Can someone explain this very strange 3/15/75 Peanuts comic strip

Estil · December 4, 2011 11:42AM

I found this Peanuts strip in my Complete Peanuts collection and I absolutely do not get it. It shows Charlie Brown doing his classic "losing his clothes after getting hit by a line drive" gag but then responds (to the audience?) with "Yours!". Does anyone have any idea what that means? I've read all of the 50s/60s/70s strips at least 2-3 times or so and that is by far the strangest Peanuts strip I ever seen. Can anyone explain it?

PS: If anyone here can read shorthand please PM me. There's several Peanuts strips with shorthand and I'm very curious as to what it says.

Darin · December 4, 2011 11:50AM

He's just telling his teammates, 'yours', because he sure as heck didn't catch it.

mlbfan2 · December 4, 2011 11:50AM

When there's a fly ball, a fielder will often say "I got it", and then another fielder will say "yours!" so that there's no confusion as to who should make the catch. I guess it's kind of funny because Charlie Brown said "yours!" on a line drive right to him (and past him).

Estil · December 5, 2011 12:12PM

Thank you all for solving the mystery.

I was almost wondering if Schulz had gone a little off the wall that day or something (for those who don't know, Schulz did all 17,987 Peanuts strips totally by himself; this is nearly unheard of nowadays).

Now does anyone here know how to read shorthand? Woodstock (Snoopy's BFF who is a bird) was his secretary/typist and in the 70s Woodstock did shorthand all the time and at the time I'm sure no secretary would be caught dead without being fluent in shorthand. Though of course I imagine shorthand is a nearly extinct art. I'm sure curious as to what the shorthand says (my wife who used to do shorthand confirmed that it is real and wasn't just random scribbles made to look like shorthand).

TheTalkingWalnut · December 6, 2011 10:51AM

If you want some good food for thought, revisit the Charlie-Brown-gets-stigmatae-on-his-head-in-the-pattern-of-baseball-stitches series from way back when.

Estil · December 6, 2011 11:08AM

I remember that series. That's the one where CB famously is scarred to look at the sunrise because he's afraid the sun will once again be a baseball but when he does see the sunrise, he gets a really neat surprise.

HINT: You'll just go "mad" when you find out what the sunrise is

I am actually thinking about reading my Complete Peanuts books again. I can't believe we're already up to 1981-82 with 1983-84 due out in March (in time for my b-day). I only wish there was a good Peanuts message forum/board around the 'net somewhere...

Darin · December 6, 2011 11:38AM

Estil, nothing personal but I never thought peanuts was very funny. To each his own, kind of like your favorite baseball player, if everyone had the same favorite it would probably be pretty boring on the sportscard forum.
I always liked Calvin and hobbs, Gary Larson, and the one where the penguin had a huge crush on Diane Sawyer. Can't remember the name of that one.

Congrats on your peanuts collection, sounds like its something you really enjoy.

Brick · December 6, 2011 12:13PM

Yes to each his own. But to not recognize Peanuts as the greatest comic ever, all I can say is "Good grief."

TheTalkingWalnut · December 6, 2011 12:30PM

Peanuts is a lot like baseball: boring, repetitive, etc, sure. But just like baseball there is something timeless, an existential waiting and wondering. I guess I'm showing my age, as when we were kids we'd all convene at the ballfield and argue sports, politics, girls and religion while shagging flies.

pmcollectour · December 6, 2011 6:49PM

The Charlie Brown Christmas special is a classic. Just a couple of funny scenes, a few serious scenes, but overall, just a show
about kids growing up. That's what the meaning of Peanuts is all about Charlie Brown.

Estil · December 6, 2011 9:15PM

<< Estil, nothing personal but I never thought peanuts was very funny. To each his own, kind of like your favorite baseball player, if everyone had the same favorite it would probably be pretty boring on the sportscard forum.
I always liked Calvin and hobbs, Gary Larson, and the one where the penguin had a huge crush on Diane Sawyer. Can't remember the name of that one.

Congrats on your peanuts collection, sounds like its something you really enjoy. >>

If it makes you feel any better, Schulz himself didn't either. There was a Greatest Comics of All-Time list done several years ago, and Peanuts came in second to Krazy Kat, to which Schulz replied that it was only appropriate that Krazy Kat came in at #1 since he says that Krazy Kat was a big part of what inspired him to do Peanuts in the first place.

As for the Calvin and Hobbes creator, I definetly respect the reason why he retired early. If Peanuts is the Babe Ruth of comic strips, then Calvin and Hobbes is the Sandy Koufax (both were brilliant but were forced to quit while still in their prime) of comic strips.

Estil · December 6, 2011 9:19PM

<< The Charlie Brown Christmas special is a classic. Just a couple of funny scenes, a few serious scenes, but overall, just a show
about kids growing up. That's what the meaning of Peanuts is all about Charlie Brown. >>

Can you believe ABC had the nerve to run that special (you know the one that set the standard for the Christmas specials to come, though Rudolph did come out a year earlier) heavily edited??? I feel like a lot of other outraged people felt that was sacrilege in a way. How do you figure? It's bad enough they butchered a all time classic, but the whole point of the special was how CB was fed up with the over-commercialization of Christmas, and the very reason it was edited was to fit more commercialism!! Good grief!

Good thing we have that magical little thing called a DVD...

Estil · December 7, 2011 12:10AM

<< Estil, nothing personal but I never thought peanuts was very funny. To each his own, kind of like your favorite baseball player, if everyone had the same favorite it would probably be pretty boring on the sportscard forum.
I always liked Calvin and hobbs, Gary Larson, and the one where the penguin had a huge crush on Diane Sawyer. Can't remember the name of that one.

Congrats on your peanuts collection, sounds like its something you really enjoy. >>

Actually several years ago they (I don't remember who) ranked the greatest comics of all time, which Peanuts ranked second to Krazy Kat, which Schulz himself agreed with the selection pointing out that Krazy Kat was a major inspiration for Peanuts (IOW if it weren't for Krazy Kat there may never have been Peanuts). As for Calvin and Hobbes I not only enjoyed that strip but I very much respect the reason the creator retired it. If Peanuts is the Babe Ruth of comic strips, then Calvin and Hobbes is the Sandy Koufax of comic strips (both were brilliant but were forced to quit while very much in their prime).

bking · December 7, 2011 12:13AM

<< Estil, nothing personal but I never thought peanuts was very funny. To each his own, kind of like your favorite baseball player, if everyone had the same favorite it would probably be pretty boring on the sportscard forum.
I always liked Calvin and hobbs, Gary Larson, and the one where the penguin had a huge crush on Diane Sawyer. Can't remember the name of that one.

Congrats on your peanuts collection, sounds like its something you really enjoy. >>

Bloom County. Opus rocks.

Estil · December 7, 2011 12:18AM

The comic about the "penguin with a crush on Diane Sawyer" is Mallard Filmore, the conservative political strip that is an alternative to the liberal political strip Doonsbury. Unfortunately my paper doesn't carry Mallard Filmore though frankly I don't think either strip really belongs in the main comic section; they should only be in the editorial section just like the single panel political cartoons.

bking · December 7, 2011 12:25AM

<< The comic about the "penguin with a crush on Diane Sawyer" is Mallard Filmore, the conservative political strip that is an alternative to the liberal political strip Doonsbury. Unfortunately my paper doesn't carry Mallard Filmore though frankly I don't think either strip really belongs in the main comic section; they should only be in the editorial section just like the single panel political cartoons. >>

Well, who the heck am I thinking of that Opus was crushing on??

mlbfan2 · December 7, 2011 1:56AM

<< 

<< The comic about the "penguin with a crush on Diane Sawyer" is Mallard Filmore, the conservative political strip that is an alternative to the liberal political strip Doonsbury. Unfortunately my paper doesn't carry Mallard Filmore though frankly I don't think either strip really belongs in the main comic section; they should only be in the editorial section just like the single panel political cartoons. >>

Well, who the heck am I thinking of that Opus was crushing on?? >>

Google tells me that *Opus* had a crush on Diane Sawyer, not Mallard Fillmore.

Darin · December 7, 2011 2:24AM

bking is right, it was opus that had the crush on Diane Sawyer. Bloom County. Very funny comic strip.

Here's to Opus and Bill the cat.

bking · December 7, 2011 2:28AM

<< bking is right, it was opus that had the crush on Diane Sawyer. Bloom County. Very funny comic strip.

Here's to Opus and Bill the cat.

>>

"Aaaaaaackkkkkk!!!'

benderbroeth · December 8, 2011 9:57AM

best comic ever..pearls before swine!!!

stown · December 9, 2011 3:06AM

<< 

<< bking is right, it was opus that had the crush on Diane Sawyer. Bloom County. Very funny comic strip.

Here's to Opus and Bill the cat.

>>

"Aaaaaaackkkkkk!!!' >>

And originator of the "PFHHHT!"

Can someone explain this very strange 3/15/75 Peanuts comic strip

Comments