Charlie Brown: Difference between revisions
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Charlie Brown and his creator are both the sons of [[barber]]s, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie Brown is an example of "the great American un-success story" in that he fails in almost everything he does.<ref name=WorldEncyclopediaofComics>''The World Encyclopedia of Comics'' edited by Maurice Horn, ISBN 0-7910-4854-3, ISBN 978-0-7910-4854-2</ref> |
Charlie Brown and his creator are both the sons of [[barber]]s, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie Brown is an example of "the great American un-success story" in that he fails in almost everything he does.<ref name=WorldEncyclopediaofComics>''The World Encyclopedia of Comics'' edited by Maurice Horn, ISBN 0-7910-4854-3, ISBN 978-0-7910-4854-2</ref> |
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==Character== |
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Charlie Brown is the socially awkward but mild mannered and well-meaning underdog among the local children depicted in the comic strip, but is normally happy and satisfied with life nonetheless in spite of his feckless likeliness to lose. He has made a name for himself throughout popular culture as an immensely iconic comic character, and in spite of his unpopularity with the neighborhood children with whom he frequently is seen he does have some friends and they do treat him with kindness on occasion; he commonly is accompanied by [[Linus van Pelt]] and his famous pet beagle [[Snoopy]]. |
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Charlie is frequently treated cruelly by the other children featured in the comic books and though he occasionally acknowledges this fact he is often very tollerant of the mistreatment he receives and seldom asserts himself.He is also prone to misfortune and is seldom successful in his ventures. Therefore readers of the comic strips are almost constantly prompted to sympathise for Charlie. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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| accessdate = 17 January 2011}}</ref> Another early strip, on October 30, 1950, has Patty and Shermy wishing Charlie Brown a happy birthday on that day, although they are not sure they have the date right.<ref name="PCC FAQ"/> His name has been stated by various sources to be for a childhood friend of Schulz, or for author [[Charles Brockden Brown]], author of ''[[Edgar Huntly]]''. |
| accessdate = 17 January 2011}}</ref> Another early strip, on October 30, 1950, has Patty and Shermy wishing Charlie Brown a happy birthday on that day, although they are not sure they have the date right.<ref name="PCC FAQ"/> His name has been stated by various sources to be for a childhood friend of Schulz, or for author [[Charles Brockden Brown]], author of ''[[Edgar Huntly]]''. |
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Initially, Charlie Brown was more mischievous and playful than his character would later become: He would play tricks on other characters, and some strips had [[Romance (love)|romantic]] overtones between Charlie Brown and [[Patty (Peanuts)|Patty]] and [[Violet (Peanuts)|Violet]]. He would cause headaches for adults (knocking all the [[comic book]]s off their stand at a [[Newsagent|newsstand]], for instance), though he was from the start not especially competent at any skill. |
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Charlie Brown soon evolved into the [[Sad Sack]] character he's best known as: feeling enslaved to the care of Snoopy, beset by comments from everyone around him. Common approaches to the strip's story lines included Charlie Brown stubbornly refusing to give in even when all is lost from the outset (e.g., standing on the pitcher's mound alone on the baseball field, refusing to let a torrential downpour interrupt his beloved game), or suddenly displaying a skill and rising within a field, only to suffer a humiliating loss just when he's about to win it all (most famously, Charlie Brown's efforts to win the statewide [[spelling bee]] in the feature-length film ''[[A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969 film)|A Boy Named Charlie Brown]]''). Charlie Brown never receives [[St. Valentine's Day|Valentines]] or [[Christmas card]]s and only gets rocks when he goes trick or treating on [[Halloween]] but never loses hope. His misfortunes garnered so much sympathy from the audience that many young viewers in North America of the ''[[Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown]]'' and ''[[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown]]'' TV specials have sent Valentine cards and Halloween candy respectively to [[CBS|the broadcasting television network]] in an effort to show Charlie Brown they cared for him. This also extended to protest letters when viewers felt the victimization of Charlie Brown went too far such as in ''[[It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown]]'' where Charlie Brown is publicly derided for making his [[American football|football]] team lose when it is obvious that he is not at fault, since Lucy kept pulling the football out from under him. |
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Charlie Brown maintained this demeanor until the strip ended its run in 2000, and classic strips run in many newspapers today. He did have occasional victories, though, such as hitting a game-winning [[home run]] off a pitch by [[The Natural|Roy Hobbs]]' great-granddaughter on March 30, 1993 (though she later admitted she let him hit the home runs) and soundly defeating "Joe Agate" in a game of [[marbles]] on April 11, 1995 (and in ''[[He's a Bully, Charlie Brown]]''). Usually, Charlie Brown was a representative for everyone going through a time when they feel like nothing ever goes right for them; however, Charlie Brown refuses to give up. In the final weeks of his strip, determined to finally have a winning baseball season at last, Charlie Brown tried to channel [[Joe Torre]], which made his sister think he was cracking up. |
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==Relationships== |
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<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Snoopy charlie.jpg|thumb|left|Charlie Brown and his dog [[Snoopy]].]] --> |
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Despite all this, and despite the abuse he has often received, Charlie Brown has many friends, the best being Lucy's brother [[Linus van Pelt|Linus]], who may occasionally admonish Charlie Brown, but stands by him. Linus's brother, [[Rerun van Pelt]], also seems young enough to look up to and admire Charlie Brown; in one comic strip, he wanted to watch him pitch in a baseball game, thinking that he was a master at it. Whether due to his compassion or harmlessness, Charlie Brown has no real enemies aside from intangible unluckiness, though practically all his friends are blithely critical of him at some point. His dog Snoopy seldom treats him with overt respect except when "That Round-Headed Kid" pleases him. Nonetheless though they are often shown hugging, particularly after they have been reunited after a separation, and Charlie Brown has implied he enjoys the fact he is depended on by ''someone''. |
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Linus initially appeared as an infant, but as he aged (and grew to a year or two younger than Charlie Brown) he became a profound [[Philosophy|philosopher]] and Charlie Brown's best friend, often supporting each other in small ways when the other's foibles had been painfully exposed ([[Schroeder (Peanuts)|Schroeder]] and [[Lucy van Pelt]] were also significantly younger than Charlie Brown when they first appeared, but [[Floating timeline#Syndicated comic strips|aged to the point where they became his peers]]). Linus very often serves as a way for Charlie Brown to express his thoughts and woes without judgement or condemnation; he almost never attempts to convince or directly advise Charlie Brown of anything, and tends to only be critical in an intellectual or philosophical way. Linus's own troubles with being taken seriously may explain this sympathy. Partially because of this quality, he is the only person to ever have any direct impact on Charlie Brown's actions. This is most clearly seen in "A Charlie Brown Christmas"; after Charlie Brown wonders aloud whether anyone can tell him what Christmas is all about, Linus simply recites the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, leaving Charlie Brown to successfully draw his own conclusions. The two of them are shown sitting and talking behind the often-used brick wall more than any characters. |
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A classic running gag in the strip involved Lucy taunting Charlie Brown by holding a [[Football (ball)#American and Canadian football|football]] and promising to let Charlie Brown kick it. Initially, Charlie Brown claimed that he would not trust her because she has tricked him this way many times, but Lucy then gave some reasons why Charlie Brown should give her credence. For example, to give him a signed document stating that she would not pull the ball away from him (later to reveal that the document had never been notarized). His doubt undermined, Charlie Brown then sprints toward Lucy to execute the place kick. At the last possible second, Lucy snatched the ball out of Charlie Brown's path, causing him to be flung up into the air and land hard on his back. This even occurred during the Homecoming game in ''It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown'', which lead to Charlie Brown's teammates unfairly blaming him for costing them the game, even though Lucy was at fault. One notable exception occurs in ''A Charlie Brown Celebration'' when Charlie Brown is admitted to the hospital. At one point in the story, Lucy promises never to snatch the football again. Upon release, Charlie Brown hears of the promise and challenges Lucy to honor her word. This time, he misses the ball and kicks Lucy's arm. Another notable exception occurred during ''It's Magic, Charlie Brown'', when he was briefly rendered invisible by a magic spell from Snoopy, and so was able to successfully kick the football out of a bewildered Lucy's hand, and he even teased her about it afterward. |
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Lucy, along with early characters Violet and Patty, was often attracted to Charlie Brown physically. Charlie Brown, who felt similarly about them, was too shy and expressed his love through the far away admiration of the [[Little Red-Haired Girl]]. On one occasion when Lucy was little, she falsely claimed that Charlie Brown was about to hit her, and grinned in the background when Patty came to retaliate.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://comics.com/peanuts/1952-11-23/ | title=Peanuts | date=November 23, 1952}}</ref> Violet once hit Charlie Brown with her doll after he accidentally hit it with his tricycle. Shermy once sent Charlie Brown home because he allowed a goal during a hockey game. Although Charlie Brown had romantic occasions with Violet and Patty, the two clearly favored Shermy. Yet when Charlie Brown asked Lucy during their psychiatrist booth sessions why no one liked him, Lucy always laid the blame on Charlie Brown himself. Lucy often thinks ridiculous beliefs are true (i.e.: there's a different sun every day, snow comes up out of the ground, birds can fly to the moon and back); regarding them as "little known facts", she thinks that real facts are silly and laughs at Charlie Brown's attempts to prove her wrong. Lucy is openly contemptuous of Charlie Brown, having no qualms whatsoever about crushing his hopes and telling him that he is worthless, friendless, and destined to be a [[failure]]. However she occasionally falls victim to Charlie Brown's sarcasm. In one strip when she suggested that his baseball teams sells up and move to the city, Charlie Brown responded: "I've got a better idea. Why don't we keep our baseball team and just sell you?" |
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Like all adults in the strip, Charlie Brown's parents are never seen and were only given speech balloons in the earlier comics, but occasionally referenced. His father is a [[barber]] (as was Schulz's), and his mother is a [[homemaker|housewife]]. Charlie Brown enjoys a great relationship with his father. At one point, he counters Violet's bragging about her father's possessions and club memberships by pointing out to her that his father is always happy to make time for him, even on the busiest days. Hearing this, Violet walks off, dejected. |
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In 1959, Charlie Brown's sister '''Sally''' was born. She resembled Charlie Brown in some ways, but with a shock of blond hair. Like Linus, Lucy, and Schroeder, Sally began as an infant but soon became "mature" enough to interact with the other characters on a more-or-less equal basis. Initially Charlie Brown doted on her, though she too became a thorn in his side as she would pester him for help with her homework, and berate him for misunderstanding concepts (despite herself being the one in the wrong). Charlie Brown would stoically and guiltily bear this, although sometimes he was able to let Sally dig her own holes without pulling him in with her while very occasionally firmly putting his foot down on truly unacceptable behavior (such as lying about stealing a crayon from school). |
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Charlie Brown has a [[pen pal]], but he uses a [[fountain pen]] (rather than [[ballpoint pen|ballpoint]]) and he has less skill than others at keeping the ink flow under control. This is exaggerated to humorous levels, often covering entire words, or even himself, in large smudges and blots of ink. He has often resorted to graphite, starting off the letters, "Dear Pencil Pal". These correspondences, which began in the August 25, 1958 strip, are usually one-way; but on April 14, 1960, Charlie Brown read Lucy a letter he'd received from his Pen Pal. In the letter, the Pen Pal revealed that he or she had read Charlie Brown's latest letter to his/her class, and that they all agreed he must be a nice person and someone who is pleasant to know. In response to which, Charlie Brown uttered a vigorous "Ha!" to Lucy. In a strip series in 1994, the Pen Pal was revealed to be a girl in Scotland named Morag. Charlie Brown also fantasized about a future romance with Morag, but his plans were crushed when he learned Morag had 30 other Pen Pals. |
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Charlie Brown is infatuated with an often [[unseen character]] known simply as "the [[Little Red-Haired Girl]]", though he rarely has the courage to talk to her, and when he does (in encounters which always occur off-panel) it always goes badly. He frequently says that the reason he cannot talk to her is that "She's something and I'm nothing. When she looks over at me, there's nothing to see. How can she talk to someone who's nothing?" Even when she temporarily moves away, Charlie Brown still fails to work up the courage to talk to her, despite Linus's frantic urging. Because of his preoccupation with the Little Red-Haired Girl, he remains oblivious to the occasional attentions of Peppermint Patty and Marcie. In particular, he has a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, to both of them; Peppermint Patty when she seeks reassurance over her "big nose" and her lack of femininity, and Marcie when she tries to show that she cares about him (once, when asking if Charlie Brown missed her while she was away, got the reply "my cereal's getting soggy"). However, sometimes Charlie Brown might return feelings for one of them; for example in "[[You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown]]" near the end after Marcie winks at Charlie Brown, he blushes, which can be interpreted as saying he likes her. Another time in 1989 while Marcie and Charlie Brown were at camp on the phone he told Peppermint Patty that Marcie was wearing a red swimsuit and looked real cute. Charlie Brown once had a brief, yet surprisingly successful flirtation with a minor character called Peggy Jean whom he met at summer camp. She kissed him and said she loved him. Charlie Brown also had a dance partner named Emily. |
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==Portrayals== |
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* 1960s child actor [[Peter Robbins (actor)|Peter Robbins]] first voiced Charlie Brown in a commercial for the [[Ford Falcon (North America)|Ford Falcon]] and voiced the character in the 1960s starting with the debut special ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'' in 1965. His last performance as Charlie Brown was in 1969. Since then various actors, including [[Chad Allen (actor)|Chad Allen]], have voiced the character. Erin Chase was the first girl to play Charlie Brown (in ''[[This Is America, Charlie Brown]]''). The 1980s child actor Brad Kesten voiced the Saturday Morning series ''[[The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show]]'' as well as ''[[What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?]]'' and ''[[Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?]]'', as well as the animated musicals ''[[You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown]]'' and ''[[Flashbeagle]]''. |
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* In the original off-Broadway musical cast ''[[You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown]]'' (1967), Charlie Brown was played by [[Gary Burghoff]]. In the 1999 Broadway revival, he was portrayed by [[Anthony Rapp]]. |
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* [[Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)]] a 1980 animated film. |
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* Michael Mandy provided the voice of Charlie Brown for ''[[Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown]]'', ''[[It's Magic, Charlie Brown]]'', and ''[[A Charlie Brown Celebration]]''. He also voiced the character in three commercials for Dolly Madison Cakes & Pies, and many Buena Vista 45rpm Read-Along-Books. |
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* Samuel Dunford portrayed Charlie Brown in the 2006 [[Namco]] game ''[[Snoopy vs. the Red Baron]]''. |
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==Musical== |
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In 2011, alternative rock band [[Coldplay]] played a song named "[[Charlie Brown (Coldplay song)|Charlie Brown]]" at [[Rock am Ring]]. The band later confirmed it was related to this character.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} This song reached Number 10 on US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles on November 2011. The song was released as the fourth track on Coldplay's fifth studio album, ''[[Mylo Xyloto]]''. |
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90's Punk Pop band [[Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine]] featured a song on their 1989 [[101 Damnations (album)|101 Damnations]] album entitled "Good Grief Charlie Brown". |
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A band [[Dishwalla]] had a track named "[[Charlie Brown's Parents]]". It was #24 on the Mainstream Rock charts in 1996. |
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==Television== |
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Charlie Brown was mentioned in the ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' episode "Sorry, Bro." |
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''[[Eric Forman]]'' of ''[[That 70's Show]]'' mentions he likes Charlie Brown in the episode "Street Fighting Man" |
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==References== |
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[[bg:Чарли Браун]] |
[[bg:Чарли Браун]] |
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Revision as of 08:11, 26 August 2012
| Charlie Brown | |
|---|---|
| Peanuts character | |
| File:CharlieBrown.jpg | |
| First appearance | October 2, 1950 (comic strip) |
| Voiced by | Original: Peter Robbins Other: Chad Allen, Erin Chase, Todd Barbee, Brad Kesten, Brett Johnson,E Duncan Watson, Arrin Skelley, Wesley Singerman, Anthony Rapp, Spencer Robert Scott, Zachary Gordon on Robot Chicken, Logan Darger and Chris Inglis |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Sally Brown (sister) Unnamed parents |
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.
Charlie Brown and his creator are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie Brown is an example of "the great American un-success story" in that he fails in almost everything he does.[2]
History
Charlie Brown was one of the original cast members of Peanuts when it debuted in 1950, and the butt of the first joke in the strip. Aside from some stylistic differences in Schulz's art style at the time, Charlie Brown looked much the same. He did, however, wear an unadorned T-shirt; the stripe was added within the first year of publication (December 21, 1950), in order to add more color to the strip. Charlie Brown stated in an early strip (November 3, 1950[3]) that he was "only four years old", but he aged over the next two decades, being six years old as of November 17, 1957 and "eight-and-a-half years old" by July 11, 1979. Later references continue to peg Charlie Brown as being approximately eight years old.[1] Another early strip, on October 30, 1950, has Patty and Shermy wishing Charlie Brown a happy birthday on that day, although they are not sure they have the date right.[1] His name has been stated by various sources to be for a childhood friend of Schulz, or for author Charles Brockden Brown, author of Edgar Huntly.
References
- ^ a b c Bang, Derrick (11 March 2011). "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Charles Schulz and his Peanuts cartoon strip" (text). FiveCentsPlease.org. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ The World Encyclopedia of Comics edited by Maurice Horn, ISBN 0-7910-4854-3, ISBN 978-0-7910-4854-2
- ^ "Peanuts Cartoon 21 December 1950" (image). 21 December 1950. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)
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