| Pig-Pen | |
|---|---|
| Peanuts character | |
 Pig-Pen | |
| First appearance | July 13, 1954 |
| Last appearance | September 8, 1999 (comic strip) |
| Voiced by | Various voice actors See below |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Unnamed parents |
Pig-Pen is a fictional character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. While amiable, he is a young boy who is, except on rare occasions, extremely dirty and attracts a permanent cloud of dust.
"Pig-Pen" is a nickname. [1] In a 2000 Gallup Poll, Pig-Pen was found to be the fifth most popular Peanuts character. [2] In strips up through 1980, Schulz spelled the character's name "Pig-Pen", with a hyphen; since 1981, the name has been spelled "Pigpen". He is also mocked by other characters because of his dirtiness.
Pig-Pen is known for his perpetually filthy overalls and the cloud of dirt and dust that surrounds him everywhere he goes. When he takes a deep breath (to sing, for example), the dust rises briefly around him. He has proudly referred to his personal cloud as "the dust of ancient civilizations". [3] He cannot seem to rid himself of the dust for more than the very briefest of periods — indeed, in spite of his best efforts, it appears that he cannot stay clean. He is referred to in an early strip as the only person who can get dirty while walking in a snowstorm. [4] Nevertheless, on rare occasions he has briefly appeared clean, and hence unrecognizable. Once this was in order to impress Violet, of whom he was a bit fond. On another occasion (September 6, 1954), he managed to keep one side of his body clean and presented this clean side to Patty, causing her to believe that he was completely clean. In The Peanuts Movie (2015), Patty seems to have a crush on Pig-Pen and he seems to return these feelings.
Once, after bathing and dressing in clean clothes, Pig-Pen stepped outside his house and instantaneously became dirty and disheveled, whereupon he declared to Charlie Brown, "You know what I am? I'm a dust magnet!" On another occasion, Pig-Pen decided it was important to have clean hands, but after failing to wash them, realized that he had "reached a point of no return."
One notable exception is an earlier strip where he gets caught in a brief but heavy rainfall, and while trying to seek shelter, the storm ends, revealing him to be clean. He responds with disdain, stating that, "In one minute the rain has washed away what took me all day to accomplish".
Though Pig-Pen is proud of his uncleanliness, Charlie Brown is the only other Peanuts character to unconditionally accept Pig-Pen for who he is, even defending his uncleanliness in one strip (which was re-used in A Charlie Brown Christmas and Peanuts):
Don't think of it as dust. Just think of it as the dirt and dust of far-off lands blowing over here and settling on "Pig-Pen!" It staggers the imagination! He may be carrying the soil that was trod upon by Solomon or Nebuchadnezzar or Genghis Khan!
Charles Schulz admitted that he came to regret Pig-Pen's popularity, given the character's essentially one-joke nature; he utilized the character very rarely in the later years of the strip's run; Pig-Pen was featured in just over 100 of the 17,897 Peanuts comic strips that Schulz created (though still appearing commonly in the TV specials and movies of the franchise). [5] Like most of Schulz's characters, Pig-Pen has (both with and without lines) appeared in many of the animated Peanuts television specials beginning in the 1960s, as well as all five movies. One time, his clean self was shown in a miniseries titled This Is America, Charlie Brown , where he is an astronaut aboard a futuristic space station, demonstrating how personal hygiene would apply in zero gravity. True to form, the clean Pig-Pen is immediately dirtied again when dirt is attracted to him magnetically. In the 1990s, he appeared (in an animated overlay against a live-action backdrop) in a series of television commercials for Regina vacuum cleaners where all the dirt is sucked off his body and filthy trousers by one of the company's products, arguably one of the few times where Pig-Pen remains clean. In 2015, Pig-Pen appeared in a commercial for All laundry detergent for a tie-in with The Peanuts Movie . In the commercial, Snoopy, dressed as a magician, puts a cloth over Pig-Pen and instantly makes him clean, causing Snoopy to get dirty. This is also one of the few times where he remains clean.
Geoffrey Ornstein first voiced Pig-Pen in the 1965 movie A Charlie Brown Christmas. Although he also later played the role in Charlie Brown's All Stars! , other various actors have voiced him ever since.
He last appeared in the Peanuts comic strip on September 8, 1999. That strip was very uncharacteristic of him in that it showed him embarrassed to the point of shame in his dirtiness, with none of the pride or sense of destiny that he expressed in earlier strips.
Pig-Pen is evidently a talented musician, as he is shown playing the double bass, notably in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and later in the 1971 special Play It Again, Charlie Brown he easily takes to a set of drums brought out by Snoopy.
He plays third base on Charlie Brown's baseball team, and is likely the best player; in a March 1997 strip, when asked by Lucy why he doesn't look as neat as the others, he answers that his previous year's batting average was .712, adding "Neatness doesn't bat .712".
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. Peanuts is among the most popular and influential in the history of comic strips, with 17,897 strips published in all, making it "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being". At the time of Schulz's death in 2000, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of roughly 355 million across 75 countries, and had been translated into 21 languages. It helped to cement the four-panel gag strip as the standard in the United States, and together with its merchandise earned Schulz more than $1 billion. It got a movie adaptation in 2015 by Blue Sky Studios.
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip Peanuts, syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown is one of the great American archetypes and a popular and widely recognized cartoon character. Charlie Brown is characterized as a person who frequently suffers, and as a result, is usually nervous and lacks self-confidence. He shows both pessimistic and optimistic attitudes: on some days, he is apprehensive to even get out of bed because he is unable to face the world, but on others, he hopes for the best and is determined to accomplish things. Charlie Brown is easily recognized by his round head and trademark zigzag patterned shirt. His catchphrase is "Good Grief!"
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a 1966 American animated Halloween television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The third Peanuts special, and the second holiday-themed special, to be created, it was written by Schulz along with director/animator Bill Melendez and producer Lee Mendelson. The cast included Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown, Christopher Shea as Linus Van Pelt, Sally Dryer as Lucy Van Pelt, and Melendez as Snoopy. The special features music composed by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, whose contributions include the theme song "Linus and Lucy". It aired on broadcast television every year from its debut in 1966 until 2020 when it became an Apple TV+ exclusive.
Peppermint Patty is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. Her full name, very rarely used in the strip, is Patricia Reichardt. She is one of a small group in the strip who live across town from Charlie Brown and his school friends. She has freckles and "mousy-blah" hair, and generally displays the characteristics of a tomboy, while also being shown to not be a strict complier. She made her first appearance on August 22, 1966. The following year she made her animated debut in the TV special You're in Love, Charlie Brown and began coaching a baseball team that played against Charlie Brown, and thereafter had other adventures with him. Uniquely, she refers to Charlie Brown and Lucy as "Chuck" and "Lucille", respectively. In most of her appearances, she is attracted to Charlie Brown, based on her reactions. Her birthday is October 4.
Schroeder is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. He is distinguished by his prodigious skill at playing the toy piano, as well as by his love of classical music in general and the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in particular. Schroeder is also the catcher on Charlie Brown's baseball team, though he is usually seen walking back to the pitcher's mound with the baseball, never throwing it—admitting in one strip he did not want the other team to discover his lack of ability. He is also the object of the unrequited infatuation of Lucy Van Pelt, who constantly leans on Schroeder's piano. Charlie Brown, Frieda, Peppermint Patty, and Snoopy are occasionally depicted leaning on Schroeder's piano.
Lucille "Lucy" Van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is characterized as a "fussbudget", crabby, bossy and opinionated girl who bullies most other characters in the strip, particularly Linus and Charlie Brown.
Shermy is a fictional character from the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles Schulz. Schulz named him after a friend from high school. When Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, Shermy sat on the curb with another early character, Patty, and spoke the first lines of dialogue, ending with "Good ol' Charlie Brown ... How I hate him!" which is ironic, considering how he became one of Charlie Brown's closest friends, along with Linus van Pelt and Schroeder.
Violet Gray is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. Violet first appeared in the February 7, 1951 strip. She was originally a major character, until she was eventually relegated to background and cameo appearances as other female characters became more prominent, with Lucy ultimately taking over most of Violet's character traits.
Frieda is a fictional character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz. She is known for having naturally curly hair, of which she is extremely proud.
Woodstock is a fictional character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. He is a small yellow bird of unknown species and Snoopy's best friend. The character first appeared in the March 4, 1966, strip, though he was not given a name until June 22, 1970. He is named after the Woodstock festival of 1969.
Patty is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. Patty was formerly a major character whose role was reduced in later years; she never developed a distinct personality like Lucy or Sally. She is sometimes confused with Peppermint Patty, a different and later character with a similar name. Patty appeared in the first Peanuts strip, with Shermy and Charlie Brown, on October 2, 1950.
It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown is the 27th prime-time animated musical television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on CBS on April 16, 1984.
You Don't Look 40, Charlie Brown, the first Peanuts television special of the 1990s, is one of many prime-time animated TV specials, based on characters from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It originally aired on the CBS network on February 2, 1990.
It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown is the 39th and last animated special produced under the supervision of Charles M. Schulz. Based on characters from the comic strip Peanuts, it was originally released exclusively in VHS and DVD formats on September 12, 2000, seven months after Schulz's death.
Snoopy! The Musical is the 31st prime-time animated TV special based on characters from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It is an animated adaptation of the musical of the same name, and originally aired on the CBS network on January 29, 1988.
A Boy Named Charlie Brown is an unaired television documentary film about Charles M. Schulz and his creation Peanuts, produced by Lee Mendelson with some animated scenes by Bill Melendez and music by Vince Guaraldi.
Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the Peanuts films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in the comic strip and is considered more famous than Charlie Brown in some countries. The original drawings of Snoopy were inspired by Spike, one of Schulz's childhood dogs.
Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown is the 45th Peanuts animated television special, released in 2011. It was the final network TV special based on the comic strip, before the franchise moved to Apple TV+ in 2020. The special is the first one produced without Bill Melendez on the production team, following his death in 2008. It is also the first special without the direct involvement of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, Lee Mendelson Productions or Bill Melendez Productions. In addition, it is the first Peanuts special produced in part under Warner Bros. Television, which holds the home media distribution rights to the Peanuts specials.
Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin or simply Welcome Home, Franklin is a 2024 animated television special in the Peanuts franchise, the first to center on the African-American character of Franklin Armstrong. The character, introduced in the comic strip on July 31, 1968, was the first Black character in the strip. The special was co-written by Robb Armstrong, Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano from a story by Armstrong and Scott Montgomery, and was directed by Emmy-winner Raymond S. Persi, with Caleb Bellavance starring in the title role. The film was released during Black History Month of 2024.
