SNOOPY
Name: Snoopy
Snoopy is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by
Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in
the strip as a fairly ordinary dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the
strip's most dynamic character and among the most recognizable comic
characters in the world. The original drawings of Snoopy were based on Schulz's
childhood dogs, Snooky and Spike.
Snoopy, while born on October 2nd, first made his appearance on the strip on
October 4, 1950, two days after the strip premiered and was identified by name
on November 10. Schulz was originally going to call him "Sniffy" (as described
in 25th anniversary book), until he discovered that name was used in a different
comic strip. He changed it to "Snoopy" after remembering that his late mother
Dena Schulz had commented that if their family were ever to acquire a third dog,
it should be called Snoopi. In earlier strips it is not clear who Snoopy
belongs to; for instance in the February 2, 1951 strip, Charlie Brown accuses
Snoopy of following him, only to be told by Patty that Snoopy isn't following
Charlie Brown but merely lives in the same direction. Indeed many early
strips show Snoopy interacting with Shermy and Patty without Charlie Brown,
making Snoopy appear to belong to all of the neighborhood kids, similar to the
dog Pete in the Our Gang comedies, who is everyone's dog.
Snoopy was a silent character for the first two years of his existence, but on
May 27, 1952 he verbalized his thoughts to readers for the first time via a
thought balloon; Schulz would utilize this device for nearly all of the
character's appearances in the strip thereafter. In addition to Snoopy's ability
to "speak" his thoughts to the reader, many of the human characters in Peanuts
have the uncanny knack of reading his thoughts and responding to them. In the
animated Peanuts films and television specials, Snoopy's thoughts are not
verbalized; his moods are instead conveyed through growls, sobs, laughter, etc.,
as well as through pantomime. The only exceptions are in You're a Good Man,
Charlie Brown and Snoopy!!! The Musical, in which Snoopy's thoughts are
verbalized through voiceovers (by Robert Towers and Cam Clarke, respectively).
Animation producer Bill Meléndez voiced both Snoopy and (eventually) Woodstock
in numerous television specials from 1965 to 2006.
October 4, 1950 - Snoopy's first appearance.
Oddly enough, the first time a beagle is mentioned in the strip (December 5,
1960), Snoopy denied being one. As Snoopy dozed, Charlie Brown paraphrased
Gertrude Stein: "Beagles on the grass, alas." To this, Snoopy replied, "I am not
a beagle." (Years later, Snoopy would paraphrase the Stein
expression himself: "Birds in the grass, alas; beagle on the roof, aloof.")
Many of Peanuts' memorable moments come in Snoopy's daydream as a writer: his
eternal opener on the typewriter "It was a dark and stormy night..." is taken
from Edward George Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel Paul Clifford. The contrast
between Snoopy's existence in a dream world and Charlie Brown's in the real
world is central to the humour and philosophy of Peanuts (e.g., the Peanuts book
title Life's a dream, Charlie Brown).
Schulz summed up Snoopy's character in a 1997 interview: "He has to retreat into
his fanciful world in order to survive. Otherwise, he leads kind of a dull,
miserable life. I don't envy dogs the lives they have to live."
Name: Snoopy
Snoopy is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by
Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in
the strip as a fairly ordinary dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the
strip's most dynamic character and among the most recognizable comic
characters in the world. The original drawings of Snoopy were based on Schulz's
childhood dogs, Snooky and Spike.
Snoopy, while born on October 2nd, first made his appearance on the strip on
October 4, 1950, two days after the strip premiered and was identified by name
on November 10. Schulz was originally going to call him "Sniffy" (as described
in 25th anniversary book), until he discovered that name was used in a different
comic strip. He changed it to "Snoopy" after remembering that his late mother
Dena Schulz had commented that if their family were ever to acquire a third dog,
it should be called Snoopi. In earlier strips it is not clear who Snoopy
belongs to; for instance in the February 2, 1951 strip, Charlie Brown accuses
Snoopy of following him, only to be told by Patty that Snoopy isn't following
Charlie Brown but merely lives in the same direction. Indeed many early
strips show Snoopy interacting with Shermy and Patty without Charlie Brown,
making Snoopy appear to belong to all of the neighborhood kids, similar to the
dog Pete in the Our Gang comedies, who is everyone's dog.
Snoopy was a silent character for the first two years of his existence, but on
May 27, 1952 he verbalized his thoughts to readers for the first time via a
thought balloon; Schulz would utilize this device for nearly all of the
character's appearances in the strip thereafter. In addition to Snoopy's ability
to "speak" his thoughts to the reader, many of the human characters in Peanuts
have the uncanny knack of reading his thoughts and responding to them. In the
animated Peanuts films and television specials, Snoopy's thoughts are not
verbalized; his moods are instead conveyed through growls, sobs, laughter, etc.,
as well as through pantomime. The only exceptions are in You're a Good Man,
Charlie Brown and Snoopy!!! The Musical, in which Snoopy's thoughts are
verbalized through voiceovers (by Robert Towers and Cam Clarke, respectively).
Animation producer Bill Meléndez voiced both Snoopy and (eventually) Woodstock
in numerous television specials from 1965 to 2006.
October 4, 1950 - Snoopy's first appearance.
Oddly enough, the first time a beagle is mentioned in the strip (December 5,
1960), Snoopy denied being one. As Snoopy dozed, Charlie Brown paraphrased
Gertrude Stein: "Beagles on the grass, alas." To this, Snoopy replied, "I am not
a beagle." (Years later, Snoopy would paraphrase the Stein
expression himself: "Birds in the grass, alas; beagle on the roof, aloof.")
Many of Peanuts' memorable moments come in Snoopy's daydream as a writer: his
eternal opener on the typewriter "It was a dark and stormy night..." is taken
from Edward George Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel Paul Clifford. The contrast
between Snoopy's existence in a dream world and Charlie Brown's in the real
world is central to the humour and philosophy of Peanuts (e.g., the Peanuts book
title Life's a dream, Charlie Brown).
Schulz summed up Snoopy's character in a 1997 interview: "He has to retreat into
his fanciful world in order to survive. Otherwise, he leads kind of a dull,
miserable life. I don't envy dogs the lives they have to live."