May 1, 1953: This is why I like Schroeder

It's odd, isn't it? Here Schroeder decries commercialism, and in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" CB spends a lot of the time complaining about the crassness of marketing culture. And yet no strip has been merchandised and exploited even close to the extent that Peanuts has. Income from Peanuts made Charles Schulz a billionaire.

Christmas Day, 1951: Singing In Type

Sure it's mostly sentimental instead of funny, but imagine how long it must have taken Charles Schulz to render the typeface in the fourth panel.

Note: Snoopy runs with Shermy in the first panel. The mystery of his ownership continues!

April 17, 1951: The bird's a solo act

No thought balloons yet, but Snoopy's dealings with a decidedly non-Woodstock bird are looking more human.  Something to notice: when Snoopy's head is facing the "camera" in three-quarters perspective, his eyes are a little closer together than in previous strips. Earlier he looked almost fish-eyed, but they've begun to migrate to the front.  Over time, all the characters' eyes would move closer together, which helped to give them a more mature appearance as the situations became more complex.