Peanuts First Animated Short Was For Ford Motor Company

We were recently lucky enough to talk to Craig Schultz, who is currently in charge of everything having to do with Peanuts. The business was inherited after his father Charles M. Schultz, who was the creator of the comic strip passed away from cancer. In that time, Craig has done many amazing things for the beloved series as a pertains to new films and specials.

It was during this conversation that we remembered how Peanuts had some footprints in Michigan, as the first time it was ever animated for television was for Detroit-based Ford Motor Company and a commercial that debuted in 1959. As Craig pointed out, as well as one person, commenting on the video, this may have been the first-ever video adaption for a comic book strip.

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And this....was when history was made. This commercial was likely the first time a comic strip was adapted into animation. Then came the specials, the movies, the shows, the mini-series, and much, MUCH more

The commercials was loosely adapted from the May 30, 1959 "Peanuts" strip, where Charlie Brown passed out chocolate cigars in honor of the birth of his baby sister Sally.

Coincidentally this was also the year where Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th & 50th State of America. The first fully-animated television special came 6 years later in 1965, and Sally Brown has been part of the main Peanuts cast ever since.

As pointed out, this may not be much of a coincidence, but being this was years before the first animated special, these characters are very similar to their future counterparts:

Hadn't ever seen this before, just an observation: This was 5 or 6 years before "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". The characters attitudes, voices and style are so much alike... Charles Schultz had a very clear vision of his Peanuts kids in the newspapers and in animation, that is probably why they are beloved to this day

Comic Characters From Michigan

Some are from Marvel, Some are from DC, and some are from their own line, but Michigan has had a healthy host of Comic Characters throughout the years.