Peanuts. Yeah, they’re a ground-grown legume. But, kids grow from the ground-up, too.

My fondness for the Peanuts gang started at a very young age, probably around the age of 5. Only now in my 20s, have I realized though, just how much I adore SNOOPY, and of course wee lil Woodstock. I always even as child, could sense, and feel a cuteness to it, could appreciate this concept of the cute, and the sheer fun of what was going on in the cartoons on tv. That was where most of my exposure to the comic came from as a child, from watching all the specials especially. It helped having “supportive” parents, too. Whenever Peanuts was on, they’d leave it on and sit me in front of the screen. Maybe they too (as I do now), had a secret desire for “Snoopy for President”! Ha! I just know, for some reason, appreciation for this brilliant little treasure of animation runs through my family, apparently.

I really came to have a deeper interest in the series after a discussion of all things, with my therapist in the Bronx! She actually explained to me, that the child whom Charlie Brown was based on was in fact a real person whom Charles Schulz knew as a child, and that she actually was an acquaintance of this man! She explained to me, that part of Schulz’s intention in making the comic was to (quietly) showcase the varying neurosis that children can develop. If you look at each character, you can see that each one struggles with a singular, unique underlying issue. After having this revealed to me, thinking about it, then proceeding to watch episodes of the animated cartoon, it was really clear to me to see! Give it a try! Lucy for instance, is self-affirming because of her insecurities; she bullies others and is nasty in order to build herself up. Charlie Brown himself, is self-deprecating in many respects, or rather, perhaps better put, simply does not respect himself in many ways; he has no self-confidence and puts himself down. Even Snoopy and Woodstock have a co-dependent relationship of their own, where while at times they’re snuggling and the best of friends, (and so are many of the children shown this way in various scenes), the next minute Snoopy is at Woodstock’s throat. All this, I find fascinating.

Amidst such fascination, amidst such acuity of mind in utilizing a popular cartoon to quietly get this message out to people, I find a great comfort in the cartoon. And I always have. Maybe it is and was because subconsciously, it was so human and real. I know it may sound silly to speak of regarding this comic, but there is passion there. Everything is soft to me in it, and I think now as an adult, it is partly because I can see the struggles, and the puzzle pieces that each of those characters are as a part of myself. Each of them truly is a piece of the human puzzle. Thanks for reading!