Saturday is the 100th anniversary of Charles Schulz’s birth, and cartoonists have decided to celebrate it. Egged on by Mutts creator Patrick O”Donnell and Jumpstart’s Robb Armstrong, over 80 cartoonists have decided to include some Peanuts reference, whether obvious or vague, in their Saturday strip. Pick up your local paper and see what you can see…. and then head over to the Schulz Museum’s website to catch all the ones that didn’t run locally! (But do buy and support your local newspaper.)

For those who thinks this sounds familiar: yes, cartoonists pulled a similar stunt back on May 27, 2000. In the wake of Schulz’s retirement, his friends planned to surprise him with this tribute, but unfortunately he had passed away before the event occurred. Over 150 strips participated then. The smaller number of strips participating this time is likely due to there simply being fewer strips. Between some newspapers closing down and others reducing their comics content, these are not peak times for the American funnies page.

And as long as I’m posting: folks in the Minneapolis area should be able to hear me on WCCO radio this Friday, in the 8 AM hour, when I’ll be talking for just a few minutes about Schulz and Peanuts.

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