September 22, 1953: Hey, goodnight kid!

Schroeder's awesome. (Although it does look a bit like his piano has an oversized hood ornament.)

September 21, 1953: NOT FOR ONE MOMENT!

When I was a kid I checked out every Peanuts compilation in our elementary school's library. Some of the jokes I got; almost anything having to do with Snoopy is written pretty broadly. Sometimes I was left scratching my head.

One of the things I didn't get had to do with Lucy's proud claims to be a "fussbudget." Not having ever heard of the term (in fact I wasn't even sure if I was pronouncing it right), I had no way of knowing that Lucy was taking inadvertent pride in an insult. None of the compilations I had read published a strip in which it's revealed that Lucy's mother had called her that, or with a comment from Charlie Brown like the one here tipping off the word's meaning, so I had insufficient context for understanding the strip.

While reading strips like this one makes clear to me the point of these strips, it remains that I have never heard the term "fussbudget" applied in a non-Peanuts context.

Sunday, September 20, 1953: Photographing Snoopy

We get a lot of funny drawings of Snoopy in this one, as well as establishing the dog's mischievous personality. Bill Watterson would reprise this strip much later, with Calvin in Snoopy's place and Calvin's dad in the role of photographer. I couldn't find a copy of that one on the internet, but one difference between the two approaches to the idea is that Calvin's dad tries to fool Calvin by saying "click" several times, and the strip ends with Calvin's making a funny face; there is no reaction shot at the end.

September 19, 1953: The end of the picnic school saga

Concerning school, none of the characters have been shown in school (pre- or real) yet. It's a little weird considering how often Linus sighed over Ms. Othmar, Sally spazzed-out over impending classes and Peppermint Patty fretted about D-minuses. Technically, I think none of the characters are old enough for first grade, or if they are it's just barely.

September 18, 1953: Made in Taiwan

Wait, what?! Is Snoopy wearing an ear-wig? And how does he blush through fur? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SNOOPY?!

September 17, 1953: Flimsy reason

Charlie Brown and Patty discuss why they like each other. I think this one is fairly interesting for that. How many of us like someone just because they like you back. Is that enough? Should it be? I actually think that yes, it should be, given that the initial liker isn't guilty of any gross defects that would preclude reciprocal liking. (Favorite phrase of the hour: "reciprocal liking.")

Patty's incidental jumping rope here is interesting because the characters are more realistically-proportioned than in the earliest days of the strip. Schulz doesn't have to distort the length of Patty's arms in order to get the rope around her huge, bulbous head, although she still must hold her arms at an angle that looks a little weird when you think about it.

Specifically, in the first panel. Maybe my knowledge on rope-jumping technique is faulty, but most kids don't hold their arms straight out, or let the rope fold in the air like Patty does. Schulz has to cheat it a little. These cheats are not a sign of artistic defeat, quite the opposite: it shows that he's put thought into depicting these weird little figures and how they could participate in typical childhood pastimes.

Chagrimace!

September 15, 1953: Well he certainly recovered quickly

This one's interesting because Violet shows some remorse for an awful thing she said to Charlie Brown. She actually hasn't said a lot of hurtful things yet in the strip though; that's a few years down the pike.

September 15, 1953: Snoopy. vs the Yard: Butterfly II

Be careful what you want!

I like this one for the variety of sounds Snoopy makes in the last one. Especially "fooey." Very descriptive.

September 14, 1953: Snoopy vs The Yard: Butterfly

It's not yard equipment, but it's the same idea; something in the world confuses Snoopy terribly. It's a light, whimsical strip.

Is that one butterfly in the last panel flying fast, or is it multiple butterflies. Are they defending the first one, or is it just a happenstance swarm? For some reason my initial reading was the former, but now that I look at it I think it's intended to be a swarm.

Sunday, September 13, 1953: Three shades of green

Another bit of metaphorical art in the title panel. This is one of my favorite strips, Schroeder's personality comes out very vividly here.