Deb D’Andrea, Nederland.  Charles Schultz’s comic-strip “Li’l Folks” was first penned in 1947 and was a flop. In 1950, he sold the series to the United Features Syndicate who changed the name to “Peanuts.” The first strip appeared in seven newspapers on October 2, 1950; and during the 1960’s Peanuts exploded. The comic-strip had been picked up by hundreds of newspapers, had won Schultz a Reuben award, and in 1965 Charlie Brown and Gang were on the cover of TIME magazine.

Peanuts even made the Guinness World Records on its 2,000th newspaper syndication, with over 355 million people reading.

Peanuts introduced to the world Charlie Brown, Lucy and the beloved Snoopy, Charlie Brown’s dog.

Snoopy was the mischievous dog that in the beginning of the comic-strip walked on all fours communicating through ‘thought balloons.’ He graduated to walking on two legs like a human in 1956. While the characters talked to him, my research indicated they could not read his thoughts.

In the beginning, Snoopy slept in his dog house like most pups do, and then in 1958 Snoopy became known for sleeping atop his dog house, a place most are familiar seeing him daydreaming. It is said, that when Snoopy first started sleeping atop his house, it didn’t work out so well and he experienced a nasty fall.

Snoopy was confident in his actions, the cool character always by Charlie Browns side. In the late 1960’s Woodstock, Snoopy’s yellow feathered companion, joined the scene and was named after the music festival. Woodstock became a fixture by Snoopy’s side.

Snoopy had a rich fantasy life, daydreaming he was a World War I Flying Ace battling his nemesis the Red Baron or was a Foreign Legionnaire. In the 1960’s the National Aeronautics and Space Administration adopted Snoopy as their mascot; and for the Apollo 10 space mission, the lunar module was named after him. In 1968 the “Silver Snoopy Award” was created and awarded to astronauts for outstanding efforts contributing to the success of human space flight missions.

It’s now been 67 years since Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Gang hit the newsstands. During Peanuts’ peak distribution it could be read in over 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries and in 21 languages. In 2015 to commemorate the 65th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas, the first Peanuts feature film in 35 years was released November 6th, 2015. The movie has won several nominations over the past years including the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film; winning Best Animated Feature at the AAFCA.

So, if you find yourself looking for a fun movie to watch, go enjoy “The Peanuts Movie” and celebrate years of fun!

Till next time. Deb D’Andrea, founder of 4TheLuvOfDogz & the Caribou Dog Ranch is recognized by the State of Colorado as a Certified Canine Massage Therapist and will visit your home or Vet’s office to work with your dog. Canine Agility may be offered at the Caribou Dog Ranch in 2017 if there is interest. Deb currently has limited availability for new Petz Nanny Clients; and she bakes up fresh dog treats & doggy birthday cakes per order. For information contact Deb at 720-675-7078 or email: info@4theluvofdogz.com.