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The "Peanuts" comic strip, by Charles M. Schultz, first appeared in newspapers.
Schulz, Charles M. (Charles Monroe Schulz), 1922–2000, American cartoonist, b. Minneapolis, Minn. Creator of the extremely popular syndicated comic strip Peanuts (1950–2000), one of the world's most popular examples of the genre, Schulz expressed a droll yet tender philosophy through his strip's children and animals. Among its principal characters are Charlie Brown, a gentle, puzzled boy, usually failing, yet always persevering; Lucy, his bossy, know-it-all friend; Linus, a philosophical tyke with a security blanket; and Snoopy, a romantic, self-deluded beagle. One of the many collections of Peanuts comic strips published in book form is Peanuts Classics (1970). A number of cartoon television specials based on the strip have been made.