View source for Charlie Brown

{{Short description|Peanuts comic strip character}}
{{About|the Peanuts character|other uses|Charlie Brown (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Charlie Brown
| series = [[Peanuts]]
| image_size = 
| image = File:Charlie Brown.png
| caption = 
| creator = [[Charles M. Schulz]]
| first = October 2, 1950
| last = February 13, 2000 (comic strip) <br/>February 6, 2000 (final new drawing appearance)
| species = [[Human]]
| gender = [[Male]]
| family = [[Sally Brown]] (younger sister)<br/>Unnamed parents<br/>Silas Brown (paternal grandfather)<br/>Unnamed paternal grandmother<br/>Unnamed aunt<br/>Unnamed uncle<br/>[[Snoopy]] (pet)
| voice = Various voice actors<br><small>''[[#Voice actors|See below]]''</small>
}}

'''Charles "Charlie" Brown''' is the [[Protagonist|principal character]] of the comic strip ''[[Peanuts]]'', syndicated in [[daily newspaper|daily]] and [[Sunday newspaper]]s in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "[[lovable loser]]", Charlie Brown is one of the great American archetypes and a popular and widely recognized cartoon character. Charlie Brown is characterized as a person who frequently suffers, and as a result, is usually nervous and lacks self-confidence. He shows both [[Pessimism|pessimistic]] and [[Optimism|optimistic]] attitudes: on some days, he is apprehensive to even get out of bed because he is unable to face the world, but on others, he hopes to accomplish things and is determined to do his best. Charlie Brown is easily recognized by his round head and [[Trademark look|trademark]] zigzag patterned shirt. His catchphrase is "Good Grief!"

The character's creator, [[Charles M. Schulz]], said that Charlie Brown "has to be the one who suffers, because he is a caricature of the average person. Most of us are much more acquainted with losing than we are with winning."<ref>{{Citation|last=Schulz|first=Charles|author-link=Charles Schulz|title=Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art with Charlie Brown and Others|year=1975|publisher=Holt, Rinehart, and Winston|isbn=0-03-015081-7}}</ref> Despite this, Charlie Brown does not always suffer, as he has experienced some happy moments and victories through the years, and he has sometimes uncharacteristically shown self-assertiveness despite his frequent nervousness. Schulz also said: "I like to have Charlie Brown eventually be the focal point of almost every story."<ref name=":1" /> Charlie Brown is the only ''Peanuts'' character to have appeared regularly in the strip throughout its entire 50-year run.

[[Lee Mendelson]], producer of the majority of the Peanuts television specials, has said of Charlie Brown that "He was, and is, the ultimate survivor in overcoming bulliness—[[Lucy van Pelt|Lucy]] or otherwise."<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/02/01/super-bowl-xlix-from-tv-specials-to-the-peanuts-movie-why-charlie-browns-football-pratfall-is-a-comedy-classic/|title = Super Bowl XLIX: From TV specials to 'The Peanuts Movie,' why Charlie Brown's football pratfall is a comedy classic|date = February 1, 2015|access-date = February 14, 2015|newspaper = Washington Post}}</ref>

Charlie Brown is eight years old for most of the strip's [[floating timeline]]. Initially, he suggests he lives in an apartment, with his grandmother occupying the one above his; a few years into the strip, he moves to a house with a backyard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1950/12/25|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for December 25, 1950|website=[[GoComics]]|date=December 25, 1950}}</ref> He is always referred to as "Charlie Brown" and never simply "Charlie" by most of the other characters in the strip, including his sister, [[Sally Brown|Sally]] (who also refers to him as "big brother") and [[Snoopy]], his dog (who sometimes calls him "the round-headed kid"), with the exception of [[Peppermint Patty]] and [[Marcie]] who address him as "Chuck" and "Charles" respectively.

== History ==
=== 1940s–1950s ===
<!-- FAIR USE of First Peanuts comic.png: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:First Peanuts comic.png for rationale -->[[File:First Peanuts comic.png|thumb|upright=2.5|First ''Peanuts'' strip, October 2, 1950 (from left-to-right: Charlie Brown, [[Shermy (Peanuts)|Shermy]], [[Patty (Peanuts)|Patty]])]]
The character's name was first used on May 30, 1948, in an early Schulz comic strip titled ''[[Li'l Folks]]''. The character made his official debut in the first ''Peanuts'' comic strip on October 2, 1950. The strip features Charlie Brown walking by, as two other children named [[Shermy (Peanuts)|Shermy]] and [[Patty (Peanuts)|Patty]] look at him. Shermy refers to him as "Good Ol' Charlie Brown" as he passes by, but then immediately reveals his hatred toward him once he is gone on the last panel. In the very early days of the strip, Charlie Brown was explicitly identified as being four years old;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1950/11/03|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for November 03, 1950 &#124; GoComics.com|first=Charles|last=Schulz|date=November 3, 1950|website=GoComics}}</ref> he would age very slowly over the next several years, being old enough to attend elementary school by the 1960s.  During the strip's early years, Charlie Brown was much more impish and lighthearted and not the dour defeatist he would soon become. He was something of a smart-aleck and would often play pranks and jokes on the other characters. On December 21, 1950, his signature zig-zag pattern first appeared on his formerly plain [[T-shirt]]. By April 25, 1952, his T-shirt was changed to a [[polo shirt]] with a collar and the zig-zag.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kidd |first1=Chip |title=Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts |last2=Spear |first2=Geoff |date=2015 |publisher=Abrams Comic Arts |isbn=978-1-4197-1639-3 |location=New York}}</ref> On the March 6, 1951, strip, Charlie Brown first appears to play baseball, as he was warming up before telling Shermy that they can start the game; however, he was the catcher and not yet the pitcher and manager of his team.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 6, 1951 |title=Peanuts cartoon 06 March 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/03/06 |access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref>

Charlie Brown's relationships with other ''Peanuts'' characters initially differed significantly from their later states, and their concepts were grown up through this decade until they reached their more-established forms. An example is his relationship with [[Violet Gray]], to whom he was introduced in the February 7, 1951, strip.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 7, 1951 |title=Peanuts comic strip 07 February 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/02/07 |access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref> The two constantly remained on fairly good terms, a bit different from their later somewhat tepid relationship. In the August 16, 1951, strip, she called Charlie Brown a "blockhead", being the first time Charlie Brown was referred by that insult.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 1951 |title=Peanuts comic strip 16 August 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/08/16 |access-date=October 3, 2014}}</ref> The strip for November 14 of that year featured the first appearance of the famous football gag, with Violet in the role that would later be filled by [[Lucy van Pelt|Lucy]].

On May 30, 1951, Charlie Brown is introduced to [[Schroeder (Peanuts)|Schroeder]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 1951 |title=Peanuts cartoon 30 May 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/05/30 |access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref> As Schroeder is still a baby, Charlie Brown cannot converse with him. On June 1 of the same year, Charlie Brown stated that he felt like a father to Schroeder;<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1, 1951 |title=Peanuts cartoon 1 June 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/06/01 |access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref> in fact, for quite some time, he sometimes acted like a father to him, trying to teach him words and reading stories to him. On September 24 of that year, he taught Schroeder how to play the piano, the instrument which would later become Schroeder's trademark.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 24, 1951 |title=Peanuts cartoon 30 May 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/09/24 |access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref> On that year's October 10, strip, he told Schroeder the story of [[Beethoven]] and set in motion the piano player's obsession with the composer.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 10, 1951 |title=Peanuts cartoon 10 October 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/10/10 |access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref> Charlie Brown placed the Beethoven bust on Schroeder's piano on November 26, 1951.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 26, 1951 |title=Peanuts comic strip 26 November 1951 |url=http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1951/11/26 |access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref> Later, Schroeder and Charlie Brown were portrayed as being about the same age, and Schroeder became Charlie Brown's closest friend after [[Linus Van Pelt]].  Schroeder became the  catcher on Charlie Brown's baseball team for the first time in the April 12, 1952, strip.

In early 1959, Charlie Brown (and other ''Peanuts'' characters) made his first animated appearances after they were sponsored by the [[Ford Motor Company]] in commercials for its automobiles, as well as for intros to ''[[The Ford Show|The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show]]. ''The ads were animated by [[Bill Melendez]] for Playhouse Pictures, a cartoon studio that had Ford as a client.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

=== 1960s ===
In the 1960s, the ''Peanuts ''comic strip entered what most readers consider to be its [[Golden Age]], reaching its peak in popularity, becoming well known in numerous countries, with the strip reaching 355 million readers.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-11-24 |title=60 interesting facts about Charles Schulz |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/specialsections/all-about-schulz/ |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1965, the [[Coca-Cola Company]] approached Lee Mendelson about sponsoring a ''Peanuts'' Christmas television special. The next day Mendelson called Schulz and proposed a Christmas special featuring Charlie Brown and the ''Peanuts ''characters, in which he would collaborate with both Schulz and Melendez. Titled ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'', the special was first broadcast by the [[CBS]] network on December 9, 1965. The special's primary goal is showing "the true meaning of Christmas". Before ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' was broadcast, several of those involved in the special's creation were worried that it might be poorly received, with its unorthodox soundtrack and overt religious message; however, it turned out to be a huge success, with the number of homes watching the special an estimated 15,490,000, placing it at number two in the ratings, behind ''[[Bonanza]]'' on [[NBC]].<ref name="makingof">{{Cite AV media |title=The Making of ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' |date=2004 |last=[[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Lee Mendelson]] |publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment |medium=DVD |display-authors=etal}}</ref> The special's music score made an equally pervasive impact on viewers who would later perform jazz, among them [[David Benoit (musician)|David Benoit]]{{sfn|Solomon|2013|p = 49}} and [[George Winston]].{{sfn|Bang|2012|p = 190}} ''A Charlie Brown Christmas''  was honored with both an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] and [[Peabody Award]].

The success of ''A Charlie Brown Christmas ''was followed by the creation of a second CBS television special, ''[[Charlie Brown's All-Stars]]'', which was originally broadcast on June 8, 1966. In October of that year,a third ''Peanuts'' special was broadcast on CBS: the Halloween-themed ''[[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cooper|first=Gael Fashingbauer|title=It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown back on public TV after a year away|url=https://www.cnet.com/how-to/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-back-on-public-tv-after-a-year-away/|access-date=November 8, 2021|website=CNET|language=en}}</ref>

The stage adaptation of a concept album titled ''[[You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown]]'', based on Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and Patty, went into rehearsal in New York City on February 10, 1967. Prior to its opening, the musical had no actual libretto; it was several vignettes with dialogue adapted from ''Peanuts'' strips and a musical number for each one.<ref name="CB2" /> Since Patty was such a weakly defined character in Schulz's strip, she became a [[composite character]] in the musical, with much of her material originating with Violet and Frieda in the strip.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} On March 7, 1967, the musical premiered [[off-Broadway]] at [[Theatre 80]] in the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]], featuring [[Gary Burghoff]] as Charlie Brown.<ref name=CB2>{{Cite web |title=FAQ Part II: Composers & Writers and their works - ''You're A Good Man Charlie Brown'' |url=https://www.juglans.demon.co.uk/Tim/Theatre/theatre_part2.txt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121075312/http://www.juglans.demon.co.uk/Tim/Theatre/theatre_part2.txt |archive-date=January 21, 2012 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |publisher=juglans.demons.co.uk}}</ref>

On December 4, 1969, ''[[A Boy Named Charlie Brown]]'',  the first feature-length animated film based on ''Peanuts'' was released. The film was a box office success, earning 6 million dollars at  the box office, against its 1&nbsp;million dollar budget. The film was generally well received by critics.
[[File:Apollo 10 command module.jpg|thumb|The Command Module of Apollo 10 which was named after Charlie Brown]]
Charlie Brown and Snoopy reached new heights on May 18, 1969, when they became the names of the [[Apollo Command/Service Module#Command Module (CM)|command module]] and [[lunar module]], respectively, for the [[Apollo 10]] mission.<ref>{{Citation |title=Newsroom for February 14, 2000 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0002/14/nr.00.html |work=CNN |access-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref> While not included in the [[:File:Apollo-10-LOGO.png|official mission logo]], Charlie Brown and Snoopy became semi-official mascots for the mission.<ref name="NASA1">{{Cite web |title=Snoopy on Apollo 10 |url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/mirrors/images/images/pao/AS10/10075088.jpg |access-date=October 17, 2007 |archive-date=October 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025181648/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/mirrors/images/images/pao/AS10/10075088.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="NASA2">{{Cite web |title=Charlie Brown and Snoopy at Apollo 10 Mission Control |url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/mirrors/images/images/pao/AS10/10075138.jpg |access-date=October 17, 2007 |archive-date=June 19, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010619231200/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/mirrors/images/images/pao/AS10/10075138.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> Charles Schulz drew an original picture of Charlie Brown in a spacesuit; this drawing was hidden aboard the craft to be found by the astronauts once they were in orbit. Its current location is on a display at the [[Kennedy Space Center]].

=== 1970s ===
During the 1970s, Charlie Brown appeared in twelve ''Peanuts'' television specials that were produced as a result of the success of the earlier TV specials. Charlie Brown also appeared in two animated feature films (''[[Snoopy Come Home]]'' and ''[[Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown]]'', released on August 9, 1972, and August 24, 1977, respectively).{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

=== 1980s ===
Fourteen more ''Peanuts'' television specials were produced in the 1980s, two of which were musicals (one is the animated version of ''You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown'').{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Another full-length animated ''Peanuts'' film, titled ''[[Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)]]'' was released on May 30, 1980.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Melendez |first1=Bill |title=Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) |date=May 30, 1980 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/ |type=Animation, Adventure, Comedy |publisher=Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Bill Melendez Productions, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates |access-date=March 14, 2022 |last2=Roman |first2=Phil}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1296467457/ |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>

=== 1990s ===
Six television specials featuring Charlie Brown were produced during this decade.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Within the comic strip, a storyline got Charlie Brown the character Peggy Jean as a girlfriend; this relationship lasted for roughly nine years.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

=== Final comic strip appearance ===
<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Last peanuts comic.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Final Sunday Strip, which came out on February 13, 2000; one day after the death of Charles M. Schulz.]] -->
Charlie Brown made his final appearance in the very last original ''Peanuts'' strip, which was published on February 13, 2000—the day following Schulz's death. Despite ending its original run in 2000, repeats of the comic strip are still being published as of 2024.<ref>{{cite web|last=Berman|first=Marc|url= https://programminginsider.com/today-in-history-the-last-peanuts-comic-strip-appears-in-2000/|title= Today in History: The Last 'Peanuts' Comic Strip Appears in 2000|date=February 13, 2021|access-date=September 5, 2021}}</ref>

=== Post-comic strip appearances ===
After the comic strip ended, Charlie Brown continued to appear in more television specials. On November 20, 2006, the special ''[[He's a Bully, Charlie Brown]]'' beat a Madonna concert special with its 10 million views, although ''Peanuts'' was no longer in its heyday. As of 2016, the latest of Charlie Brown's original television appearances is ''[[Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown]]'', which came out on October 1, 2011.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

=== ''The Peanuts Movie'' ===
{{main|The Peanuts Movie}}
An animated film starring Charlie Brown, ''[[The Peanuts Movie]]'', was released on November 6, 2015. The film was directed by [[Steve Martino]], produced by [[Blue Sky Studios]], and distributed by [[20th Century Fox]]. The director said of the character: "We've all been Charlie Brown at one point in our lives".<ref name="TWPGoodPlan2">{{cite news|last1 = Cavna|first1 = Michael|title = You're a Good Plan, Charlie Brown: A peek into the meticulous vision behind 2015's 'Peanuts' feature film|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/04/07/youre-a-good-plan-charlie-brown-a-peek-into-the-meticulous-vision-for-the-peanuts-feature-film-in-2015|access-date = October 18, 2014|newspaper = The Washington Post|date = April 7, 2014}}</ref>

The film received largely positive reviews from critics<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Peanuts Movie (2015) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_peanuts_movie/ |access-date=January 26, 2016 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Peanuts Movie reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-peanuts-movie |access-date=January 7, 2016 |website=Metacritic}}</ref> and audiences alike,<ref name="BOWknd1">{{Cite magazine |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=November 9, 2015 |title='Spectre' $70.4M Opening: Still 2nd Highest 007 Debut Behind 'Skyfall', But Not That Far From 'Quantum Of Solace' – Monday AM |url=https://deadline.com/2015/11/spectre-the-peanuts-movie-james-bond-box-office-1201610575/ |magazine=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=November 10, 2015}}</ref> and grossed $246&nbsp;million worldwide against its $99&nbsp;million budget,<ref name="Peanuts BOM">{{Cite web |title=The Peanuts Movie (2015) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=peanuts2015.htm |access-date=April 1, 2016 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> making it a box office success.

== Inspiration ==
Charlie Brown's traits and experiences are inspired by those of Schulz, who admitted in interviews that he had often felt shy and withdrawn in his life. In an interview on ''[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|Charlie Rose]]'' in May 1997, Schulz observed: "I suppose there's a melancholy feeling in a lot of cartoonists, because cartooning, like all other humor, comes from bad things happening."<ref>Kleon, Austin (October 17, 2007). ''"Charles Schulz on Charlie Rose"''. austinkleon.com.</ref> Furthermore, both Charlie Brown's and Schulz's fathers were barbers, and their mothers housewives. Charlie Brown's friends, such as Linus and Shermy, were named after good friends of Schulz, and Peppermint Patty was inspired by Patricia Swanson, one of Schulz's cousins on his mother's side. Schulz devised the character's name when he saw peppermint candies in his house.<ref>"Charlie Brown was the name of one of{{nbsp}}...", Chicago Tribune, March 26, 2000.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Michaelis|2008|p = 335}}</ref> Even Charlie Brown's unrequited love for the [[Little Red-Haired Girl]] was inspired by Schulz's own love for [[Little Red-Haired Girl#Inspiration|Donna Mae Johnson]], an Art Instruction Inc. accountant. When Schulz finally proposed to her in June 1950, shortly after he had made his first contract with his syndicate, she turned him down and married another man.

==Personality==
Charlie Brown is a shy, meek, kind, innocent, gentle-hearted character with many anxieties.<ref name="WorldEncyclopediaofComics">''The World Encyclopedia of Comics'' edited by [[Maurice Horn]], {{ISBN|0-7910-4854-3}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7910-4854-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Mendelson
 | first = Lee
 | author-link = Lee Mendelson
 | title = Charlie Brown & Charlie Schulz
 | place= New York
 | publisher = World Publishing Company
 | year = 1970
 | lccn = 75107642
 }}</ref>

Charlie Brown is normally referred to by his full name (with the exceptions of [[Peppermint Patty]] who calls him "Chuck", [[Marcie]], [[Eudora (Peanuts)|Eudora]], Violette and Emily who call him 'Charles', Peggy Jean who calls him "Brownie Charles", and [[Sally Brown|Sally]] who calls him "Big Brother", though on extremely rare occasions, [[Lucy van Pelt|Lucy]], [[Violet Gray|Violet]], [[Patty (Peanuts)|Patty]] and [[Frieda (Peanuts)|Frieda]] did call him just "Charlie").  Charlie Brown's catchphrase is "good grief".  Like Schulz, Charlie Brown is the son of a barber. The character is an example of "the great American un-success story" in that he fails in almost everything he does with an almost continuous streak of bad luck; but still keeps trying with huge efforts and work, resulting in either more losses or (very rarely) great victories. Some of these victories are hitting a game-winning home run off a pitch by a minor character named Royanne on a strip from 1993,<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1993/03/30 |title = Peanuts comic strip 30 March 1993 | date = March 30, 1993 | access-date = September 26, 2014}}</ref> and his victory over Joe Agate (another minor character) in a game of marbles on a strip from 1995.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1995/04/11 |title = Peanuts comic strip 04 April 1995 | date = April 11, 1995 | access-date = September 26, 2014}}</ref> Although Charlie Brown is often unlucky within the strip's storylines, in some ways Charles M. Schulz created through the ever-persevering character "the most shining example of the American success story in the comic strip field."<ref name="WorldEncyclopediaofComics" />

Charlie Brown cares very deeply for his family and friends, even if he was maltreated by them. His care for his sister is shown on a strip from May 26, 1959,<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1959/05/26|title = Peanuts cartoon 26 May 1959|date = May 26, 1959|access-date = December 25, 2014|website = Gocomics.com}}</ref> when he reacts to the birth of his sister Sally by exclaiming "A BABY SISTER?! I'M A FATHER! I mean my DAD's a father! I'm a brother! I have a baby sister! I'm a brother!" Two strips later, Charlie Brown continues the celebration of her birth by handing over chocolate cigars to his friends. When Charlie Brown was maltreated by his companions (most often Lucy, Violet and Patty), he does not usually take out his anger on them, but often retaliates and even manages to turn the tables. An example is a strip from 1951, which features Violet and Patty telling Charlie Brown that they are not going to invite him to their party, with Charlie Brown replying that he does not wish to go to their "dumb ol' party" anyway, leading the two girls to invite him.

[[Christopher Caldwell (journalist)|Christopher Caldwell]] has stated that "What makes Charlie Brown such a rich character is that he's not purely a loser. The self-loathing that causes him so much anguish is decidedly ''not'' self-effacement. Charlie Brown is optimistic enough to think he can ''earn'' a sense of self-worth, and his willingness to do so by exposing himself to humiliations is the dramatic engine that drives the strip. The greatest of Charlie Brown's virtues is his resilience, which is to say his courage. Charlie Brown is ambitious. He ''manages'' the baseball team. He's the pitcher, not a scrub. He may be a loser, but he's, strangely, a leader at the same time. This makes his mood swings truly bipolar in their magnificence: he vacillates not between kinda happy and kinda unhappy, but between being a "hero" and being a "goat"."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url = http://nypress.com/against-snoopy/|title = Against Snoopy|date = January 4, 2000|access-date = December 5, 2014|website = StrausMedia|publisher = Christopher Caldwell}}</ref>

===Birthday and age===
Charlie Brown's age is neither normally specified nor consistently given. His birthday occurs in the strip published on October 30, 1950.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1950/10/30|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for October 30, 1950|website=[[GoComics]]|date=October 30, 1950}}</ref>  He is four years old in a strip published November 3, 1950.<ref name=N31950>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1950/11/03|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for November 3, 1950|website=[[GoComics]]|date=November 3, 1950}}</ref> He aged slowly over the next two decades of the strip's floating timeline, being six years old as of November 17, 1957, and "eight-and-a-half years old" by July 11, 1979. Other references continue to peg Charlie Brown as being approximately eight years old.<ref name="PCC FAQ">{{cite web
 | last = Bang
 | first = Derrick
 | title = Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Charles Schulz and his Peanuts cartoon strip
 | publisher = FiveCentsPlease.org
 | date = March 11, 2011
| url = http://www.fivecentsplease.org/dpb/peantfaq.txt
 | format = text
 | access-date = January 17, 2011}}</ref>
A strip published on April 3, 1971, suggests he was born around 1963 (setting up the gag that when he is 21, it will be [[Nineteen Eighty-Four|1984]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1971/04/03|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for April 3, 1971|website=[[GoComics]]|date=April 3, 1971}}</ref>

==Voice actors==
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Peter Robbins (actor)|Peter Robbins]] (1963–1969)
*Chris Inglis (1971)
*[[Chad Webber]] (1972–1973)
*Todd Barbee (1973–1974)
*[[Duncan Watson]] (1975–1977)
*Dylan Beach (1976)
*Arrin Skelley (1977–1980)
*Liam Martin (1978)
*Michael Mandy (1980–1982)
*Grant Wehr (1981)
*Brad Kesten (1983–1985)
*Michael Catalano (1983)
*Brett Johnson (1984–1986)
*Kevin Brando (1984–1985; singing voice)<ref>{{cite web|title=About Kevin|url=https://kevinbrando.com/about/|publisher=Kevin Brando|access-date=March 31, 2024}}</ref>
*[[Chad Allen (actor)|Chad Allen]] (1986)
*Sean Colling (1988)
*Erin Chase (1988–1989)
*Jason Riffle (1988)
*[[Susan Sheridan]] (1988; [[Nationwide Building Society]] commercial)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWeYyW_Mt-E|title=Nationwide Anglia Estate Agents - Woodstock (1988, UK)|date=January 13, 2024 |publisher=YouTube|quote=Charlie's voice here sounds like Moomintroll in the 90s series; it's a British person doing an American little boy voice.|access-date=31 March 2024}}</ref>
*Kaleb Henley (1990)
*Phillip Shafran (1991)
*[[Justin Shenkarow]] (1992)
*Jamie E. Smith (1992)
*Jimmy Guardino (1993)
*Steven Hartman (1995–1997)
*Quinn Beswick (2000)
*Miles Purinton (2002)<ref>{{cite web|title=Resume|url=https://milespurinton.com/resume-new|publisher=Miles Purinton|access-date=March 31, 2024}}</ref>
*[[Wesley Singerman]] (2002–2003)
*Adam Taylor Gordon (2003)
*Spencer Robert Scott (2006)
*John Adam Plenge (2007)
*[[Alex Ferris]] (2008–2010)
*Trenton Rogers (2011)
*Tony Terraciano (2013–2015; [[MetLife]] commercials)<ref>{{cite web|title=Anthony Terraciano - Professional Actor at CBS Television Studios|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-terraciano-621261197/|publisher=LinkedIn|access-date=March 31, 2024}}</ref>
*[[Noah Schnapp]] (2015)
*Kelly Jean Badgley (2015; [[Teleflora]] commercial)<ref>{{cite web|title=Commercials & IVR|url=https://www.kellyjeanbadgley.com/commercial|publisher=Kelly Jean Badgley|access-date=March 31, 2024}}</ref>
*Aiden Lewandowski (2016)
*Gaston Scardovi-Mounier (2018–2019)
*Ethan Pugiotto (2019–2022)
*Tyler James Nathan (2021–2023)
*Etienne Kellici (2021, 2022, 2023–present)
{{Div col end}}

==Reception==
Charlie Brown, along with [[Snoopy]], was ranked eighth on [[TV Guide]]'s 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.listology.com/list/tv-guides-50-greatest-cartoon-characters | title= TV Guide's 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters | date= July 30, 2002 | access-date= September 17, 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130816115119/http://www.listology.com/list/tv-guides-50-greatest-cartoon-characters | archive-date= August 16, 2013 | url-status= dead }}</ref>

===Shrine of the Eternals===

Charlie Brown was inducted into the [[Baseball Reliquary]]'s [[Baseball Reliquary#Shrine of the Eternals|Shrine of the Eternals]] in 2017.<ref name="BRSOTE Inductees">[http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees "Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919092503/http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees |date=September 19, 2020 }}. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved August 14, 2019.</ref> Similar in concept to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|National Baseball Hall of Fame]], criteria for inclusion in the Shrine of the Eternals differs in that statistical achievement is not a primary consideration for induction,<ref name="BRSOTE">[http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals "Shrine of the Eternals"]. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved August 18, 2019.</ref> and fictional characters are eligible for induction.<ref name="BRSOTE" /> Charlie Brown was the first fictional character inducted to the Shrine.

==References==
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Bang|first=Derrick|title=Vince Guaraldi at the Piano|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qstIu-I9N-sC|year=2012|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5902-5}}
* {{cite book |last= Michaelis|first= David |year=2008 |title= Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography|publisher= Harper Perennial|page= 221|isbn= 978-0060937997}}
* {{cite book|last=Solomon|first=Charles|title=The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dz4E5mpwm6UC|year=2013|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-1-4521-1091-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1950/10/02 The first appearance of Charlie Brown in the "Peanuts" comic strip from October 02, 1950.]

{{Peanuts}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Charlie}}
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1950]]
[[Category:Fictional baseball players]]
[[Category:Fictional players of American football]]
[[Category:Peanuts characters]]
[[Category:Child characters in animated films]]
[[Category:Child characters in comics]]
[[Category:Child characters in musical theatre]]
[[Category:Child characters in television]]
[[Category:Male characters in animation]]
[[Category:Male characters in comics]]
[[Category:Child characters in animation]]

[[de:Die Peanuts#Charlie Brown]]