Profile of Joe Cool on Famous Like Me

This article is about a comic strip character. You may also be looking for an American rapper named Snoop Dogg.

Snoopy is the name of Charlie Brown's pet beagle in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly ordinary dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character - and arguably one of the most recognizable comic characters in the world.

Character

Snoopy first made his appearance on the strip on October 4, 1950, two days after the strip premiered. Schulz was originally going to call him "Sniffy" until he discovered that name was used in a different comic strip. Snoopy was a silent character for the first two years of his existence, but on October 19, 1952 he verbalized his thoughts to readers for the first time via a thought balloon; Schulz would utilize this device for nearly all of the character's appearances in the strip thereafter. In addition to Snoopy's ability to "speak" his thoughts to the reader, many of the human characters in Peanuts have the uncanny knack of reading his thoughts and responding to them.

Many of Peanuts' memorable moments come in Snoopy's daydream as a writer: his eternal opener on the typewriter "It was a dark and stormy night..." is taken from Edward George Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel Paul Clifford. The contrast between Snoopy's existence in a dream world and Charlie Brown's in the real world is central to the humour and philosophy of Peanuts (see e.g. Peanuts book title Life's a dream, Charlie Brown).

Schulz summed up Snoopy's character in a 1997 interview: "He has to retreat into his fanciful world in order to survive. Otherwise, he leads kind of a dull, miserable life. I don't envy dogs the lives they have to live."¹

Developments

One of the first odd developments of Snoopy was his tendency to sleep on top of his doghouse, rather than inside it. Then, Snoopy started walking on two legs like a human. This soon became so commonplace as to be almost unnoticeable, as Snoopy developed a variety of alter egos, most notably the World War I flying ace. For this character he would don goggles and a scarf and fly his Sopwith Camel (actually his doghouse), battling the Red Baron (who appeared vicariously through the bulletholes he left riddled in the doghouse).

Snoopy also became "Joe Cool," as he put on sunglasses and leaned against the wall (in standard "cool" fashion) doing nothing. He has also been a famous writer (who was never published), an attorney (who once defended Peter Rabbit), a hockey player, an Olympic figure skater (who used to skate with Sonja Henie before he became "big time"), a world famous checkout clerk who operated from the top of his dog house in an apron, the "Lone Beagle" (the first dog to fly solo across the Atlantic) and even the first astronaut to land on the moon. Outside of his fantasy life he is the shortstop for Charlie Brown's Little League team (and the best player), and even owned a Van Gogh (later replaced by an Andrew Wyeth after his first doghouse caught fire and burned down). He also acts as the Beagle Scout leader with his bird friends. Other than his owner Charlie Brown, Snoopy's best friend and confidante is the undersized yellow bird Woodstock, who only "speaks" in apostrophe marks. His arch-enemy (other than the Red Baron) is the unseen "Stupid Cat Next Door."

For a while in 1977, Snoopy was engaged to an unseen female dog he met while on guard duty at Peppermint Patty's house. However, she ran off with Snoopy's brother Spike, and later a coyote upon their arrival at Spike's desert. This story was later adapted as the animated special Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown.

Snoopy hates coconut candy, gets weed claustrophobia, and is deathly afraid of icicles dangling over his doghouse, which is dramatically larger inside than it is outside--or at least the basement is, being large enough to have a pool table and the paintings mentioned above.

Puppyhood and siblings

Over the course of the strip's run, it was revealed that Snoopy had been born and raised at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm and that his original owner was a little girl named Lila, who had to return him to Daisy Hill after her family moved to an apartment where dogs were forbidden. (Shortly after his return to the farm, Snoopy was selected by Charlie Brown's parents as a companion for him. In the 1970s it was revealed that a different little girl, Poochie, had played with Snoopy as a puppy; presumably, she was the daughter of Daisy Hill's proprietor.)

Snoopy has seven siblings, five of whom appear at some point in the strip: Andy, Belle, Marbles, Olaf, and Spike. Most often seen is Spike, who lives in the desert (near the real-life locale of Needles, California) and is friends with cacti. Spike is very thin, wears a fedora and has long whiskers. Andy looks like a disheveled version of Snoopy; Olaf is rotund in both body and face. Marbles has spots on his fur and wears shoes. Belle, who looks like Snoopy with long eyelashes, is most notable in that there was a Belle stuffed animal available for many years. Although Snoopy often mentions that he was one of eight puppies, the two other siblings never appeared in the comic strip. According to animated special Snoopy's Reunion, they are named Molly and Rover.

Snoopy!!! The Musical

Snoopy!!! The Musical was a musical comedy based on the Peanuts comic strip, originally performed at Lamb's Theatre off-Broadway in 1982. In its 1983 run in London's West End, it won an Olivier Award. In 1988, it was adapted into an animated TV special. The New Players Theatre in London staged a revival in 2004 to honor its 21st anniversary, but some reviewers noted that its "feelgood" sentiments had not aged well.

Snoopy elsewhere in popular culture

• The Royal Guardsmen's debut album in 1966 featured the song "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron", which made it to number 2 on request charts. A version by the ska group The Hotshots was a hit in the United Kingdom in 1973. The Royal Guardsmen recorded a few other songs featuring Snoopy and the Red Baron, including a Christmas version.
• Apollo 10's lunar module was named "Snoopy," while its command module was named "Charlie Brown."
• A series of postage stamps featuring Snoopy as a World War I flying ace was released on May 17, 2001 in Santa Rosa, California.
• Snoopy has appeared on amusement park logos owned by Cedar Fair, which operates Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America and Cedar Point
• For many years, Snoopy, along with other characters from the Peanuts gang, have appeared in the advertising campaigns for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), stating their corporate slogan, "Get Met, it pays!" In recent years, Snoopy has been their mascot. The current MetLife blimp is called the "Snoopy II."
• Snoopy is the U.S. Air Force Technical Control mascot. He can be seen on the Tech Control emblem holding an old analog patch cord above his head as he walks on water.
• In New Town Plaza, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, there is a mini theme park dedicated to Snoopy.
• Snoopy is the name of one of the U.S. Air Force's B-58 Hustler bombers.
• Snoopy is the name of the primary research vehicle of Check-Six.com Click here

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