 14, 1999. Eight weeks later, on February 12, 2000, he died from colon cancer at age 77. The last ''Peanuts'' strip was published the next day.

Good luck finding a cartoonist who ''hasn't'' cited Schulz as an influence. Creator/JimDavis, Creator/BillWatterson, and Creator/MattGroening in particular owe much of their styles to Schulz's work. His influence goes beyond cartooning too. Creator/WesAnderson is a big fan (''Film/{{Rushmore}}'' is loaded with ''Peanuts'' allusions).

The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, located adjacent to his studio and an ice arena that the hockey-loving Schulz built for the community, houses a rotating collection of original strips and a permanent exhibit of items relating to his life (including a re-creation of his drawing room, complete with shelves full of books). There are dozens of books about his life and work, headed up by two full-length biographies: ''Good Grief'' (1988) by Rheta Grimsley-Johnson (an "authorized" bio that's actually quite frank about how the man who had a huge influence on American humor lived a SadClown life), and ''Schulz & Peanuts'' (2007) by David Michaelis (thorough, but somewhat controversial, as Schulz's family felt that it overemphasized his depression and dwelled sensationalistically on his failed first marriage).

[[NamesTheSame He's not to be confused]] with Charles A. Schulz, the tubist of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra since 1971.

The only child of a German-American [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities St. Paul, Minnesota]] barber and his Norwegian-American wife, he was given the nickname "Sparky" by his uncle (after the horse "Spark Plug" from his favorite comic strip, ''[[ComicStrip/SnuffySmith Barney Google]]''). A bright child with obvious art talent, young Sparky skipped a couple of grades in elementary school, but as he became the youngest and smallest in his class, he suffered a rough adolescence. An ill-fated move by his family from Minnesota to the desert town of Needles, California also caused some disruption to his childhood.

After the family resumed their life in Minnesota, teenaged Schulz became a fan of the work of comic strip creators like George Herriman (''ComicStrip/KrazyKat''), Percy Crosby (''Skippy''), and Roy Crane (''Wash Tubbs & Captain Easy'') while he started working on his own cartooning. After a stint in the U.S. Army during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he created what would be the prototype of ''Peanuts'', a comic strip called ''ComicStrip/LilFolks'', in 1947. After signing on with United Feature Syndicate, it would be refined into ''Peanuts'', first published on October 2, 1950.

''Peanuts'' was a runaway success, and it would go on to be published continuously for almost 50 years, in 2,600 papers in 75 countries and in 21 languages.

The only child of a German-American [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities St. Paul, Minnesota]] barber and his Norwegian-American wife, he was nicknamed "Sparky" by his uncle after the horse "Spark Plug" from his favorite comic strip, ''Barney Google''. A bright child with obvious art talent, young Sparky skipped a couple of grades in elementary school, but as he became the youngest and smallest in his class, he suffered a rough adolescence. An ill-fated move by his family from Minnesota to the desert town of Needles, California also caused some disruption to his childhood.