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In [[Charles M. Schulz]]'s [[comic strip]] ''[[Peanuts]]'', [[Snoopy]] was often stated to have seven siblings. Five appeared at various times in the strip: four brothers, '''Spike''', '''Andy''', '''Marbles''', and '''Olaf'''; and one sister, '''Belle'''. The two others were never mentioned by name in the comic strip. According to the 1991 [[television special|TV special]] ''[[Snoopy's Reunion]]'', their names are Molly and Rover; however, their appearance is not considered [[canon (fiction)|canon]]ical in the comic strip.<ref>[http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com/peantfaq.txt peanutscollectorclub.com]</ref>
In [[Charles M. Schulz]]'s [[comic strip]] ''[[Peanuts]]'', [[Snoopy]] was often stated to have seven siblings. Five appeared at various times in the strip: four brothers, '''Spike''', '''Andy''', '''Marbles''', and '''Olaf'''; and one sister, '''Belle'''. The two others were never mentioned by name in the comic strip. According to the 1991 [[television special|TV special]] ''[[Snoopy's Reunion]]'', their names are Molly and Rover; however, their appearance is not considered [[canon (fiction)|canon]]ical in the comic strip.<ref>[http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com/peantfaq.txt peanutscollectorclub.com]</ref>


Snoopy having seven siblings was an element of the strip that developed as the strip evolved. In the June 6, 1959 comic strip, following the birth of [[Charlie Brown]]'s sister [[Sally Brown|Sally]], Snoopy remarks that he has no brothers or sisters, and is an "only dog". However, in a sequence of strips in May 1965 it is revealed that Snoopy has several siblings. In a March 18, 1970, strip, Snoopy writes in his autobiography: "I was born one bright Spring morning at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. I was one of seven puppies."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1970/03/18|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for March 18, 1970 {{!}} GoComics.com|last=Schulz|first=Charles|date=1970-03-18|website=GoComics|language=en|access-date=2018-12-27}}</ref> The first reference to Snoopy being one of eight siblings occurred in the December 3, 1972 strip. Snoopy is shown filling out a questionnaire from his publisher, and he writes: "I was one of eight Beagles."
Snoopy having seven siblings was an element of the strip that developed as the strip evolved. Originally described in a June 1959 strip as an "only dog", Snoopy referred to several unnamed siblings in a May 1965 sequence. In March 1970, Snoopy reports that he was one of seven puppies,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1970/03/18|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for March 18, 1970 {{!}} GoComics.com|last=Schulz|first=Charles|date=1970-03-18|website=GoComics|language=en|access-date=2018-12-27}}</ref> and the number reached its final count of eight beagles in December 1972.


In a 1987 interview, Schulz said that he felt introducing Snoopy's siblings was a mistake, similar to the introduction of [[Eugene the Jeep]] in ''[[Thimble Theatre]]'': "I think Eugene the Jeep took the life out of Popeye himself, and I'm sure [[E. C. Segar|Segar]] didn't realize that. I realized it myself a couple of years ago when I began to introduce Snoopy's brothers and sisters. I realized that when I put Belle and Marbles in there it destroyed the relationship that Snoopy has with the kids, which is a very strange relationship. And these things are so subtle when you're doing them, you can make mistakes and not realize them."<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Groth |editor1-first=Conrad |title=What Cartooning Really Is: The Major Interviews with Charles M. Schulz |date=2020 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=978-1683963820 |page=98}}</ref> Schulz elaborated further in another 1987 interview: "Snoopy had a sister, Belle, whom I discovered I really didn't like. I brought in Spike and I like Spike a lot. But when I brought another brother in — I thought Marbles would make a great name for a dog — I discovered almost immediately that bringing in other animals took the uniqueness away from Snoopy. So the only other animal character who works now is Spike, as long as Spike stays out in the desert."<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Inge |editor1-first=M. Thomas |title=Charles M. Schulz: Conversations |date=2000 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=9781578063055 |last1=Pauer |first1=Frank |page=148 |chapter=A Conversation with Charles Schulz}}</ref>
In a 1987 interview, Schulz said that he felt introducing Snoopy's siblings was a mistake, similar to the introduction of [[Eugene the Jeep]] in ''[[Thimble Theatre]]'': "I think Eugene the Jeep took the life out of Popeye himself, and I'm sure [[E. C. Segar|Segar]] didn't realize that. I realized it myself a couple of years ago when I began to introduce Snoopy's brothers and sisters. I realized that when I put Belle and Marbles in there it destroyed the relationship that Snoopy has with the kids, which is a very strange relationship. And these things are so subtle when you're doing them, you can make mistakes and not realize them."<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Groth |editor1-first=Conrad |title=What Cartooning Really Is: The Major Interviews with Charles M. Schulz |date=2020 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=978-1683963820 |page=98}}</ref> Schulz elaborated further in another 1987 interview: "Snoopy had a sister, Belle, whom I discovered I really didn't like. I brought in Spike and I like Spike a lot. But when I brought another brother in — I thought Marbles would make a great name for a dog — I discovered almost immediately that bringing in other animals took the uniqueness away from Snoopy. So the only other animal character who works now is Spike, as long as Spike stays out in the desert."<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Inge |editor1-first=M. Thomas |title=Charles M. Schulz: Conversations |date=2000 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=9781578063055 |last1=Pauer |first1=Frank |page=148 |chapter=A Conversation with Charles Schulz}}</ref>

Revision as of 23:41, 16 November 2020

Clockwise from top left: Andy, Spike, Olaf, Rover, Belle, Molly, Snoopy and Marbles.

In Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts, Snoopy was often stated to have seven siblings. Five appeared at various times in the strip: four brothers, Spike, Andy, Marbles, and Olaf; and one sister, Belle. The two others were never mentioned by name in the comic strip. According to the 1991 TV special Snoopy's Reunion, their names are Molly and Rover; however, their appearance is not considered canonical in the comic strip.[1]

Snoopy having seven siblings was an element of the strip that developed as the strip evolved. Originally described in a June 1959 strip as an "only dog", Snoopy referred to several unnamed siblings in a May 1965 sequence. In March 1970, Snoopy reports that he was one of seven puppies,[2] and the number reached its final count of eight beagles in December 1972.

In a 1987 interview, Schulz said that he felt introducing Snoopy's siblings was a mistake, similar to the introduction of Eugene the Jeep in Thimble Theatre: "I think Eugene the Jeep took the life out of Popeye himself, and I'm sure Segar didn't realize that. I realized it myself a couple of years ago when I began to introduce Snoopy's brothers and sisters. I realized that when I put Belle and Marbles in there it destroyed the relationship that Snoopy has with the kids, which is a very strange relationship. And these things are so subtle when you're doing them, you can make mistakes and not realize them."[3] Schulz elaborated further in another 1987 interview: "Snoopy had a sister, Belle, whom I discovered I really didn't like. I brought in Spike and I like Spike a lot. But when I brought another brother in — I thought Marbles would make a great name for a dog — I discovered almost immediately that bringing in other animals took the uniqueness away from Snoopy. So the only other animal character who works now is Spike, as long as Spike stays out in the desert."[4]

Spike

Spike, Snoopy's older brother who lived in the desert, was the most frequently-seen sibling in the strip.[5] He was introduced in the August 13, 1975 strip.[6] He was a recurring character between 1984 and 1988, and was also used in one-off appearances sporadically through the rest of Peanuts history. Spike is named after Charles Schulz's childhood dog.[7]

Spike's appearance is similar to Snoopy's, but he is substantially thinner, has a perpetually sleepy-eyed look, sports long, droopy whiskers that look like a mustache, and wears a fedora. He sometimes wears Mickey Mouse shoes which were a gift from Mickey Mouse. He is called Snoopy's older brother during the first story in which he appears.

Spike lives alone in a cactus, in the middle of the desert near Needles, California, only occasionally interacting with the principal characters in the strip, generally in visiting Snoopy. His friends are mostly inanimate saguaro cacti and an occasional tumbleweed. In 1991's Snoopy's Reunion, Spike's home was a huge hollow saguaro in which he kept books and his fiddle.

When Spike debuted in the strip in August 1975, it was revealed that his exceptionally low weight was because he had been living with coyotes, and his job was to clean out their den, which apparently causes him to burn off a lot of body fat. Although he got a better-fed appearance after his first visit to the Brown household, he apparently had to go "back to business" soon after returning home, for he soon became as thin as before.

He temporarily became Rerun's dog in I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown, and also starred in his own television special, It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown.[8] He was also a main character in Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown, where he is shown traveling from Needles to visit Snoopy to be the best beagle at his wedding. Spike competes in a dog race to earn money for a bus ticket. He wins the race, but then gets disqualified for not being a greyhound. The final scene shows Spike returning home to Needles where his private residence is a hollowed-out saguaro cactus with modern amenities inside, where he is rewarding himself for his long travels by eating cake from Snoopy's wedding.

Another storyline was in 1994 when he and his brothers Olaf and Andy visit Snoopy in the hospital. They abruptly leave shortly after Snoopy recovers.

Beginning in a series of strips from May 1981, Spike began joining Snoopy in his World War I escapades as an infantryman fighting in the trenches, the one change in Spike's appearance being that he wears a WWI-style army Brodie helmet instead of his trademark fedora. In a 1996 series when Spike himself comes down ill with the flu, Snoopy and Spike's mother Missy came over on a troopship to visit wearing a fur hat (the soldiers manning the rails of the troopship were also beagles). This was her sole appearance in the strip. At least two strips mentioned his meeting with Mickey Mouse.

In Snoopy's Reunion, Spike is shown being taken away by a rich family (with a limo). In the September 18, 1994, Sunday comic, Spike admits that he ran away from his owners to Needles after accidentally chasing a rabbit into a road, where it was run over. In The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show episode "The Lost Ballpark" Spike made a cameo appearance, his first appearance in any medium other than newspapers.

Spike's final appearance in the strip was on December 21, 1999, two months before the strip concluded.[9] A large statue of Spike resides in a Subway restaurant in Needles. The Schulz family lived in Needles from 1928 to 1930. They moved to Needles to join other family members who had relocated from Minnesota to tend to an ill cousin.[10]

Andy & Olaf

Andy and Olaf live together on a farm.[11] Andy is distinguished by his shaggy coat but otherwise looks like Snoopy. Olaf is obese and wears a hunting cap, and aside from his ears, bears little resemblance to Snoopy or his other siblings.

Olaf is first seen during a series on January 19, 1989, in which he visits Snoopy. During this sequence, Lucy enters with Olaf in an "ugly dog" contest, which he wins (much to his disappointment). He appears again in 1994, when he, Andy, and Spike visit Snoopy, who is in the hospital. After Snoopy recovers, the three brothers abruptly leave. This is the first appearance of Andy in the strip.

After that, Olaf and Andy are shown in several 1994 strips. They are sitting against a barn contemplating what direction their lives should go in. They appeared sporadically after that.

His animated debut was the 1991 TV special Snoopy's Reunion. Andy is based on a wire-haired fox terrier (also named Andy) that Schulz owned from October 1988 to March 1994.

Both Olaf and Andy made their second animated appearance in I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown via a flashback scene.

Belle

Belle is Snoopy's sister.[12] She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with her teenage son, whom Snoopy noted as resembling the Pink Panther. Belle herself bears a strong resemblance to Snoopy, but with longer eyelashes. In addition, she wears a lace collar and sometimes wears a pearl necklace.

Belle only made a few appearances in the strip, but is remembered because of the Belle stuffed animal toys sold in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many people who were not regular readers of the comic strip mistakenly thought that she was Snoopy's girlfriend rather than his sister. In Snoopy's World War I fantasies, Belle is a nurse.

Snoopy's sister made her first appearance in the comic strip on June 28, 1976. Belle also appeared briefly in the opening sequence of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show.

In 1984, Snoopy and Belle inspired fashion designers around the world, including Lagerfeld, Armani, and de la Renta to create one-of-a-kind outfits in their honor. Both beagles modeled for the "Snoopy in Fashion" exhibition held that year in Japan. "Snoopy & Belle in Fashion" continues to be exhibited as of 2020.[13]

Other than the appearance in the opening credits of the TV series, Belle's only animated special was 1991's Snoopy's Reunion. Also she was mentioned, but not seen, in 2003's I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.

Marbles

Marbles is the oldest and reputedly the smartest of the siblings, whose only appearances in the comic strip were in 1982 from September 28 to October 9.[14] Marbles is the only sibling whose ears are spotted rather than being solid-colored. Unlike Snoopy's siblings Spike and Belle, he does not share in Snoopy's fantasy World War I scenarios, seeing Snoopy's Sopwith Camel as his doghouse, an "ambulance" as a shopping cart, etc. while commenting that "...[Snoopy] was always the quiet one in the family." He leaves a visit to his brother over this. He was also seen to wear jogging shoes.

He also appeared in the 1991 animated feature Snoopy's Reunion and in a flashback from I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown, when Charlie Brown was talking to Rerun about Snoopy's siblings. Marbles plays the banjo.

Other siblings

The other two siblings, Molly and Rover, appeared in the 1981 TV special Snoopy's Reunion; however, Schulz never depicted or named these characters in the comic strip, so these names are not considered to be canonical. In the television special, these two siblings play the dobro and the mandolin. Molly is shown to be pampered because she has her own makeup.

Snoopy's parents

Snoopy's parents, Baxter and Missy, have each appeared only once in the comic strip (Baxter on June 18, 1989,[15] and Missy on July 26, 1996,[16]) but only Missy appeared on television. Missy appeared in Snoopy's Reunion in the flashback of when Snoopy and his siblings are born and being bought by people. Baxter is said to have lived in Florida, has a large white mustache, and wears glasses and a baseball cap. Missy bears a strong resemblance to Snoopy and Belle and wore a fur hat.

References

  1. ^ peanutscollectorclub.com
  2. ^ Schulz, Charles (1970-03-18). "Peanuts by Charles Schulz for March 18, 1970 | GoComics.com". GoComics. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  3. ^ Groth, Conrad, ed. (2020). What Cartooning Really Is: The Major Interviews with Charles M. Schulz. Fantagraphics Books. p. 98. ISBN 978-1683963820.
  4. ^ Pauer, Frank (2000). "A Conversation with Charles Schulz". In Inge, M. Thomas (ed.). Charles M. Schulz: Conversations. University Press of Mississippi. p. 148. ISBN 9781578063055.
  5. ^ Farago, Andrew (2017). The Complete Peanuts Family Album: The Ultimate Guide to Charles M. Schulz's Classic Characters. Weldon Owen. p. 204. ISBN 978-1681882925.
  6. ^ Schulz, Charles (1972-05-31). "August 13, 1975 strip". GoComics. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  7. ^ Gorney, Cynthia (2000). "The Peanuts Progenitor". In Inge, M. Thomas (ed.). Charles M. Schulz: Conversations. University Press of Mississippi. p. 137. ISBN 9781578063055.
  8. ^ Hughes, Mike (September 27, 1988). "Charlie Brown's younger sister: Schulz daughter stars in special 'Girl in the Red Truck'". Gannett News Service. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. ^ Spike's origin story
  10. ^ Beyer, John R. (January 19, 2020). "Needles, a small town with a big history". Beyer's Byways. Valley Daily Press. Gannett. Retrieved 2020-01-19.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Farago, Andrew (2017). The Complete Peanuts Family Album: The Ultimate Guide to Charles M. Schulz's Classic Characters. Weldon Owen. p. 208. ISBN 978-1681882925.
  12. ^ Farago, Andrew (2017). The Complete Peanuts Family Album: The Ultimate Guide to Charles M. Schulz's Classic Characters. Weldon Owen. p. 209. ISBN 978-1681882925.
  13. ^ Snoopy & Belle in Fashion, retrieved October 21, 2020.
  14. ^ Farago, Andrew (2017). The Complete Peanuts Family Album: The Ultimate Guide to Charles M. Schulz's Classic Characters. Weldon Owen. p. 210. ISBN 978-1681882925.
  15. ^ Schulz, Charles (1989-06-18). "Peanuts by Charles Schulz for June 18, 1989 | GoComics.com". GoComics. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  16. ^ Schulz, Charles (1996-07-26). "Peanuts by Charles Schulz for July 26, 1996 | GoComics.com". GoComics. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
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