Peanutshas had too many storylines to count, with some being very well-known, especially those that have been adapted into animated specials. For instance, the comic strips that laid the basis for the iconicA Charlie Brown Christmasspecial. However, there arePeanutsstorylines that do not get as much attention, some due to the inherent strangeness of the plots.
Some lesser known, but oddly compellingPeanutsstorylines include Snoopy’s writing taking a tabloid-like turn and Lucy having a unique way of showing Charlie Brown his less-than-stellar qualities. While thesePeanutsstorylines may not be as popular as some others, they are just as funny and interesting.
155 Moves to the Neighborhood
September 30th, 1963 to October 4th, 1963
A new kidmoving to thePeanutsneighborhoodis not strange. However, what is odd is the new kid himself who has moved in: 5. Yes, 5 is this kid’s name. The reasoning behind his name is explained in the first comic of the storyline from the early ’60s, which is that 5’s dad has given his kids numbers instead of names because he believes that there are so many numbers assigned to people in society, so everyone is losing their identity. Therefore, naming his kids after numbers is 5’s dad’s way of giving in. All thePeanutsgang pokes gentle fun at 5’s name but are surprisingly pretty accepting of him and his weird name otherwise.
14Peppermint Patty Uses a Hair Dryer at School
March 19th, 1996 to March 22nd, 1996
After walking to school in the rain - and making a sarcastic comment about it to her teacher - Peppermint Patty arrives at school with soaking wet hair. Foreseeing that she would not be able to tolerate her wet hair all day, Peppermint Patty brought her hair dryer with her to school and tasks poor Marcie with sneaking behind the teacher’s desk to plug her hair dryer in. Marcie, of course, gets caught, so the two girls get sent to the principal’s office, where Peppermint Patty plugs her hair dryer in and finally gets dry. However, the next day, she walks to school in the rain again.
13Lucy Puts Charlie Brown’s Faults on a Slide Show
January 24th, 1964 to February 8th, 1964
Lucy, deciding she knows best about everything and everyone, thinks that Charlie Brown would benefit from learning about all his faults through her own unique system: a slideshow. Using some visual aids, she reveals his physical, personal, and inherited faults as well as his “biggest and most damaging faults.” These slideshows are so long that they contain intermissions. The storyline ends withCharlie Brown at his breaking point, demanding that the slideshow end. He is completely miserable after seeing all of his faults broadcast. Lucy is no stranger to showing people their faults, but the slideshow is by far the most strange… and elaborate.
12Harriet Is Arrested
October 24th, 1980 to November 26th, 1980
It is not every day, or any day for that matter, that a bird gets arrested, yet so one does in an oddball storyline fromPeanuts. When theBeagle Scouts are outon a camping trip, the scouts want to go out on the town for some disco and root beer. When the birds all get back, Snoopy sees they all look roughed up from a brawl with blue jays and Harriet is missing because she got thrown in jail for throwing an angel food cake in one of the blue jays' faces. Charlie Brown, being the responsible kid he is, has to bail her out. When Charlie Brown bails her out, it is revealed that Harriet was actually at the Humane Society, not jail.
11Rerun Is Suspended for Harassment
January 13th, 1997 to January 20th, 1997
This storyline was adapted into the animated special,I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.
When Rerun’s crush laments that she is tired of kindergarten, Rerun makes the suggestion that they run off to Paris, despite Rerun not even knowing where Paris is. The little girl thinks his little joke is funny, so she tells her mom thinking that she’ll find it hilarious, too, which is not so. Unfortunately for Rerun, her mom takes it all so seriously that she tells the principal, who suspends Rerun for harassment. Acting like Rerun is a worker who has gotten into HR’s cross hairs, except all in an elementary school setting,Peanutscrafts a weird storyline for the comic strip’s youngest supporting character.
10Sally “Falls Down” a Christmas Tree
December 18th, 1986 to December 24th, 1986
In aChristmas-themedstoryline, Sally has a unique strategy for obtaining a Christmas tree. Since she does not know how to cut down a Christmas tree, she instead resolves to “fall down” one instead, meaning that she hopes to have a Christmas tree fall down just by looking at it. Sally has some weird ideas about how reality and gravity work in this kooky storyline. Her plan actually ends up working when she stares at a tree in someone else’s yard. The young boy who lives there promises Sally that if the tree falls down she can have it, not expecting it to. Lo and behold, the tree falls, becoming Sally’s, much to the original owner’s frustration.
9Peppermint Patty Asks Charlie Brown to Be Her Team Mascot
March 14th, 1983 to March 29th, 1983
Peppermint Patty, Franklin, and Marcie are part of the Pelicans' baseball team when Charlie Brown’s name comes up at a team meeting. Marcie warns Charlie Brown ahead of time that Peppermint Patty is going to ask him to help the team, which he thinks will be by serving as a player. Surprise for Chuck: she actually wants him to put on a pelican costume and be the mascot for her team, despite him having a team of his own where he is an actual player. Not many would ask their close friend to don an embarrassing mascot costume under the guise that they would be helping as a player, but anything is possible in Peppermint Patty’s wacky brain.
8Linus van Pelt Tries to Get Snoopy into the Supreme Court
May 19th, 1993 to May 27th, 1993
Linus is creative if not a bit of an oddball sometimes, so it is fitting for him to have the off-kilter idea of persuading Snoopy to attempt to become a Supreme Court justice. One of Snoopy’s personas that appeared in multiple comics and storylines was his World Famous Attorney alter ego.
In a comic strip from this storyline, Joe Biden is mentioned as Senator Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee, making him the first U.S. president to have been referenced inPeanutsbefore his presidency.
Linus works on behalf of the World Famous Attorney to tell Snoopy about the position and help him write letters to the president letting him know that Snoopy would like the Supreme Court position. While Linus and Snoopy let their imaginations take them away - especially Snoopy, who begins a trek to Washington - Charlie Brown is the only one who talks some sense into him and reminds him of his inability to make decisions for his supper, let alone the Supreme Court.
7A Zamboni Appears on the Baseball Field
June 26th, 1986 to June 28th, 1986
A zamboni belongs on ice, but inPeanuts, Snoopy has apparently not gotten that very important memo. On the baseball field, Charlie Brown is less than thrilled to see a zamboni on the field with Snoopy at the wheel. Snoopy ends up wheeling Lucy away on the zamboni, where she fumes that she is way too young to be resurfaced like an ice rink that gets resurfaced by a zamboni. As Snoopy continues to zamboni the baseball field, Charlie Brown laments why can’t he just have a normal groundskeeper. It is not common to see a zamboni on a baseball field, but things tend to be a little out of the ordinary with Snoopy.
This strip marks the fifth time that a zamboni has been referenced inPeanuts.
6A Chicken Tells Snoopy That the Sky Is Falling
October 14th, 1987 to October 16th, 1987
Chicken Littlemakes its way intoPeanutswith this random plot. In the short storyline, a chicken informs Snoopy that the sky is falling, annoying Snoopy with its ridiculous claims.However, Snoopy does not think that the notion is too ridiculous, because he seems to believe it. The chicken is revealed to have been taken away and locked up for telling everyone that the sky was falling. The moment he learns that the chicken has been put away, Snoopy makes the connection between Woodstock and chickens, pointing out that they are not that different. As a result, the storyline finishes with Woodstock a bit cross with Snoopy but the sky still in place.
