Happy Anniversary Charlie Brown

Jimmy: Hey everybody. Welcome back to the show. It is an exciting day here. We are, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Peanuts and we're doing it by picking our top 10 Peanuts comic strips. Can you feel the excitement just crackling through the Internet at you? 

I'll be your host for the proceedings. My name's Jimmy Gownley. I'm m also a cartoonist who did things like Amelia Rules, Seven Good Reasons not to Grow up and the Dumbest Idea Ever. And you can read all of my new comics now for free over at Gville Comics on Substack. There's like 100 plus pages there available for you right now. 

Joining me as always, are my pals, co hosts and fellow cartoonists. He's a playwright and a composer for the band Complicated People, as well as for this very podcast. He's the co creator of the original comic book price guide, the original editor for Amelia Rules, and the creator of such great strips, the Strange Attractors, A Gathering of Spells and Tangled River. It's Michael Cohen.

Michael: Say hey.

Jimmy: And he's executive producer and writer of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a former vice president of Archie Comics and the creator of the Instagram sensation Sweetest Beasts, Harold Buchholz.

Harold: Hello.

Jimmy: And making sure everything runs smoothly and keeping us out of trouble, it's our producer and editor, Liz Sumner.

Liz: Howdy.

Jimmy: Okay. Today is a very special day. We are celebrating, as we are this whole season, the 75th anniversary of our beloved comic strip Peanuts. And we are going to do something, that we have not done before that I think is going to be a lot of fun, inspire some fun conversation, and maybe give you a little insight into what each of us is like. We have picked our top 10 Peanuts comic strips. Liz has declined in an effort to keep, the editing task under control. But Michael, Harold and I have each picked our top 10. None of us know what the others have picked, but we are going to go through, we are going to start at each of our number 10 picks. We're gonna go around and then we'll see, if there's any overlap and we'll see if we can come up with a final top ten list, for Peanuts. Does that sound good to you listeners out there? And of course, you know, we would love to hear what your top 10 list is and if you want to, send it our way after you've listened to this episode. Just, shoot us an email over there at unpackingpeanuts@gmail.com we would love, love to hear from you, 

Harold. What was this, experience like for you?

Harold: Well, you know, it's daunting, right? 17897. Is that right? That's right. strips ever done? And so the very first thing I made sure to do was a podcast with three friends where we reread all 17,897 strips and discussed them over a few hundred hours. This was essential. Then I went with my gut, and I quickly thought of some memorable strips that just came to mind. I think seven of them came to my mind. Wrote them down really quickly, and then I went through my top picks from the podcast for each year and picked, like, 16 more standouts. And then, I did a process of selection and elimination. 

What I didn't do, and this might be different for you guys, I didn't place requirements on myself for even distribution over the decades or for even character representation, Although if there were some similar strips in theme or story, I would pick between the two. So that was my process. I really tried to enjoy it because it's weird how imposter syndrome comes in when you have an impossible task. It's like, who am I to do this? And then, oh, I'm probably, at least on paper, one of the top 100 people in the world to do this. Because we did the podcast, and I felt a little better. It's like, okay, people aren't going to agree with me. It's very individual. But I tried to keep it individual because the strip is very personal to me. It's why I'm a cartoonist today, I think. And it shaped my life. And so, it's so meaningful to me that I can't universalize it. Why bother? Everyone's different.

Jimmy: All right, Michael, how about you? What was your process like?

Michael: Well, it was a little. I think it would be more difficult for you guys, because I was very biased from the beginning. And as I compiled my initial list, like Harold, I went to all our picks of the year and, wrote them down. And I realized pretty soon that my love of the 50s and 60s, it just totally biased me. So there's no way I was going to be unbiased. It could have been a daunting task. But I realized when I realized how many favorites, unbelievably great strips, there were, I didn't even think of going past the 60s. I knew there was no chance I would find anything to compete with these, at least in my mind.

Harold: So you didn't even, you didn't even say, what did I pick for 70s, 80s?

Michael: No, no, no, I didn't because I knew there was. No, here's my analogy, because we have to go back to the Beatles for everything. Okay, your assignment is to pick your top 10 Beatle or post Beatle songs.

Michael: Okay. And put them in order. I would not look past the 60s, past the Beatles. I mean, I wouldn't even think for one second, you know, what McCartney song would go in this list. Because the top 10, it's just so high. You can't get higher than the top 10 Beatles songs from the 60s. You can't. So I fill up that with Peanuts, like.

Harold: Yeah, fair enough.

Michael: these are like classic in my mind because, you know, I was fairly young when I read them, but, you know, also read them hundreds of times. There's no chance, you know, even Woodstock, who was a character I grew to love, there's. There's a Woodstock strip that can top any of these. So I didn't bother. So, and also I did not look at balance at all. And yeah, you'll see when you get through my list, it's heavily biased towards one character.

Harold: Well, that. Yeah. So we were very similar in how we approached this. Jimmy, I'm really curious to how you chose to approach this.

Jimmy: Well, I picked the objective 10 best strips. I thought it was.

Harold: That's so. Jimmy, I love it.

Jimmy: I did it in 10 minutes. It was simple.

Harold: I love it. I love it. Yeah, that's what, that's what, having the intj Myers Briggs.

Liz: and the Lucy and the Marcie's.

Harold: This is. No questions. Don't have to tell you.

Michael: cutting, cutting some was painful because I.

Harold: Well, yes, I boiled it down to.

Michael: Like 14 and then that last cut was hard because. Yes, how can I cut this strip? But I did it. And also. Come on, we're just picking stuff out of the air.

Harold: Well, Michael, you and I are, but Jimmy. No, his encyclopedic memory, that does nothing. Yeah, well, Jimmy knows I can't remember what I did with him two years ago. He knows that about me. So it. So you know, you have to approach it individually based on who you are. It's absolutely true. And I thought, you know, the other thing about it, like, like you said, it was more fun to pick the strips for me and then go back and take a look. Like you said, Michael said, well, okay, which characters are dominant after the fact Instead of trying to jigger it one way or another. And I think that that, to me, was the fun of it. And then being kind of surprised here.

Michael: Yeah. You could easily go crazy trying to, balance it and make it. It's not. It's not. It's just like, for some reason, these particular strips are, like, in my mind, this is like the Louvre of comic strips.

Jimmy: Yeah. The only other thing I'd add, to my thing is that I. I only picked one that I would say I picked for its importance within the strip. Like, for instance, you could pick the first strip easily, because whether it was good, bad, or indifferent. Just because it's the first strip and it's important. the only one I picked because I think of its importance was one.

Harold: Okay. Okay.

Jimmy: But it's a great strip, too, so it's fine.

Harold: Michael, did you find any things thematically that you just kept picking over and over again? Or. Or you.

Jimmy: To me.

Harold:  Mentioned there was a character who was dominant.

Michael: Yeah.

Harold: Were there certain types of strips that you just finally kept going, oh, this is. This is what makes Peanuts great. And I just keep seeing this kind of type of strip.

Michael: It's almost like I didn't even have to think. It's like, there's no way I'm not going to put this strip in my list? I did. When the weeding came down, I noticed there were two strips that were similar in a lot of ways, and so I cut one of them and. Whereas I might have kept both of them.

Harold: Yeah, Yeah. I. That we're so very, very similar.

Michael: Yeah. Yeah. I also have to apologize for my ignorance, because.

Jimmy: A little late for that.

Michael: Well, I was. I was around on the day that debuted, but I didn't glance at the paper.

Harold: Oh, well, you know, four weeks old.

Michael: And I neglected to look in the paper.

Harold: Well, maybe you did. Maybe you did.

Michael: It's possible, I thought. Or maybe they cleaned up something that I'd spilled.

Harold: You were just fascinated by the birdcage.

Liz: Well, shall we do this?

Jimmy: All right, so who wants to go first?

VO: Starting off tonight's list at number 10?

Harold: Michael, why don't you go first?

Michael: Okay, I can. What I did was when I was, going through sorting through them, I titled each strip so I'd know I wouldn't have to keep going back and looking at it. So I knew which one was which. So my first pick from August 19th, 1967. This is my number 10, a, daily. And I only have two dailies in my list, and this one I Titled the Vulture. As you know, I'm a big fan of Snoopy's impersonation of vultures. This is a later one. he'd been doing this for 10 years already, but for some reason, this one really resonated with me. I don't have Jimmy's talent for reading.

Harold: Go for it. Just get us back up to speed. What are you seeing there?

Michael: Okay, well, I can easily do this. first three panels. There's three panels of Snoopy, clearly in his vulture mode. And he still had a little bit of an elongated snout, so he can kind of curve it. And he's sitting on some box or something. And first panel, he thinks, here's the fierce vulture waiting patiently for a victim. Second panel, waiting, waiting, waiting. Third panel, waiting. And then the fourth panel, you see what's going on. He's sitting on the tv. Charlie Brown is sitting, like, two feet from the tv, trying to watch the TV with Snoopy's head in the way. And Charlie Brown says, you can't possibly realize how annoying that is. And I'm a big fan of annoyance. And so this is, like, masterful. I mean, something's really getting to him.

Jimmy: All right, number 10, Harold, how about you? what's your number 10? We got one vulture.

Harold: Got one vulture.

Jimmy: Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on.

Harold: Yeah. Yeah.

Jimmy: okay, now, let's. I want to ask this.

Harold: Yes.

Jimmy: Did anyone else pick that one?

Michael: No, I didn't expect that.

Jimmy: No, neither did I. Okay.

Harold: All right. I'm not too far off of you. I'm August 29th, 1965, for my number 10. It's a Sunday. And, yeah, Linus is in a little wizard hat holding a crystal ball in his lap. And Lucy walks up, looking at a newspaper, and she says, fantastic. Have you ever known anyone who has the gift of prophecy? And Linus was sucking his thumb and holding his blanket with his eyes closed. Says, just myself. Lucy's you. Absolutely. I can predict what any adult will answer when he or she is asked a certain question. If you go up to an adult and say, how come we have a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, but we don't have a, Children's Day, that adult will always answer. Every day is Children's Day. It doesn't matter what adult you ask, you will always get the same answer. It is an absolute certainty. Lucy walks off, says, I'll try it out on Grandma. Off screen. Grandma, how come we have a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, but we don't Have a Children's Day. And Grandma replies, every day is Children's Day. Lucy now stands next to Linus with the eyes closed, sucking the thumb, holding the blanket, looking very dazed. And Linus says, the Gift of Prophecy.

Michael: That is a classic.

Harold: Oh my gosh. And this is one of those things where there's certain lines that just wind up in your life. Gift of prophecy is, is one of them. In my family, this one came to mind instantly when I was, when I was thinking, of, of certain strips that easily.

Michael: It could have got it on my list, actually.

Harold: No, it isn't. I did. I didn't think of that one right away, but as soon as I saw it I was like, oh, gosh, of course. So, yeah, that wasn't one that just instantly came to my mind, but it's probably the one I quote the most out of peanuts of anything.

Jimmy: All right, well, I have to say two good strips to start off with. All right. My number 10 is from August 9, 1976. I hear you're writing a book on theology. I hope you have a good title, Snoopy. I have the perfect title. Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong? That was my pick. I think that was a perfect way to start off picking these 10 strips.

Harold: Yeah, right. If Snoopy were writing the book for me and Michael.

Jimmy: Yeah, yeah, right.

Harold: Of course.

Jimmy: I don't have too much of Snoopy's, alter egos, because a lot of the ones I like the best, tended to be in long sequences or were the grocery clerk, which I just couldn't read. Couldn't actually, put in my top 10. But anyone pick that one?

Michael: Nope.

Jimmy: All right, so those are three.

Harold: That is a classic.

Michael: It is a classic.

Liz: Interesting that all three are from August.

Harold: Right?

Jimmy: That's weird.

Harold: So he did his 10th best work in August. Keep that in mind.

Jimmy: That's all right. So we're all right. We have a hot start. Where are we at now? With you, Michael for number nine.

Michael: Going way back, 1954, August 15th, August. This is entitled the Dance Lesson. And this is one of those just hilarious, multi paneled many panels. it's just the drawing is so great. But anyway, Patty and Violet are sitting on the, pavement and Lucy comes walking down the street with a big smile on her face. They mention that Lucy's just been going to dancing school and they want her to do a few steps for them and show them what she's learned. And she's, she's very young. Lucy, at this point is definitely younger than the rest because she started as a baby. So Lucy is a little worried because she's not sure she can remember all the steps. But in the next six panels, we see a sequence of her. She shakes one foot, she shakes the other foot, she shakes one hand, she shakes the other hand. And then she jumps up and then she makes a little pose.

Harold: One Grecian urn.

Michael: Yeah. And then she says, that cost my dad $12.

Harold: with a big grin on her face.

Michael: Yeah.

Harold: She's so proud. That's a great one for sure. Love it.

Michael: It's so funny because it's clearly not dancing and she's really little. I mean, she looks like she might be three or something.

Harold: Yeah, that's more relevant even today with parents taking their shuttling their kids from one parent to another, paying for one event after another that they are sponsored in that they have to learn. That's just so classic.

Jimmy: That's a good one, Harold. How about you?

Harold: Oh, number nine. I'm sorry I broke our August streak. I am on December 23rd, 1979. My first Christmas strip of the top, 10, not the last. And it's a Sunday. And it shows Snoopy looking at a package that says, mustn't touch. Charlie Brown finds a package in the mail and he brings it over to Snoopy's doghouse. And he says, package just came for you. But it says, do not open until Christmas. And Snoopy gleefully tears it open. Dogs can't read. Pulls the hat out of the box, sticks it on top of his head is this big fluffy striped, toque. And he's like, how nice. A new stocking cap. And then the next panel, instantly he's like, he was right. I should have waited. Now everyone else will be opening presents, but I'll just have to stand around and watch. Rats. And then he pulls the hat down over his head and stomach so you just see his feet and tail on top of the doghouse. I'm so stupid. Then he lies down in the same pose with the hat and says, I do this every year. And then Charlie Brown shows up. Surprise. Another package just came, but it says, do not open until, Snoopy's like, who cares? I can't wait. Tears open the package and the last panel is him still wearing the hat and the polka dotted tie around his neck. And he says, I'm so stupid. 

I love this one so much. I, it's, it's one of those super memorable ones. it dates back I'd say about half of these at least, date back to childhood memories of the strip. Once it just didn't go away, which is a pretty good bellwether for why it should be on our top 10 list if we. We remember them from way back when. So it biases us. But it also. I think it's a good test of time. This one is, I think, very funny. It's so Snoopy. And, you know, thinking about, again, what makes Snoopy so special? it's those ones. He just swings wildly in what he does. He's kind of, like we said, contradictory in certain ways, like we all are. And you definitely see it here, you know, from absolute joy to absolute regret, back to impulsiveness, and then. And then just, you know, ending it with, I'm so stupid. It's just. I love that one. It just encapsulates Snoopy in a lot of ways in one little strip.

Jimmy: Good pick. for my number nine. This is, the one I picked, for its resonance within the strip. But I think it's pretty great all on its own. This is January 2, 2000, and it's nobody Shook Hands and Said Goodbye, which, you know, really is the finale of the strip, I think, to me. And nobody draws rain like good old Charles Schulz.

Harold: Yeah.

Jimmy: And, it just kills me. It's just a wonderful comic strip.

Liz: Is that the one that. With, We had fun, didn't we, Marcie?

Jimmy: Yeah, yeah. It's Peppermint Patty, and she is in the mud, and she's calling out to all the other characters, you know, carrying out. Calling out, actually, Charlie Brown and saying, it's your ball. Fourth down. And then Marcie comes and says, everybody's gone home, sir. You should go home, too. It's getting dark. And then Peppermint Patty says, we had fun, didn't we, Marcie? And then Marcie says, yes, sir, we had fun. And Peppermint Patty Patty ends with, nobody shook hands and said, good game.

Harold: Yeah. No. Do you think, like you said, it's. It's because of where it fell that. That it gives it that extra massive punch? Oh, yes, absolutely. No question about it. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That is a great one. And it. Yeah, well, it was very emotional. Yes. At the end.

Jimmy: So are we having any themes, developed so far with two? Not really.

Harold: Sundays. A lot of Sundays.

Jimmy: Yes, a lot of Sundays. Well, here's a question. How many Sundays did you pick, Michael? Did you say eight.

Harold: Wow.

Jimmy: Harold, how many Sundays did you pick?

Harold: I would have to go through them. Let me see. So I see one that is a daily. Oh, my gosh.

Michael: You must have nine then. Doing the math.

Harold: If all is correct. Yeah, that is true.

Jimmy: I got five Sundays, five dailies. That was not intentional, though. It just happened that way.

Harold: Nice balance. Yeah.

Jimmy: All right. 

VO: Coming in hot at number eight.

Michael: All right. Yeah. I mean, the Sundays, especially in the period I was picking, I think he spent a lot of time on generally a lot of panels, a lot of characters. It looks like, you know, he wasn't doing blank backgrounds at that point, so he was really working hard to get his Sundays down. So, the next one is another Sunday, December 19, 1954, entitled the Rubber Band. You guys probably know which one this is.

Jimmy: Yep. I didn't mean for you to have that much fun.

Michael: Yep, that's the, one. You'll see that Lucy features heavily in my picks, even though I wouldn't put her as my favorite character. Not even near it. But at this point, this was such an original character. I don't think we ever had a character like this in comics. And it was a little bit shocking considering, you know, kids characters in comics tended to be lovable. Okay, so this is baby Linus. Lucy now has sort of grown up to her normal stature, which happened pretty quick. Linus is so happy sitting on the floor. He's playing with his toy boat, and he's got little toy car and blocks. And so Lucy comes up, yells at him. She says, give me those toys. Everything's mine, mine, mine, mine. And little baby Linus doesn't know what's going on. And Lucy, in the kindness of her heart, says, here, I guess you can have this rubber band. Have fun with that. So baby Linus sees a little rubber band. He starts stretching it, and he's pulling it with both hands, and he's laughing, having a great time, stretching the rubber band. And Lucy comes over. What's going on? Give me that. I didn't mean for you to have that much fun.

Harold: Oh, that's a classic. Oh, man. That defines that relationship so well. And those characters. Yeah, I love that.

Jimmy: Yeah. I think, particularly in those first two decades, Lucy makes the strip really, work in so many ways. She's an engine that drives so much of it. It's really fun.

Michael: Yeah, because it's kind of funny. I wouldn't have thought that ‘54 would be considered him reaching his. This peak already.

Michael: If someone asked me what, you know, I don't want to start Peanuts at the beginning. Where do I start? I might have said, 55, 56. But a lot of my picks are 54.

Liz: It's a good year.

Michael: Yeah.

Jimmy: Yeah, Harold.

Harold: All right, so I'm taking us forward to August 6, 1972. We have Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown sitting at the tree that they so often sit at, looking opposite directions, getting philosophical. Peppermint Patty says, lately everything seems to bother me. Charlie Brown says, how do you mean? What do you think security is, Chuck? Security? Security is sleeping in the backseat of the car. When you're a little kid and you've been somewhere with your mom and dad and it's night and you're riding home in the car, you can sleep in the back seat. You don't have to worry about anything. Your mom and dad are in the front seat and they do all the worrying. They take care of everything. And then Peppermint Patty kind of pulls her hands to her chest and has a big smile and her eyes closed and she says, that's real neat. Charlie Brown says, but it doesn't last. Suddenly you're grown up and it can never be that way again. Suddenly it's over, and you'll never get to sleep in the back seat again. Never. Peppermint Patty’s concerned. Never? Absolutely. Nevertheless, Peppermint Patty, looking incredibly disturbed, grabs Charlie Brown by the arm and says, hold my hand, Chuck.

Michael: Well, I have that fond memory, you know, especially coming home from a movie and lying in the backseat and falling asleep. But, yeah, that's a good one. I totally forgot that one, though.

Harold: That's my, one Peppermint Patty in the ten.

Jimmy: Beautiful. Yep, I have one Peppermint.

Harold: But I love this one.

Jimmy: Yeah, that's a great one.

Harold: And it's, you know, I noticed that ones that were kind of philosophical slash profound, that, that was definitely a piece of peanuts that was going to show up in my top 10. And this is one of those classic ones like that.

Jimmy: Yeah, he often would, be able to pull something off like that in the Sundays where he had a little more room to paint a picture with words, which is nice. All right, my pick is August 20, 1962. Charlie Brown is sitting by himself having, a little lunch, and he says, I think I'll go over and introduce myself to that little red haired girl. I think I'll introduce myself and then ask her to come over and sit next to me. I think I'll ask her to sit next to me here, and then I think I'll tell her how much I've always admired her. And then it ends with, I think I'll Flap my arms and fly to the moon.

Liz: Yeah, that's a good one.

Jimmy: Flap my arms and fly to the moon I think I'll flap my arms and fly the moon Is, like Harold said, some of these things just, infect your daily speech. that is one for me. I hosted that for years.

Harold: Oh, wow.

Liz: Even I got that one infected.

Jimmy: I mean, that one.

Liz: Anybody else pick that one?

Harold: Nope. No. No. We have no overlap.

Michael: I would have.

Liz: I would have.

Harold: You would have picked it.

Michael: Yeah.

Jimmy: All right. yeah, I just. I just, It's a great punchline. I mean, basically, that just. Just comes down to something very simple, is a very, very funny punchline.

Harold: Yeah.

Jimmy: All right, so we are flying through these. Michael, what's your number? Seven.

Michael: Okay. we're going once again back to 1955. This is January, February, March, April, May 22nd. And it's entitled the Catch.

Liz: I know.

Michael: Jimmy, do you want to do the punchline?

Jimmy: Oh, yeah, sure. This is, Yeah, this is Linus runs into the house and up to the steps and out the window. Right.

Harold: Catch.

Liz: No, no, it's the. The three of them sitting on the curb for three.

Harold: Silence.

Jimmy: Oh, Willie Mays. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, yeah.

Michael: No, you're. You're all wrong.

Liz: Really?

Michael: You're all wrong.

Harold: Oh, wait.

Jimmy: Why didn't he. No. Okay. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Yeah.

Michael: So essentially a silent strip again. How much work he did in these panels? Yeah, I'm looking at the Sundays. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 panels. Total. Total background perspective. You know, he's running. Okay. Charlie Brown is obviously, for some reason, he's in the outfield, and the outfield is just a dump. It's muddy. There's these puddles. There's broken bike wheels. There's an old fence. So this is not their normal playing field. So he's shouting, come on, let him hit it. What do you think I'm out here for? And then he sees the ball coming, and there's a sequence. I mean, this is. Might be Schulz's greatest work here.

Jimmy: Oh, is this the one where he takes his shoes off and goes into the pool?

Harold: Nope.

Michael: No. No. Okay. He sees the ball coming. He starts running, and he's running over a pile of bricks. He jumps over a barbed wire fence. He runs down this narrow alley. He's running and running, kicking up dust, looking over his shoulder. He's running through a pile of old tin cans. He runs through a hole in a fence. He runs through a forest, and he's sighting the ball. He's waiting, he's smiling, he's got his glove ready and the ball lands in the mitt and pops out.

Jimmy: Yep. That's a brilliant one. That's a great one. Totally, totally Charlie Brownie. And beautiful, beautiful cartooning. Yeah, I would have loved to see a couple of, like a good 32-page Charles Schulz comic book maybe of a baseball game, you know, in that era where he was really putting all the work in the little details and stuff. That, that would be fun.

Harold: Yeah, yeah. And it's so, it's interesting. I don't, I have no, no baseball, huh? No baseball strips. That's.

Michael: I have almost no Charlie Brown, which.

Jimmy: Is strange, but my next pick is baseball and Charlie Brown.

Harold: All right, interesting. We'll balance this out here.

Jimmy: that's right. Go for it, Harold. What do you got?

Harold: All right, all the way forward. You guys probably know this is going to be in my top 10 because I hadn't shut up about it last episodes January 30, 1998. Rerun is sitting between his brother and sister on the couch as they watch tv. 

Jimmy: I almost picked this one.

Harold: There's this lovely soliloquy. Oh my gosh it’s great

Liz: I'm an only child. 

Harold:  Yes. Rerun is watching TV with them and he has this kind of thoughtful, innocent look on his face as he says, someone at school today asked me if I had an older brother who dragged a blanket around. No, I replied, I'm an only child. Then someone said, but don't you have a weird older sister? No, I insisted, I'm an only child. And so I go day after day, dodging questions from curious outsiders. The next panel, he's being tossed out the door into the snow.

Jimmy: A great one.

Harold: So, so late. Peanuts. And this is by far the newest Peanuts strip that I selected. I love, love, love this strip. Made me laugh out loud. I have to give props for this. And I'm glad that I have a strip from this late in the series because I was concerned about, you know, where would, where would I be reading the last 20 years of the strip given that I'd kind of been out of the mix? This one proved to me that Schulz, though, he changed. There was always something special in the strip and vibrant and he was, he was a fighter. He, he was going to make this as good as he could through his entire run. He was never coasting. You could, he was never, you just never got the sense. Maybe for a strip or two on a rough week, you might get the sense. He was rushing through something. But my gosh, this guy gave his all to this strip for 50 years and here we are 48 years in and, It's great. I love it.

Jimmy: Absolutely. That's a great pick. Well, I also have a 90s strip for my next pick. Mine is June 26, 1995. Snoopy and Woodstock sitting under the tree. Woodstock on a little stump. They both kind of look forlorn. And Snoopy says you're emotionally bankrupt. Scott Fitzgerald is emotionally bankrupt. We're all emotionally bankrupt.

Harold: There's your profound strip. Right?

Jimmy: Absolutely. And there's no like the. I. You cannot imagine any other funny, animal character in, like in the 90s comic strip scene doing that. Like, it's just impossible to imagine. ah, you know, well, except for.

Harold: Ones that have been.

Jimmy: Yeah, yeah.

Harold: And the one. Yeah. The ones that were incredibly influenced by Schulz. The reason it's there is because of him.

Jimmy: You're right, exactly. But yeah, and it's got the profundity. It's got Woodstock and Snoopy. it's one of his single panels which, really I only noticed this time reading it with you guys, how much I enjoyed the fact that he did really nice single panels at the end.

Harold: Yeah. And mine was a single felt. Like a single panel in that soliloquy. Except such a huge long panel. Yeah, yeah, he mastered that. and I'm grateful that he wasn't stuck in the four panel grid through the end. I, think it did give him the chance to do what he did incredibly well and show us how you can make an amazing one panel, two panel, three panel strip. You know, that we wouldn't have that timing represented in his work.

Jimmy: Yeah.

Harold: And he's a master class.

Jimmy: Yep, yep. No question. No a question. So now we're on number six. We're wrapping up the top half. All right. Or the bottom half, I should say. Michael, what is your number six?

Michael: Okay, well, I'm kind of a one trick pony here. yeah, I mean, I was probably six or seven. And when, when this, when I got the first books, I saw these all in, in the books and pretty much learned to read from those Peanuts books. So. Yeah, almost all my picks are from that period when I wasn't even looking at the newspaper.

Michael: And so we got again, 1954, January 24th. This is called Lucy Kicking.

Jimmy: Is she kicking a, snowman?

Michael: No.

Jimmy: Okay.

Michael: Okay. This is very much the same period because Linus is a baby. And this, every panel is a different scene. Which Sunday will allow you to do this. But that's what I think of your box of cookies. As Lucy, as she kicks his box of cookies. Linus is in his baby clothes. That's what I think of your old piano. She kicks his piano as Schroeder looks puzzled. That's what I think of your old stamp collection. Violet's, like, horrified as her stamps go flying. That's what I think of your old picture puzzles. Charlie Brown sees this puzzle he's been working on all week go flying. That's what I think of your stupid old marbles. Old Shermy's getting his marbles kicked all over the landscape. That's what I think of your silly old color crayons. As Patty watches her art project go flying. Last panel. Long panel.

Jimmy: Wait, can I guess? See if I remember these punchlines? I'm frustrated and inhibited, and no one understands me.

Michael: Exactly.  Yeah. Last panel. All the kids are. It's an angry mob chasing Lucy. They don't understand that she's frustrated and inhibited.

Harold: And who's the only kid not chasing after Lucy?

Michael: Well, Linus can't walk.

Harold: Yeah.

Harold: He can't do it. So they're gonna have to be his proxies.

Michael: He's got these anger lines around the kids. It's just like.

Harold: Yeah, he gave that up after a while. Yeah.

Michael: Spiky things just to generate total rage.

Harold: Yeah. There's heat coming off of them.

Jimmy: Yeah. I can totally remember. I'm not looking at the strips that I can completely remember that line. The wavy sort of glow around them.

Harold: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's. Yeah. And again, 1954 comic strip. I'm frustrated and inhibited.

Jimmy: Yeah.

Harold: That is so 50s in a lot of ways. That was. In a lot of adult types of things. People are always talking about themselves in terms of psychiatry and psychology, but seeing little kids do it is. It was. It was definitely in the culture.

Jimmy: Yeah. And then she goes on to. That goes on to be her, Her field.

Harold: Yeah. Yeah.

Jimmy: All right, Harold, what's your pick?

Harold: Okay. Okay. This is my second of two Christmas strips. This is from December 21, 1958. I remember this one as a kid. And this is the theme that I have noticed for the 10 strips that meant the most to me. The number one and two characters who were most in these strips are Linus and Lucy. And I was the younger of two kids. I was two years younger than my sister. And I can say that I. I learned and navigated what it was to be. I, don't know how to fit into the world through more than anything in the. In this trip, the relationships between Linus and Lucy. it rang very true to me, and I. I learned from them. That's the thing. I mean, I can remember. I learned from these. I would. I'd study them. I'd ponder them. I. It would be over your head when you first read it, but it doesn't leave you. And then you go back and it's like, stuff sinks in. And it's just a comic strip, right? Just a comic strip. But, no, it had a huge impact. And this. This one maybe isn't so subtle, but I did learn from this strip. And it's basically, you see the kids standing on the stage, and you're hearing a recitation from each of the kids having their own line, one at a time. So, Violet and Schroeder say together, we are here to tell you of a wondrous light. And Linus is on the bottom row, standing next to a smiling Lucy. But he's saying, I'm sunk to himself. And then Shermy. I'm glad Shermy gets in my top 10. He says, A wondrous light. That was a star. Linus looks off stage, kind of like, I wonder if there's any way I could get out of here. And then Lucy. The wise men saw the star and followed it from afar. Linus, Lucy and Charlie Brown, they found the stable in the night beneath the stars so big and bright. Lucy, out of the side of her mouth. What's the matter,  Linus, I can't remember my piece. Then, we have, Patty, the wise men left the presents there. Gifts so precious and so rare. Lucy's like, what do you mean you can't remember it? I can't remember it. And then we get Pigpen. Look up. Looking very clean. Look up. The star still stands, Seen by millions in many lands. Lucy's like, you better remember it right now, you blockhead, or when we get home, I'll slug you a good one. That Linus in the biggest voice.

Jimmy: Can I see if I remember?

Harold: Yeah, yeah, yeah, go for it.

Jimmy: The star that shines in Bethlehem still shines for us today. Is that it?

Harold: Pretty much, yes. In the last panel, it's Lucy out of the side of her mouth again, going, merry Christmas lies in Linus passed out on the ground. Thank you. Thank you. I was super shy kid, and life was kind of overwhelming, I think. And, And you'd see it through Linus. He'd gripe and complain about the things he wasn't capable of doing. And he had an older sister who pushed him to do the things he said he couldn't do. Yeah. This as. As much as it's out of the threat of violence.

Harold: I learned. I know. I know that. I know that. I know that. I learned from these strips that you're going to make. You're going to get through. It's going to be okay. You know, it may make you pass out in front of public. You're going to make it. It's all right.

Jimmy: You know what? That's, something art can do for us. Just tell us it's going to be all right.

Harold: Yeah. So we've gone, you know, we're halfway through. And no. No duplicates.

Jimmy: No duplicates.

Michael: There will be at the top.

Harold: I Think so I hope.

Jimmy: Yeah. I do have, Shermy in my next pick, too.

Harold: Oh, nice.

Jimmy: Wait, no, I don't.

Harold: Oh.

Jimmy: Oh, yes, I do. One panel.

Michael: One panel.

Harold: What are you doing?

Jimmy: It's a Sunday. It's all right. So this was, I actually made an audible at the last second when I was picking these, because I was going to pick a different one of these, strips. But then this one just has a better punchline. What I really wanted was one of the strips where you get as many characters as possible. like in panels, you get the whole kind of group of them around. So I found this baseball one, which I absolutely love. it's Schroeder, Charlie Brown and Linus on the pitcher's mound. Schroeder says, how shall we pitch this next guy, Charlie Brown? And Charlie Brown says, well, I don't know. And Linus says, throw him your curveball, Charlie Brown. And then Linus continues, I say, have you noticed how built up it's getting around here? Pretty soon there won't be any place for us to play. Look at all the houses. And Schroeder says, my grandpa says that all of this used to be a big pasture. So, anyway, this goes on for another four panels where five shows up, Patty shows up, and Shermy shows up. And they're all talking about, property values and, you know, the suburban sprawl that they're living through. And in the last two panels, Linus says to Charlie Brown, what do you think, Charlie Brown? And then Charlie Brown ends with, frankly, I think he'd hit a curveball.

Michael: I don't think he gave the date.

Jimmy: Yeah, I'm gonna give it right now. It is June 30, 1968.

Harold: Okay.

Michael: Classic.

Jimmy: Love seeing all the characters together, they don't. Something happens with the way they fill out in later years and you can't quite. I think their heads just get bigger. You can't quite get them in the same panel the same way. but this is a real sweet spot. I think this might be my favorite. Like if. I think if I was going to pick one Fantagraphics book, I think I would pick the 1968 one.

Harold: Really interesting.

Jimmy: Yeah, I think so, yeah.

Harold: Do you have other others in that book, in this list?

Jimmy: No, it's more that. It's just generally the part of it that I like the best. The look of it's the best. I think it's funny all the way through. you know, he was just, ah.

Harold: He was just doing good. Yeah. Well, like, I went back and I looked. Okay. So what is my representation for the decades? And I thought I had one from the 50s, which is the one we just read. I have six from the 60s, two from the 70s, none from the 80s, one from the 90s. So I was definitely 60s heavy.

Jimmy: I got three from the 50s, three from the 60s, two from The 70s, none from the 80 s, one from the 90s, and one from the aughts.

Harold: Oh, so the, 80s are the one that struck out for us.

Jimmy: I could have guessed that going in.

Harold: Yeah. Yeah.

Jimmy: But that's okay.

Harold: Yeah, it's all right. There's still some great stuff in there. In the 80s.

Jimmy: Absolutely.

Harold: I'm trying to think if I got any second tier 80s stuff, and I do. I will give my honorable mention here because I just can't have Sparky strike out for a decade. It's not worth it. And it was one with, Linus and Lucy and he had sent a letter to Lydia.

Jimmy: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Harold: And she, there's. She'd give him an address. She gave him an address and it came back. No such address.

Jimmy: Yeah.

Harold: And Lucy says, why do you bother with her? And. And Linus is just draped over the side of the chair when she fascinates me. I love that one, but it didn't quite make the cut. But definitely Lydia was a highlight of the 80s.

Jimmy: Yeah, Lydia is good.

Harold: Honorable mention.

Michael: Yeah. I feel bad about not picking Woodstocks, Lydia's or, or Sally. Sally, which are basically my favorite characters in the 70s, 80s and 90s. But they, they weren't around.

Jimmy: Well, you know who else isn't going to be around for the next few minutes? Us. Because we're going to take a break and then, we will come back and we will get into the heat of the action. Our top fives. Can you handle it? My gosh.

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Jimmy: All right, we are back. Ready for the top five? I say let's just get to it, Michael.

Michael: Okay. I didn't really have to think very hard on these. they kind of picked themselves. Picking the order was tough, but, these were all definitely going to be on.

Jimmy: I actually did not sweat the order too much because I realized that could have driven me mad. You know, Is this number two or number three? And you're up all night.

Michael: Yeah, right. Anyway, I'm not going to give you a title because that'll make it too easy for Jimmy to pick the final, panel. so anyway, we're back in 1950. No, it's the first time. 1958. September 7th. Kind of wordy, but, here is the classic. Schroeder and Lucy at the piano. we've seen this. This is probably the thing that's been the most in Peanuts of all the little schticks. I mean, he never stopped this. And this went on through the entire length every year. There must have been five or six of these. Anyway, so she's mooning over Schroeder as he's playing, and he's ignoring her, and she's thinking, ah, there's nobody as fascinating as a musician. Well, it's now or never. Jimmy should be reading this. So she's really nervous. And then she says to him, you know, Schroeder, he, he, he, he. If you ever wanted to. He, he, he, lean over and kiss me. He, he, he just like disgusted, thinks, good grief, and walks away. But she doesn't. I mean, hee hee hee. If you really wanted to. Hehe. And so she still thinks la Schroeder's at the piano. And she's going, I mean, after all, there's nothing wrong with a little kiss between friends. Meanwhile, Snoopy's walking and sits by the piano, kisses her on the ear. She's. Her eyes are closed. She's on the ear.

Jimmy: How quaint.

Michael and Jimmy: How like a musician.

Michael: She looks and she sees it's Snoopy. And she has the most horrified look in her face with a giant sweat beads pouring off her. And the classic line, she runs away screaming, germs disease, infection.

Harold: Jimmy, what do you. What is the final line? Jimmy?

Michael: The final line.

Harold: You know it?

Jimmy: No, I can't remember. is it black?

Michael: No, no. She runs away. Germs disease, infection. Snoopy sitting alone goes, I've never been so insulted.

Jimmy: Insulted in all my life. Yeah, of course.

Harold: Yeah. That's a good one.

Jimmy: I got the next to last paragraph or panel.

Harold: Yeah, yeah.

Michael: Title. So I didn't get that away. Yeah, yeah, but I've used that a million times.

Harold: Which one?

Michael: Germs disease, infection.

Harold: Okay, that's great. That's. I'm, I'm glad that there's a Schroeder and Lucy one, in the mix. I did not pick a Schroeder and Lucy one.

Jimmy: All right, Harold, what do you got?

Harold: I'm going to take us to 1962.

Michael: Good year.

Harold: So I'm assuming the others of us have. Have not overlapped in that top five with Michael, but it's a great one. So many to pick from. This is February 1962 in. It is the 18th on a Sunday, and Snoopy is lying down on his stomach on the doghouse, looking over it at a snowman right next to the doghouse.

Michael: Almost picked, that this was. I had to cut this near the end.

Harold: Yeah. Snoopy says, please try to understand. And he sighs as you're a fine fellow, but I can't risk your friendship. Every time I become close friends with one of these snowmen, the sun melts him away and I'm left brokenhearted. I can't stand the agony, the terrible sense of loss. I've been hurt too often. Although I will admit you have been a good neighbor. You look quite handsome with your coal eyes and carrot nose. Oh, well, we can't deliberately avoid friendships. I guess as he cuddles up next to the snowman, you can't keep to yourself just because you're afraid of being hurt or. And then the sun comes out and Snoopy's ears shoots straight up. He looks directly at us in horror. And then as the snowman melts, Snoopy is just hugging this dying snowman going, oh, sob. And then you cut to the last panel. It's Linus and Charlie Brown looking out of the window. And Linus says, poor Snoopy. I see he's lost another friend. It's too bad he's so sensitive.

Jimmy: Charlie Brown says something like, I noticed he wasn't too sensitive to not eat the carrot, right? Something like that.

Harold: Yep, yep. Uh-huh. But I noticed he wasn't too sensitive to eat the carrot. Again, classic Snoopy going to the extremes. You know, it's so great.

Michael: He's trying to, like, stop the sun, like.

Harold: Yeah, yeah.

Michael: Teaching the sun not to shine too loud. too.

Michael: Yeah, that I believe. That was probably number 11 on my list. And it was a brutal cut.

Harold: It may be a different one, because there is one, the very memorable one where he's, like. He's got his back. He's got his back to the snowman with his arms, like, trying to hold back the sun, and that's okay. There's another amazing strip.

Michael: It's very similar.

Harold: Another amazing strip. Super similar. But that classic drawing is not in this one. And this one, he's. He's crying and hugging the snowman as it melts. So, yeah, he. He revisited this. and there are a couple classic snowman strips like this. But I love this one because, again, it shows the contradictions in Snoopy so beautifully. Or he's. He doesn't want to get hurt, but he can't help himself. He's got this. You know, he wants a friend, and then he goes into just terrible heartbreak as this thing is melting before our eyes and. And then eats the carrot. I mean, there's just so much of Snoopy in one strip. I love it. Just going from one. One thing to another.

Jimmy: It's a great one. All right, well, I have one that is absolutely going to be on Michael's list and probably Harold's list.

Michael: Right?

Jimmy: It is July 11, 1954.

Michael: Yes.

Jimmy: it's a piece of fuzz.

Michael: Yeah.

Harold: That's it.

Jimmy: That was my pick. That's it. Okay.

Harold: You guys pick that one.

Michael: Yep.

Harold: Nope.

Jimmy: No. All, Right. There is one crossover with Michael. Don't tell us where, though, Michael. So this is the classic one with Lucy and Charlie Brown. they're very little. They're trying to walk around the block. And of course, Lucy sees fuzz. There's a piece of fuzz on the sidewalk. Brush it away. Charlie Brown. And Charlie Brown thinks it's dumb. Why would anyone be upset by a piece of. A tiny little, piece of fuzz? And then Charlie Brown yells, it moved. It's a bug. It's a bug. And Lucy screams, it's a piece of fuzz. And then they walk around the other way, and it's just so funny there. I. I mean, it's a bug. It's a bug. It's a piece of fuzz. I don't know why that will always.

Michael: That's the name of my autobiography.

Jimmy: Just funny. Just funny.

Michael: But they do go around the block. The other way.

Jimmy: They go the other way, yes.

Harold: Yeah. Just to be safe. Yeah.

Jimmy: All right, well, I'm curious to see where you got that, where you put. Have that place, Michael.

Michael: Well, I'm glad great minds think alike.

Jimmy: Absolutely. All right, and that brings us to four. What's your number four pick?

Michael: Oh, it's back to me.

Michael: It is January, February, March, April 16, 1961. Really good character who unfortunately passed away. But, I remember talking about this when we. When we did it, because this is choreographing a wordless strip. And it's like, it's brilliant. It's got, like, three acts. And this is Schroeder's playing the piano, and a lovely young girl is lying there listening, smiling. But it's Frieda.

Harold: Oh.

Jimmy: Yes.

Michael: And Lucy. Next panel. Lucy is happily walking towards Schroeder's house because she's going to see her love. And she closes the door, and she walks in the room and there's that horrified look, like the same look as when Snoopy kissed her. She sees Frieda, who's kind of like snarkily smiling at her, and Lucy goes away. So this is a big black blob in her thought balloons. And she's sitting on the sidewalk thinking, like, big black blob. And Snoopy, who generally isn't that close to Lucy, but he's also thinking big black blob. This is really bad. So he has an idea, and he pantomimes what she should do, which is basically pounce. And so, Lucy thinks about it, walks back, pounces on Frieda. And second last panel, there's this whirlwind of colors and stars, of their fighting. And then we see Lucy and Snoopy shaking hands in the last panel.

Jimmy: Brilliant.

Harold: With a really beat up Lucy.

Michael: Yeah. I mean, this could have been a whole comic book. Yeah.

Harold: That's great. That's great.

Jimmy: Everything about that strip is great. It is so hard to do, silent comics. You know, you get someone like Andy Renton, who has only done, I should I say silent, but it's technically wordless because they're all silent. But, you know, someone like Andy, who's done them for years and years, it's just, it's such a pure version of cartooning, you know, you have to do it with the pictures. And, no one does it better than good old Charles Schulz here. Harold, how about you?

Harold: All right. My number four is the one I was most confident I would have some overlap with you guys. We'll see. Ah, it's August 14, 1960. Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy are looking up at the clouds. Lucy says, aren't the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton. And then they all lie down on this mound, each looking up at the sky. Lucy says, I could just lie here all day and watch them drift by. If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud formations. What do you think you see, Linus? Linus points up and says, well, those clouds up there look to me like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean. That cloud up there looks like the fate profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor. And Charlie Brown's listening. Linus says, and that group of clouds over there gives me the impression of the stoning of Stephen. I can see the apostle Paul standing there to one side. And Charlie Brown at this point has lifted his head off of the mound, just looking at us, this amazed look in his face, only to hear Lucy say, huh? Uh-huh. That's very good. What do you see in the clouds? Charlie Brown. And Charlie Brown looks back up in the sky. He says, well, I was gonna say I saw a ducky and a horsey, but I changed my mind.

Jimmy: yeah, I have that one.

Michael: I've got that one.

Jimmy: All right, that's a three. Wow.

Harold: All.

Jimmy: That's a unanimous decision.

Harold: Three top four. That's. That's not bad.

Jimmy: No, that's a. That's a good comic strip.

Michael: Yeah, it's just like, he totally defines the characters.

Harold: Yeah, yeah.

Michael: I mean, Linus. If you'd never seen Linus before, you'd get an idea who he is.

Harold: Yes.

Jimmy: Charlie Brown lifting his head up to, like, look at us all is beautiful.

Harold: It's so classic. I mean, it's. It's. It's. It's beyond genius. What do you. What do you say? This is just so perfect, the strip.

Jimmy: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, that's. I think there's going to be a lot of that in these top, the top five here, because they're just. They're just a genius.

Liz: And your number four, Jimmy?

Jimmy: My number four is.

Harold: Do you think this is going to overlap? What do you guess?

Jimmy: Oh, I. Well, I. Yes, I think there's a very good chance this could overlap, but it would only overlap with you, Harold. So here we go. It is March 26, 1972. The coat hanger sculpture.

Harold: Oh, oh, that's a classic. If I had remembered that one was, for whatever reason it did not get on my, that top list. It would have been on there, I think, but I did not remember.

Jimmy: squeaky Wheel gets the grease. Yes. We have good old Sally getting a C in coat hanger sculpture. And she basically whines and complains, her way to hopefully getting a debate.

Liz: She debates.

Jimmy: She debates? Yes. She debates.

Harold: Yes. Yeah, yeah. As a student who doesn't like being a student, she's. Boy, is she good debater.

Jimmy: Am I to be judged by the quality of coat hangers that are used by the dry cleaning establishment that returns our garments? Is that not the responsibility of my parents? Should they not share in my sea?

Harold: If, if that one had crossed my, my path while I was doing this, I think it would be in the top 10 for sure. But for whatever reason, I guess maybe you nominated or somebody nominated and I did. I didn't see it as I was to going, going back through. But that is absolutely, absolutely a classic. It's, I think it's Sally's best moment.

Jimmy: Yeah, it's a great moment. Great, great Sunday strip.

Harold: again, a learning thing. I remember as a child reading this and just taking it all in, you know.

Jimmy: Yeah. I mean, there's something to be said like the way this imprinted on us as such a, at such a young age. I mean, I've read lots of things when I was a kid. Like, none of them, stay with me and my thoughts and my vocabulary in quite the same way.

Harold: Yeah.

Jimmy: I'm talking about being a very little kid. Not like 12, 13 when you're, you know. But yeah, it's, it's impressive and very, very cool.

Harold: Yeah, that should have been on my list. Jimmy.

Jimmy: I, I, Yeah, I know it should have been. It should have been on everyone. I'm just kidding.

Harold: Slip. Slipped by. Slipped by.

Jimmy: Oh, man. Top three. This is pretty. This is the nitty gritty. This is where the rubber meets the road.

Michael: Well, we've already seen the rubber. in this case.

Harold: Okay.

Michael: It's coming back to me. My number three. August 14, 1960. Ducky and Horsey. Okay, so, do I, that's a good one. Yeah. Do I have more to say about this?

Jimmy: I think we, we can probably.

Michael: I think we've covered this. I thought this might be your guys number one.

Liz: There's still other one. Other brilliant ones too.

Harold: Yeah. Yeah. Top four that you can't, can't complain about getting the top four, eight. 17,000.

Jimmy: Yeah, it's all arbitrary by, like, I mean, you know, any one of these could be my favorite. Any one of these 30 could be my favorite. Really? You know, I mean, they're, they're, they're all great. All right, Harold.

Harold: All right. Number three. I'm guessing I'm alone here. This is my guess. This is June 5th, 1960. No. Okay, this is another Sunday start out with Lucy, and she's looking at this kit she has. Tell me when you guys know.

Michael: I don't know yet.

Harold: I think I have to say two words, and I think you're gonna get it. Tyrannosaurus rex.

Michael: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a good one.

Harold: His life size, 50 foot long and 20ft high. Wow. Model size, 16 inches long and 10 inches high. He sure had a lot of bones. And there she is with her tongue sticking up the top of her mouth while she's concentrating on gluing stuff together. Then Linus and Snoopy show up, and Linus says, a dinosaur set. Oh, boy. May I help you put it together, Lucy? Lucy's like, oh, I suppose so. So we got a more mellow Lucy here. 1960. So Linus starts, to look at the parts. He says, this looks real interesting. There's something about dinosaurs that's fascinating. Let's see now. This toe bone here should connect to this foot bone. And Snoopy's watching. uh-huh. Right. And this foot bone here should connect to this ankle bone. And then Linus turns to smiling Snoopy and says, and the ankle bone connects to the leg bone. Right. And then, boy, the dancing starts. Oh, the ankle bone connects to the leg bone. And the leg bone connects to the thigh bone. The thigh bone connects to the hip bone. And the hip bone connects to the knee bone. Oh, and now Snoopy's getting full nose up to the sky in that classic 1960s. These little peanut head. Oh, the knee bone connects to the wrist bone, and the wrist bone connects to. And sn. And then all of a sudden, we see Lucy for the first time in many panels with the most angry face you're ever going to see in the history of Peanuts.

Jimmy: And then Harold's favorite punchline in Peanuts, which is someone getting thrown out of the house.

Harold: Being thrown out of the house. And with the extra touch of Charlie Brown, looking from afar as they go.

Jimmy: That's even better.

Harold: Yes. I get to double up my punchlines because, my gosh, that's funny.

Jimmy: Oh, my gosh, I love it. Really good. Really good.

Harold: Had to have those joyous moments. Yeah. The thing I noticed when I was doing these, the types of strips that I thought were getting into my top 20 top 10 payoff strips, meaning something's going on in the strip forever and then. And there's this tension that never gets resolved. And every once in a while, Schulz will give you a pressure release, but it's so earned because you've waited so long for the payoff. I definitely saw that in the strips. I saw there were some empathy strips where there's just, some deep connection, like, well, Snoopy and the Snowman being one of them. And joyful strips. This is definitely one of the joyful strips. Sibling strips, for sure. Specifically Linus and Lucy. Characterization strips that just define the character better than, I think, anything. And then. And then the last one I would call philosophical or profound strips. Those were the kinds of things that seemed to be. I was gravitating toward when I was picking these. That was what they had in common.

Jimmy: Does. That's a good. A, good approach to take. My, third strip here. I actually have a memory of the first time I consciously read it. I mean, I'm sure I had seen it previously before, but. Good. old Michael came to visit me in my apartment back in the mid-90s, and he brought me an apartment warming gift. the Peanuts Treasury, I think it was called. Or Snoop. It was. Or the Snoopy Treasury. Some big hardcover Peanuts book. And he's like, read the first two pages. I know which one you're going to laugh at. And he predicted exactly correctly. and that, strip was February 5, 1968. Snoopy's lying atop the doghouse, and Frieda comes up and says, you spend all your time lying on top of that doghouse. That's all you seem to do. You just lie there and lie there. And then Frieda walks away with her hands in the air, yelling, I just don't see how you do it. To which Snoopy replies, let's not overlook the possibility of genius.

Harold: That, is classic.

Jimmy: Ah, Just, great. Great punchline. Great. I like this. I love Frieda. I think Frieda is a great character design. She had a really good run, so it was fun to get her in the top 10 and up high. He only has a great man, but still.

Harold: Yeah, yeah. And I'm assuming that that's something that's been quoted often.

Jimmy: Yeah. Oh, absolutely. In my house.

Michael: On this podcast.

Jimmy: all right. And now, before we hear number one, 

VO: at number two.

Jimmy: Well, top two peanuts strips before we get to the top two. Let me just talk to you guys out there. You know, we would love to hear what your favorite strips are. And if you want to tell us, there's a couple different ways you can do it. First thing you could do is go over to our website, unpackingpeanuts.com you can sign up for our newsletter, and you can also just, email us unpackingpeanutsmail.com, tell us what your top 10 is. you can also shoot us, a text message or leave a voicemail on our unpacking peanuts hotline. The number 717-219-4162. And I would love, to hear what your thoughts are on. On this topic. And remember, when I don't hear from you, I worry. So with all that said, Michael, give us your number two.

Michael: Well, I probably was assuming this would be everybody's number one, but after giving it a good think, it ended up being my number two. obviously important for this show. I don't have the date.

Jimmy: It is 12, 16 55.

Michael: I figured when you guys have the date. Okay, well, this one, the two dailies I picked. We, you know, we got our catchphrase from this. 

Liz: we have a song. 

Michael: We have a song from there.

Jimmy: That's right.

Harold: Wow.

Michael: This is one of the most philosophically deep explorations into, into life that Schulz did. yeah. So I'm sure you guys know what it is already, but I'll describe it. Snoopy, who's still looking a little puppyish here.

Harold: Uh-huh.

Michael: It's so pitiful. He's freezing. It's snowing out. He's shivering. He's all by himself. And here comes Charlie Brown. And we guess that's Shermy because they.

Harold: Schroeder.

Jimmy: According to the peanuts wiki, it's Schroeder.

Michael: Okay. They got big fuzzy hats on. It's really cold out. so Charlie Brown says, Snoopy looks kind of cool, doesn't he? And, okay, it's Schroeder. It's like, I'll say he does. Maybe we'd better go over and comfort him. So what? Give him your hat. Give him your coat. No. Schroeder says, be of good cheer. Snoopy. And Charlie Brown, just to double what they're doing, says, yes, be of good cheer. And then they walk away, and Snoopy is, like, shivering and just big question mark over his head like, what was that?

Jimmy: Oh, yeah. Well, I do have that in my. In my top two.

Harold: I do not.

Liz: I Think I'll find the original conversation where you described what that strip meant.

Michael: We talked about it for 15 minutes.

Jimmy: Yeah, I think it's like an episode. Yeah, yeah. There's also for this podcast.

Harold: This is definitely a top 10 strip to me for this podcast, but it's not in my top 10. No.

Michael: You're kidding.

Harold: No.

Michael: I'm stunned.

Jimmy: What is your number two, Mr.  Harold?

Harold: My number two? Well, it's, I think my only sports strip. Any guesses before I reveal?

Michael: Well, there's so many guys.

Jimmy: Is it a Sunday or a day?

Harold: It's a Sunday sports strip.

Jimmy: Sure.

Harold: I'll give you the what sport.

Michael: Give us the sport.

Liz: Tell us the date.

Harold: It's October 26, 1969.

Jimmy: Can you tell us all the dialogue?

Michael: It's gotta be a World Series strip.

Liz: No, it's a football.

Harold: It's a football strip. I don't have any baseball strips.

Michael: Oh, okay, 19.

Harold: But here's the other thing. None of the characters are playing football. Can you tell now what it is?

Jimmy: Oh, of course I know. How did the other team feel?

Harold: Yes, yes.

Jimmy: That one. That was my number 11. That one hurt to get rid of. Yes. That's great to see that one.

Harold: Here, Linus sitting at the tv, totally enraptured.

Jimmy: Go, go, go.

Harold: He's jumping up and down on his chair. He goes fantastic. And he runs out of the house and he sees Charlie Brown holding a football. Says Charlie Brown. I saw the most unbelievable football game ever played. What a comeback. The home team was behind six to nothing with only three seconds to play. They had the ball in their own one yard line. The quarterback took the ball, faded back behind his own goal posts and threw a perfect pass to the left end, who whirled away from four guys and ran all the way for a touchdown. The fans went wild. You should have seen them. People were jumping up and down and when they kicked the extra point, thousands of people ran out onto the field laughing and screaming. The fans and the players were so happy, they were rolling on the ground and hugging each other and dancing and everything. It was fantastic. Charlie Brown just looks at him and says, how did the other team feel? Oh my gosh.

Jimmy: You know what just dawned to me? the I think he'll hit a curveball strip that I read earlier.

Jimmy: That's the same mechanism to. Right. You set something up, then you talk about a bunch of stuff to almost forget what that initial thing is. And then you undercut it. Right. Like it's just, it's so great.

Harold: Well, what I love about this one, you know, because at least it's the setup is there in the one you picked.

Jimmy: Yeah.

Harold: And this one, it's entirely dependent on who we know Charlie Brown to be.

Jimmy: That's true. Yes.

Harold: Yeah. That is so Charlie Brown. And the fact that Schulz could do this, I think, I mean, you could have. You could have gotten away with this in a strip if you didn't know Charlie Brown was. But the impact would be, you know, 1% or 10% of it.

Jimmy: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Harold: But, it's like a sock in the gut, right? Yeah, in a way, because.

Jimmy: Yeah, it is. Yeah.

Harold: This is how Charlie Brown sees life. And he has trouble processing joy. You know, he could be empathetic to Linus, but instead his thoughts go to the loser, which is also a beautiful thing. You know, he's an empathetic guy, not just because he's experienced so much failure himself, but I think he really does have that sense of. And this seems very much like who Schulz was as well. That was that piece of him that you're always aware of, the flip side of a joyful moment. That was. That was always a piece of the strip. There's so much of those moments where, I mean, the reverse of this would have been, say, for me, one of my choices where. Where Snoopy has anguish about losing his snowman friend, but then he enjoys a nice carrot. The end, you know?

Jimmy: Yeah. That's the difference between the two of us.

Harold: Schulz can go to both places and live with them. Yeah, they. They live side by side in Schulz's world. And I think that creates this. This marvelous tension. And. And, I think some of my favorite strips are the ones that. That have those juxtaposed so beautifully.

Jimmy: Well, you know, all of the strips that we picked, it makes me think of what Michael was saying way early in the. The show, you know, early episodes, that. How many of the strips we were pulling were. The punchlines were, ah, at least amplified, if not dependent on the characters’ personalities.

Harold: Yeah, yeah.

Jimmy: You know, and it. It makes, It's not just that you can write a bunch of gags and have these characters say them. They come out of their personalities that seem so real to us.

Michael: Yeah, absolutely true.

Liz: And youre number two, Jimmy?

Jimmy: Ducky and Horsey.

Liz: Ah, okay.

Jimmy: So, you know, I think that is, You know, I think we said it all. That's unquestionably one of the. One of the best.

Harold: Yeah.

Jimmy: All right, wait a second.

Liz: I want to, Before you get to all your number Ones I want to. To give an honorable mention to my favorite strip.

Jimmy: Oh, of course.

Liz: This is April 8th, 1957. And it's. Patty and Violet are looking at Linus, who's holding something, and he says, here, Violet. These are for you because I like you. And Violet says, why? How nice. Thank you, Linus. Thank you very much. And Linus walks away, and he's blushing, and the heat is just coming off his face. And Patty says to Violet, what did he give you?

Liz: As she's smiling after Linus, and Violet says, some French fries with a rubber band around them. I remember where I was when I first read that.

Harold: Where were you?

Liz: I was just sitting in a chair next to the bookcase where the Peanuts books were. And, I was probably eight or nine. And, I just. These are for you because I like you. it's just so off the wall.

Jimmy: I would love to get some French fries wrapped in a rubber band. That'd be amazing.

Michael: But they'd be cold French fries.

Liz: But you could play with the rubber band.

Jimmy: That's true.

Michael: Yeah.

Harold: That's a classic. That's great. That sincerity of off the Wall Linus is. Yeah, it's special.

VO: Debuting all the way up at number one.

Jimmy: All right, here we go. This is it. The big one.

Michael: Yeah, we already know what this is, so. Yeah, there's. There's no suspense at the end. Well, just from, From. From what we've talked about, you can scientifically, mathematically work out what my pick is.

Harold: I confess, I. I have no clue. What's your choice, really?

Jimmy: Yeah, it's Ducky and Horsey.

Michael: Well, anyway, yeah, I had to go with this just because it's. It's. It's lived with me. Every time I see something on the sidewalk, me and Liz say it's a bug. Yeah, it's the bug.

Harold: Oh, wait. Oh.

Jimmy: Oh, I guess they're wrong. Yours is bug and Piece of Fuzz. I thought yours was Ducky and Horsey. Okay, I'm sorry.

Michael: No. Ducky and Horsey was my number three.

Jimmy: That's right. I'm so sorry.

Michael: Then be of good cheer. And Bug and Fuzz. It could have been anyway, those three. Yeah, but there was something so hilarious about him understanding kids. And he had, young kids. So, you know, I. I suspect this might have come from something real. All kids are afraid of bugs. Nobody's afraid of fuzz.

Michael: And that's what made it so brilliant to have actually go around the block rather than walk around a piece of fuzz is this show how Insane little kids are. And don't. They're afraid of the world.

Harold: That's great.

Jimmy: Great strip. Great, exploration of the characters. Funny. Everything about it's good. Beautifully drawn.

Harold: So I mentioned, that the categories of strips I found I was picking. To me, this is the ultimate payoff strip. Of the 17,897 strips from the relationship that is the most meaningful to me in the whole Peanuts, catalog. It is Lucy and Linus from June 30, 1963. Lucy is saying to herself, phooey. Linus walks up to her saying, what's the matter? Lucy looks very angry, looks out the window. My life is a drag. I'm completely fed up. I've never felt so low in my life. Linus says, when you're in a mood like this, you should try to think of things you have to be thankful for. In other words, count your blessings. Lucy's like, ha, that's a good one. I could count my blessings on one finger. I've never had anything, and I never will have anything. Then she's perched up on the side of the chair with her elbows in her face, and she says, I don't get half the breaks that other people do. Nothing ever goes right for me. And you talk about counting blessings, you talk about being thankful. What do I have to be thankful for? 

Jimmy: You have a little brother who loves you. 

Harold: Linus says, well, for one thing, you have a little brother who loves you. And she looks at him and starts to cry. Linus does. Every now and then I say the right thing.

Jimmy: That's a great one. Yeah, a great one.

Harold: again, I learned something. I know I learned something from this strip. And it was a good thing to learn, you know?

Jimmy: Absolutely.

Michael: Absolutely.

Harold: A kind. A kind word in a relationship that can be rocky if you’re brave enough to say it. Sometimes it's one of the best things you can do.

Jimmy: Absolutely. Well, that is a fantastic pick. My number one pick is, of course, no surprise, be of good cheer, because I've been talking about it since I was five years old. You can actually, on YouTube, we should put a link. There's a video, an old documentary, some guys in Harrisburg made that has Harold and I in it, and I am, looking a lot younger. And I'm still yapping about be of good cheer.

Harold: So.

Jimmy: wow. So we did it, guys. We picked the 10. Well, did we?

Michael: We.

Jimmy: There's no real way we could get to a, ten. I thought there would be more, overlap so we could get to an actual definitive, 10. But you got something better than that, people. You got like 25. So, you know, you can't beat that.

Michael: Yeah.

Harold: Yeah. And we do have one that we all have in common, so that's.

Michael: No, I really would have predicted, at least for sure, three in common in our top 10. But we are individuals. We have different lives.

Harold: Yep. We're not redundant.

Michael: Yeah. It would be. To expand this to 20 would be a whole other thing because, it would have. Or 50. You know, I would have considered more later strips. I, still stand by my. What I said originally that I don't think anything after 70. I mean, the, the 10 I pick are my 10. There might be some others from the, the same period, but I don't, I don't see anything looming that large to get in to knock any of those off.

Harold: If I had to guess, just looking at, I, I had narrowed things down to was it like 23 strips or something like that? And I'm just looking at these, trying to see where I might have overlapped with you, Michael. I, I see a couple maybe, but I don't think so. I think they even. These would be unique. Could be wrong. I. I definitely missed the boat on the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If I were to rearrange, I would.

Michael: I would say that, oh, there's plenty. And there are just so many classic Peanuts things that none of us picked.

Harold: It's just.

Michael: It's just.

Jimmy: Well, yeah.

Michael: Overwhelming. I mean, Snoopy. All the Snoopy's. I mean, we've been doing a lot of Snoopy lately, but all the impersonation.

Harold: Yeah.

Jimmy: No, no psychiatry booth. No football pulling away. Yeah.

Liz: I mean, hardly any Woodstock.

Michael: Yeah. Very little Linus. yeah. No silence. No Woodstock.

Harold: The kite I had. Yeah. I had like eight Linus out of my ten.

Michael: Yeah. I had like six or seven Lucy's and zero.

Harold: Zero Lydia, zero. Marcie, zero. Spike, zero. Sally. Although that would have changed if I had thought of the squeaky wheel and zero Schroeder's, other than him being a side character in the pageant.

Michael: Yeah. So, anyway, we'll love to hear from you guys, if you can do it.

Jimmy: Yeah, we'd love to hear from you. Let us know what your top ten Peanuts strip is. come back. what's going on next? I'm not sure when this is happening, Liz. What's going on next week or next episode?

Liz: So this month, we're doing all kinds of special things for the 75th anniversary. So keep an eye on your podcast feed for what's coming next.

Jimmy: Awesome. Well, as always, it's been fun hanging, out with my pals, talking about the greatest comic in the world. And it's so much more fun when you guys hang out here, and listen along. So come back next time. until then, From Michael, Harold, and Liz, this is Jimmy saying Be of good cheer.

MH&L: Yes. Yes. Be of good cheer.

VO: Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukrala Clark. For more from the show, follow Unpack Peanuts on Instagram and threads Unpacking Peanuts on Facebook, Blue sky, and thread YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com have a wonderful day, and thanks for listening.