| This article is about Patty, a character introduced in 1950. You may be looking for Peppermint Patty. |
| “ | „ | |
| ~ Charles M. Schulz on Patty and the female bullies Lucy and Violet[1] |
Patty is a supporting female character from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Her closest friend is Violet, acting sort of like Violet's "partner in crime", which is basically the bread and butter of her character.
Although a major character in the year of the strip's debut and for a few years thereafter, Patty's personality was never fully developed and she lacked characteristics that strongly differentiated her from other characters. By the mid-1960s, Patty had been relegated to the background and, although she made occasional appearances throughout most of the remainder of the strip's run, she had virtually disappeared from Peanuts by the 1970s.
History
The prototype version of Charlie Brown, Patty, and Snoopy all appear in the pre-Peanuts strip Li'l Folks. She was named after Schulz's cousin, Patricia Swanson.
In the early days of the Peanuts comic strip, Patty was one of its major characters. Although she was not named until October 26, 1950, Patty appeared in the very first strip on October 2, 1950, along with Charlie Brown and Shermy. However, since she and Shermy lacked the defining characteristics of such characters as Lucy, Linus, and Schroeder, they became less prominent as years went by.
As the only female in the strip's earliest days, Patty was often portrayed as a sort of "mother-hen" character who looks out for the younger characters; however, she would also set the tone for the strong female characters that would later appear in the Peanuts universe. In her second appearance, Patty is seen walking down the sidewalk reciting, "Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice." She then punches Charlie Brown in the face and, without missing a beat, continues, "That's what little girls are made of!" Patty was apparently the oldest child in the early days of Peanuts, as shown by one strip which revealed that she attends school but Charlie Brown does not. Eventually, she, along with Violet, became best known for their social snobbery and combined cruelty to Charlie Brown. It has once even been noted that she often kicks down his sandcastles whenever he makes one (though this has only been shown once or twice in the strip). Patty is also known for asking "Pig-Pen" why he is constantly so dirty.
Patty's name was first mentioned on October 26, 1950, 24 days after her first appearance. Her surname is never revealed in the comic strips.
Patty's birthday is December 4. She plays outfield on Charlie Brown's baseball team; though on an early occasion she was seen as a catcher before Schroeder was introduced. Interestingly, it was Patty who first introduced Charlie Brown to Schroeder, claiming he lived next-door to her.
Appearance
Patty punching Charlie Brown in the second Peanuts comic strip from October 3, 1950.
Patty is fair-haired. Over the years, she has variously been shown with blonde, red and light brown hair. Although she is a brown-haired brunette in most of the TV specials and movies, she is a blonde in The Peanuts Movie (possibly as this was her first sizable role in decades she would not share the same hair color with the other more prominent Patty) and a black-haired brunette in It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown. Her clothing consists of a checkered dress paired with a matching bow in her hair and (usually black) Mary Jane shoes. Patty's dress and bow are colored orange in the television specials and in the movies A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Come Home, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!). In The Peanuts Movie onward, her dress and bow are colored light green.
In TV specials, movies, and musicals
Patty had a major part in the original version of the stage musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. However, in both the 1985 animated television special You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and the 1999 Broadway revival of the play, her part was replaced by Charlie Brown's sister, Sally Brown, since she ceased to appear regularly in the strip decades earlier.
Like most Peanuts characters, Patty has appeared in numerous Peanuts television specials throughout the years, as well as all five movies, although she becomes an increasingly minor character after the 1960s.
Patty's TV and film appearances
- A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
- Charlie Brown's All-Stars (1966)
- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
- You're in Love, Charlie Brown (1967)
- He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968)
- It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969)
- A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)
- Snoopy, Come Home (1972) [silent]
- You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972) [silent]
- Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975) [silent]
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975) [silent]
- Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown (1976) [silent]
- It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976) [silent]
- Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977) [silent]
- Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) (1980) [silent]
- It's Magic, Charlie Brown (1981) [silent]
- Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? (1983) [silent]
- The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1983-1985)
- Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985) [silent]
- Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! (1986) [silent]
- It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)
- It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown (1997) [silent]
- I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003) [silent]
- He's a Bully, Charlie Brown (2006) [silent]
- Peanuts Motion Comics (2008)
- Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011)
- The Peanuts Movie (2015)
- The Snoopy Show (2021)
- Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne (2021)
- Snoopy Presents: It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown (2022)
- Snoopy Presents: To Mom (and Dad), With Love (2022)
- Snoopy Presents: Lucy's School (2022)
- Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie (2023)
- Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin (2024)
- Camp Snoopy (2024)
Patty's gradual disappearance
Patty was a prominent character in Peanuts until around 1960, after which she began to appear less and less often. Although Patty (or at least unnamed characters who bear a strong physical resemblance to her) would make cameo appearances throughout the run of Peanuts, she had pretty much disappeared as a featured character by 1976. Schulz claimed he drew Patty in a March 1994 strip in which she asks Snoopy to chase rabbits with her, but some fans have stated that the girl in the strip does not resemble Patty. Some have postulated that Patty's doom was sealed by the appearance of the similarly-named Peppermint Patty in 1966, but others say her character was already in decline by then.
- Patty's appearances from 1976 until 1999
- April 11, 1976
- November 17, 1976
- July 24, 1978
- January 23, 1980
- August 21, 1983
- April 15, 1984
- May 27, 1984
- November 20, 1985
- May 3, 1986
- January 4, 1987
- January 23, 1989
- September 28, 1990
- January 21, 1991
- August 25, 1991
- September 3, 1991
- November 25, 1992 (This strip was rerun on November 27, 1997)
- December 12, 1993
- March 2, 1994
- April 17, 1995 (Patty's last appearance in an original strip)
Trivia
- She is the first female Peanuts character.
- She appeared in the first 5 strips of the entire comic strip.
- In The Peanuts Movie, Patty's surname is given as "Swanson", which matches Charles M. Schulz's real-life cousin.
- Patty is one of the many Peanuts characters to appear in the video game Snoopy's Street Fair, in which she owns a balloon cart.
- Patty (along with Eudora) is one of the few main characters to own a dog besides Charlie Brown with Snoopy. In the strip from January 23, 1989, she enrolls a shaggy-looking dog about Snoopy's size into an Ugly Dog Contest.
- She is one of the few characters who has an after-mentioned birthday, the others being Charlie Brown, Lucy van Pelt, Sally Brown, Linus van Pelt, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Violet Gray, Rerun van Pelt, and Snoopy.
- She is one of the many characters to wear at least one hairbow. The others being Janice Emmons, Janice's sisters, Sally, Heather Wold, Sophie, Lila, Truffles, Belle, Peggy Jean, Emily, Dolly, Fifi, Genevieve, Little Pigtailed Girl and Nell.
- She is one of the only main characters to not have a special focusing on her; the others are Violet, Pig-Pen, Shermy, Woodstock, Eudora, Frieda and Lydia.
- She is the oldest in the Peanuts gang.
- She is also the tallest in the gang*.
- *Sometimes, Violet is erroneously depicted taller than Patty.
- She is fully absent in Peanuts (2014), although she is referenced through a girl who bears a strong resemblance to her in Good for Nothing. This is the closest we ever got to seeing Patty in the entire series.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Charles M. Schulz., & M. Thomas Inge. (2000). "Charles M. Schulz Conversations", p45, University Press of Mississippi
External links
