Franklin

From Peanuts Wiki

Franklin is a character in Peanuts. Introduced in 1968, Franklin was the first African-American character to appear in the strip. He first met Charlie Brown at the beach. During this time, he mentioned that his father was a soldier fighting in Vietnam. During their time on the beach, Franklin helped Charlie Brown build a sand castle. Afterwards, Charlie invited Franklin to visit their neighborhood.

Franklin did eventually visit the neighborhood, but found it a strange environment. During his visit, he mistook Lucy's psychiatric booth for a lemonade stand, was puzzled by Snoopy's WWI Flying Ace attire, and was told about The Great Pumpkin by Linus.

Franklin sits in front of Peppermint Patty at school and plays center field on her team. He acts as a foil for Linus, being as well versed in the Old Testament as him. He also has conversations about his grandfather with Charlie Brown.

Though never mentioned in the comic strip, You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown gives Franklin's last name as Armstrong.

Franklin's introduction in the era of race relations and segregation proved to be controversial. In an interview, Schulz remembered a particular letter he received about Franklin. The letter, from a Southern editor, was concerned about showing him at the same school as Peppermint Patty.