Linus Van Pelt

Linus Van Pelt
Peanuts character
First appearance
  • Peanuts
    • July 14, 1952 (first mention)
    • September 19, 1952 (debut)
Last appearanceFebruary 13, 2000 (comic strip)
Created byCharles M. Schulz
Voiced byVarious voice actors
See below
In-universe information
GenderMale
Family
  • Rerun Van Pelt (younger brother)
  • Lucy Van Pelt (older sister)
  • Unnamed blanket-hating grandmother
  • Unnamed parents
  • Marian (aunt)
  • Felix Van Pelt (paternal grandfather)

Linus Van Pelt is a fictional character in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts. He is the best friend of Charlie Brown, the younger brother of Lucy Van Pelt, and the older brother of Rerun Van Pelt. His first appearance was on September 19, 1952, but he was not mentioned by name until three days later. He was first referred two months earlier, on July 14. Linus spoke his first words in 1954, the same year he was first shown with his security blanket. Linus is named after Schulz's friend Linus Maurer.[1]

The character's creator, Charles M. Schulz, has said of the character, "Linus, my serious side, is the house intellectual; bright, well-informed which, I suppose, may contribute to his feelings of insecurity."[2] Lee Mendelson, producer of the majority of the Peanuts television specials, has said that Linus is his favorite character: "He made sucking your thumb and holding a security blanket OK. I think he's one of the most original fictional characters of all time—blending childish behavior with great wisdom."[3]

  1. ^ Schulz, Charles M. (1975). Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art with Charlie Brown and Others. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. pp. 81–100. ISBN 978-0030150814.
  2. ^ Schulz, Charles M. (February 23, 1980). "What Do You Do with a Dog That Doesn't Talk?". TV Guide: 22–24.
  3. ^ Best, Nathan (February 12, 2015). "EXCLUSIVE: Q & A With Charlie Brown's Lee Mendelson". Comic Book Movie. Retrieved July 19, 2018.