Charles Schulz created 17,897 Peanuts comic strips across five decades. The series began on 2 October 1950, added Sunday editions on 6 January 1952 and ended on 13 February 2000. Choosing one definitive strip from that enormous body of work is a difficult challenge.
Why the first and final strips are not the best
The opening strip is historically important, but it shows Peanuts before the cast and visual style had fully settled. Shermy and Patty — the original Patty, not Peppermint Patty — take centre stage, while Charlie Brown has a supporting role and looks noticeably different from the character audiences came to know.
The closing strip carries genuine emotional weight, but it was not designed as a carefully planned character finale. Schulz became seriously ill and could no longer continue drawing. The final instalment functions mainly as a farewell to readers, rather than a satisfying conclusion to Charlie Brown, Snoopy and their friends.
A simple test for the greatest Peanuts strip
With 17,895 other candidates remaining, a set of criteria helps narrow the field. The ideal strip should include both Charlie Brown and Snoopy, give each character a meaningful role and reveal their personalities rather than using one as a brief punchline.
The strongest period is the 1960s. During the first decade, Schulz was still refining the characters and experimenting with the strip’s humour. In the 1960s, Peanuts reached its peak popularity, moved into television and retained the freshness of a world that was still developing.
The later decades produced plenty of excellent material. The strip did not become stale, but its rhythms could feel more established in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. For this particular search, the 1960s offered the richest combination of confidence, warmth and invention.
Strong contenders
Several strips came close. One shows Charlie Brown taking food to Snoopy through the rain, while another has Charlie Brown building a snowman only for Snoopy to become trapped inside the resulting snowball.
Both are funny and affectionate, but neither quite explains who Charlie Brown and Snoopy are as completely as the eventual choice.
A famous 1960 strip in which Lucy embraces Snoopy and declares, “Happiness is a warm puppy,” was another serious contender. It remains one of the finest Peanuts moments, but a final choice requiring both central characters still needed Charlie Brown to be more than a supporting presence.
The February 1961 strip that has everything
The strongest candidate is the Sunday strip published on 26 February 1961. Charlie Brown and Snoopy share a bed, creating an immediately charming setup. After Charlie Brown says good night, Snoopy falls asleep and snores loudly enough to wake him.
Charlie Brown sends Snoopy outside. Snoopy retreats to the top of his doghouse, his familiar sleeping position. Feeling guilty, Charlie Brown changes his mind and offers him another chance. The pair return to bed and settle down — until Charlie Brown starts snoring and wakes Snoopy.
The reversal ends with Charlie Brown outside, lying across Snoopy’s doghouse while Snoopy sleeps. The final beat is Charlie Brown’s characteristic “Sigh.”
Why the joke works so well
This is a small domestic story rather than an elaborate adventure, which makes it a particularly strong example of Schulz’s observational style. It also includes one of the strip’s most recognisable images: Snoopy resting on his doghouse.
Snoopy is cute, mischievous and confident enough to reclaim his sleeping space. Charlie Brown is kind-hearted, easily defeated and ultimately the victim of the joke — precisely the combination that defines him. Their affection is clear without needing a sentimental speech.
The closing “Sigh” completes the character portrait with remarkable economy. It is funny, gentle and unmistakably Charlie Brown.
A close call, not an unquestionable verdict
Other readers may choose a Charlie Brown and Lucy football strip, or a Christmas story tied to the strip’s seasonal reputation. The “Happiness is a warm puppy” instalment is also a persuasive alternative.
Still, the 26 February 1961 strip brings together the essential ingredients: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, a familiar setting, a compact reversal, tenderness and a perfectly judged final gag. By that measure, it is a compelling answer to the question of which Peanuts comic is the greatest.
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