The Peanuts Movie: 7 things you probably never knew about Charlie Brown (VIDEO)

Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz created the iconic Charlie Brown way back in 1947. Here are a few things that changed over the years. 

1. Comic originally called Li’l Folks

According to Caesar Gallegos from the Charles M. Schulz Museum, Schultz’s first incarnation Li’l Folks appeared in the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper in Minnesota.

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2. Comic was syndicated in New York

Renamed Peanuts, the four-panel comic strip appeared in seven East Coast newspapers staring in 1950. Soon, the comic strip would appear nationwide and become a household name.

3. Main focus was Charlie Brown in the beginning

In the early comics, the other characters who we’ve come to know and love, like Lucy, just appeared peripherally. Also, Charlie’s head wasn’t such a perfect globe in the beginning. His cranium seemed to increase in size and roundness over time.

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4. Snoopy started as a regular dog

The good-natured Beagle with a huge imagination didn’t start out as a World War I flying ace or even a writer. In the beginning, he was just a plain old loyal pup in October 1950. A month later, he was given the name “Snoopy.”

5. Elaborate backgrounds faded away

Probably to increase his output rate, Schulz eventually adopted a minimalist background in the 1960s, losing the more detailed scenery to focus more on the characters and their expressions.

6. Cast of characters evolved over time

Some characters seen in the early 1950s were eventually dropped in favor of a core cast that included Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock.

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7. “Sparky” was Schulz’s nickname

Schulz’s uncle called his nephew “Sparky” after the racehorse Spark Plug in Billy DeBeck’s comic strip, Barney Google. Schulz originally used Sparky as his pen name.

The Peanuts Movie releases on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on March 8.