Linus van Pelt
From Peanuts Wiki
Linus first appeared on September 19, 1952, as a baby too young to sit up by himself. However, he was referenced at least two months earlier. Soon, however, he aged to just slightly younger than the rest of the cast.
Despite being younger the rest of the characters, Linus seems to be the smartest of them. He acts as a philosopher and theologian, often quoting the Bible.
In contrast to his advanced intellect, Linus carries a security blanket. Lucy often tries to break Linus of his blanket habit and Snoopy tries to get the blanket for himself. Linus is able to use the blanket as a whip. In later strips, Linus was seen less and less with his blanket. Charles Schulz said in 1989 that Linus had outgrown his blanket and it only appeared in strips that were dependent on it.
Linus has a rocky relationship with his older sister, Lucy. She treats him as her personal servant and hits him at times for no reason. Linus usually gets back at Lucy in subtle ways, such as pointing out that she's forgotten how to smile.
When Sally Brown was introduced to the strip, Linus initially had a crush on her, but quickly outgrew it. Sally Brown developed a crush, often calling him her "Sweet Babboo." Linus, for his part, resists her advances. However, he developed a crush on his teacher, Miss Othmar. In the 90s. he developed a crush on a girl that sat behind him in school.
Linus became a valued member of Charlie Brown's baseball team (possibly the best player on the team). He is usually seen playing second base.
[edit] Trivia
- On February 5, 1962, he got glasses, but by July his ophthalmologist said he didn't have to wear them full time, and they were soon phased out completely.
- An Italian magazine, publishing Peanuts and other comics during the 60s, was named Linus.
- The term security blanket originated from Peanuts.
