Good-morning, kittens and dawgs! First thing let me make a quick announcement. The winner of April 15th BoTB is The Mills Brothers by an overwhelming 11 to 3! Their tally included my vote. Their harmonies and rich tones transported me in time.

In today’s edition of All Things Vintage, I’m sharing with you my all-time favorite cartoon character, none other than the beloved beagle Snoopy and the Peanuts’ Gang Creator Charles Shultz!

Charles Shultz (1922-2000) was an only child. As a child, he advanced two-half grades in school. He developed an introverted personality no doubt due to the age difference of his high school peers making him a shy and isolated teenager.

Shultz loved to draw, especially his dog Spike who did rather unusual things such as pins and tacks. He sent one of his drawings to Ripley’s Believe It or Not that published in 1937 with the caption “A hunting dog that eats pins, tacks, and razor blades…” under the pen name “Sparky” his childhood nickname.

He served in WWII for two years fighting in the infantry in Europe, then after he returned home in 1945 he became an art teacher in Minnesota. Prior to his draft, he subscribed to art correspondence classes. In the late 40s, Shultz first cartoon publications Lil’ Folks. This series was the forerunner to The Peanuts’ Gang.

Drawing inspiration from his experiences and people he knew, he created his characters. “Charlie Brown” was Charles Shultz, “Snoopy” his dog, Spike, Linus and Sherman good friends of Shultz, Peppermint Patty a cousin on his mother’s side, and the Little Red-head Girl was an art instructor he proposed who turned him down. Chaplin’s quote I used Wednesday reminds me of Shultz. He used his artist ability and humor to the truth at least in part.

Now, I wanted to share my favorite Peanuts’ gang member, Snoopy, and his many faces.

Snoopy as “Joe Cool”

Snoopy the “WWI Flying Ace”

Snoopy the “Athlete”

Snoopy the “Scout Leader”

Snoopy being “Snoopy”

Snoopy the “Writer”

Snoopy the “Perfect Friend”

Have you met Charles Shultz? Do you identify with any of The Peanuts’ Gang characters ? What do you like most about Snoopy?

Applauds and special thanks to the incredible A2Z Team for hosting all the April fun!

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Heather M. Gardner
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
AJ Lauer
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Damyanti Biswas @ Daily Write
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing

Now, I invite you to hop with me in checking out some of the amazing A2Zers playing along this year and I hope you’ll come back tomorrow for Treasures.