"ANYONE CARE FOR A FUZZY BABY?": WONDERFUL LARGE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS OF SNOOPY, LUCY, LINUS, AND CHARLIE BROWN HOLDING SNOOPY, ALL FROM THE LATE 1950S AND THE LAST CAPTIONED AND SIGNED BY CHARLES SCHULZ
SCHULZ, Charles M. Original large sketches of Charlie Brown holding Snoopy, signed, and Snoopy, Lucy, and Linus. No place, circa late 1950s. Four illustrations on buff paper, each measuring 8-1/2 by 10 inches (orientation varies); matted and framed together, entire peice meaures 26 by 22 inches.
Four exceptional large 1950s original drawings by Charles Schulz of Peanuts favorites Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and Charlie Brown (holding a bonnet-wearing Snoopy), the last captioned and signed by Schulz.
"Peanuts first appeared in October 1950 in eight daily newspapers. The feature was immediately popular and was soon picked up by hundreds of other newspapers throughout the country. By the end of the decade Schulz had become arguably the best-known cartoonist in the United States… By the time of Schulz's death [in 2000] he had drawn a total of 18,250 Peanuts strips, and the cartoon was syndicated in 2600 newspapers worldwide, appearing in 21 languages in 75 countries" (ANB). These drawings feature: (1) Charlie Brown cradling a baby bonnet-wearing Snoopy and asking "Anyone care for a fuzzy baby?" with Snoopy answering, deadpan, "Goo." This drawing is signed "Schulz."; (2) Snoopy—an early version—looking very unlike his current self, with very long ears, a rounder nose, and a more basset-like visage; (3) Lucy, drawn both smiling in profile and facing forward with a flattened mouth and lowered brow; and (4) Linus, in a very familiar pose, sitting and holding his blanket up to his face. Charlie Brown is the most famous member of the Peanuts gang, yet drawn by Schulz with much less frequency than Snoopy making him very desirable. However, the earliest drawings of Snoopy, in which he is pictured with long, floppy ears, are also quite rare. Illustrations of Lucy, particularly large ones, are rather uncommon.
Small hole to marginal edge of Lucy drawing, tape residue to edges of Charlie Brown and Linus drawings, slight toning to edges. Near-fine condition, Beautifully framed.