Random Surprising Facts About Peanuts And Its Creator Charles Schulz (20 items)

(#2) There Are No Adults In Peanuts For A Reason

"I usually say that the [adults] do not appear because the daily strip is only an inch and a half high, and they wouldn't have room to stand up," Schulz once joked. "Actually, they have been left out because they would intrude in a world where they could only be uncomfortable." But when Peanuts was animated, they needed a voice for the children's teacher. And it was the composer Vince Guaraldi who came up with the idea of using a trombone, and the "wah-wah" voice was born.
(#17) Schulz Was Inducted Into Two Ice Sport Halls Of Fame

Growing up in Minnesota, Schulz was no stranger to ice. In fact, he had such a love for hockey and ice skating that he formed the Redwood Empire Ice Arena when he moved to California. In the mid-1970s, he started a hockey tournament for older adults that grew to become the largest senior tournament in the world and gave Schulz a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He would also be given a spot in the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame after his death. This would also explain the presence of all those Zambonis in Peanuts.
(#3) Schulz Created Nearly 18,000 Strips For Peanuts All By Himself

Peanuts was created entirely by Schulz - meaning that he wrote, drew, and inked the entire strip by himself. In 50 years, he created 17,897 Peanuts comic strips and kept a strict 9 to 4 weekday work schedule. As of 2000, the life of Charlie Brown and his friends was being published in 2,600 newspapers, 21 languages, and 75 countries. Syracuse University professor Robert Thompson called Peanuts "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being."
(#19) Charlie Brown Nearly Missed Being An EGOT

An EGOT is a production that has won all four of the major awards possible in the United States - an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Peanuts-related productions have won multiple Emmys, Tonys, and Grammys. However, they've only received an Oscar nomination. 1969's A Boy Named Charlie Brown was nominated for that year's Best Original Song Score; however, it didn't win, making Peanuts an EGT.
(#12) The First Peanuts Animation Appeared In A Car Commercial

Years before audiences would get to see Charlie Brown and friends come to life through animation, the Peanuts gang appeared in a car commercial. The Ford Motor Company licensed the Peanuts characters to appear in color commercials and for the intro of their company-sponsored Tennessee Ernie Ford Show. Bill Meléndez was also hired to create a Peanuts animation to promote the Ford Falcon and was later chosen by Schulz to make the first of several of the 45 Peanuts prime-time animated specials.
(#5) He Passed Away Only Hours Before His Last Strip Was Published

Charles Schulz retired in December of 1999 after a previous stroke combined with persistent hand tremors began affecting his work. His final daily strip was published in January of 2000, and his final Sunday strip was published in February. Unfortunately, Schulz passed away from colon cancer complications just hours before the newspaper went to the presses. Schulz's friend and fellow comic artist Lynn Johnston commented that it was "as if he had written it that way.''