Cartoonists’ Salute to Schulz! Just 5 short months after Charles Schulz’s passing, the top cartoonists in the field dedicated a day of their own strips to remembering Sparky. The gang looks at Peanuts tribute strips by Jim Davis, Aaron McGruder, Cathy Guisewite and more. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

We talk with Eisner-nominated cognitive scientist @neilcohn.bsky.social who looks at how our brains perceive comics. His latest book challenges the conventional understandings of how pictures communicate, how people learn to draw, and the nature of language itself. #comics #cartooning #comicstrips

In 1980 Legendary Captain Marvel artist C.C. Beck created his personal list of “The 7 Deadly Sins of Comics Creators.” In this episode the gang discuss Beck’s manifesto and see if and how it applies to Schulz's work. #comics #comicstrips pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

In our latest episode the gang celebrates the USA’s birthday by looking at one of the latest iterations of Snoopy’s alter egos…The Revolutionary War patriot. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts #comics #cartooning #comicstrips

Sidekicks and Second Bananas Episode 4 - Shermy: Just A Guy Standing There. The straight man of all straight men gets an episode all to himself. Will the gang finally crack the code on this beloved figure of Peanuts past? #comics #cartooning pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

Sidekicks and Second Bananas Episode 3 - Roy: A Good Temporary Friend. Roy befriends both Charlie Brown and Linus at camp. But maybe his main raison d'être is to introduce the world to the swinging-est character ever - Peppermint Patty. #comics #cartooning pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

Our look at Sidekicks and Second Bananas continues. Sally’s pal Eudora finally gets a turn in the spotlight, as the gang revisits her debut sequence from 1978 and finds a fun and unique character who still feels modern. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts #comics #cartooning #comicstrips

@jimmygownley.bsky.social and Michael and I had the enormous pleasure of seeing the Colbert Report live. I don't remember who the guest was but I remember The Word: Freem - Freedom without the Do.

We start our look at the bit players in Peanuts in this new season of “Sidekicks and Second Bananas.” In this episode Bill, Olivier, Harriet, Conrad, and Woodstock get to shake their tail feathers in the spotlight. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts h/t to Andy Warhol. #comics #comicstrips #cartoooning

I'm here to rescue you. #starwarsday #maythefourth #maythe4th

In our latest episode we talk about a series of Peanuts strips from January 1976 where the school building collapses. Sally refers to it as the school committing suicide. A listener wrote to us to share something important.

I’m Just Pretending It Never Happened! The Weirdest Peanuts Strips Ever. The gang takes a cockeyed look at the Peanuts strips that make you go “hmmm.” From Charlie Brown sharpening himself to the beauty of a girl named Truffles, it doesn’t get weirder than this. #comics #cartooning #comicstrips

Here's what we're talking about in our latest episode: Re-Run arrives and struggles to assimilate into the family for the next 20 years. Lucy is still a grouch. Sally still loves Linus. Speaking of consistency, which Peanuts characters changed the least? The gang investigates. #comics #comicstrips

Listener Seth Kane enjoyed his latest visit to the @schulzmuseum.bsky.social for the Canine Companions event with Jean Schulz, and sent us a photo of this surprising persona-- Snoopy as Mister T.

@debperry.bsky.social shared this "In the The Vault of Peanuts Obscurities (said with an echoing voice), we discover that Linus first patted birds on the head in Dell Four Color #1015, dated August-October 1959. There isn’t a credit as to who wrote or drew this story."

The Family Van Pelt #5: A Really Squiggly Line Around the Word Sigh. Linus is doing the St. Francis shtick, but it doesn’t stop him from playing a mean shortstop. We discuss Schulz’s ability to layer contradictory elements to create some of the richest characters in comics. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

It's An Anniversary Show, Charlie Brown! The gang celebrates 4 years of podcasting about Beagles & Blockheads by looking at a totally random group of Peanuts strips, and a few non-Peanuts strips too! Here's to many more years of joy discussing Schulz's masterpiece. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

The Family Van Pelt # 4 - Old People Who Happen To Like You. Lucy torments Linus with a call to their blanket-hating grandma. New segment begins - Hangin' Out At the Think' Wall. This week the guys discuss Snoopy before resuming the season-long look at the Van Pelt Family. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

The Family Van Pelt #3 - The Goofy Dynamics Between Siblings or Why Linus’s Head is Dented. Linus’s original struggle for security is with Lucy… and was it her blanket originally?! Plus Linus learns the difference between tv and reality in language he can understand. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

Latest Episode: The Family Van Pelt Episode 2 - Big Kids Drive Me Crazy. Linus is bringing out Lucy’s inner Lucy, yet somehow his head remains undented. In this episode, the Van Pelt kids’ personalities are slowly coming into focus… No wonder Linus needs that blanket! pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

The Family Van Pelt #1 - Schulz Tackles a Baby! It’s a new season on Unpacking Peanuts, as we take a look at everyone’s favorite venerable grade schoolers: Linus, Lucy, and Rerun Van Pelt. In these early strips featuring them the seeds of greatness have already been sown. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

Latest Episode: Patrick McDonnell, the Legendary cartoonist of MUTTS, the comic strip Charles Schulz once said was “the last great strip of the 20th Century,” stops by to talk about Charles Schulz, the craft of cartooning, comics history and more in this fun conversation. pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

In Understanding Snoopy #4 we wondered what would happen if an early-style version like banana nose Snoopy interacted with a modern Snoopy. Superlistener @debperry.bsky.social sent us an example of a similar situation with one of Snoopy's comic strip colleagues. Thanks Deb.

Latest Episode: Understanding Snoopy #5 - When Woodstock Is Happy, I'm Happy. Everyone’s favorite abstract bird doodle takes center stage for this episode long look at Snoopy’s relationship with his “friend of friends” Woodstock. Listen at pod.link/unpackingpeanuts

Is listening to Unpacking Peanuts "A Charlie Brown Christmas" episode a tradition in your family? Here's the link to our show from 2023. shorturl.at/NxGDw

Happy Beethoven's Birthday! Here's a link to our episode from 2023: shorturl.at/Hvv2I

Listener Sarah Wilson reminds us that along with the 75th anniversary of Peanuts, it's also the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby by another son of St. Paul. She sends us these photos of Scott Fitzgerald's house (and tries to convince us to start a Great Gatsby Reread). Thanks Sarah.

In our latest episode we talk about this great image posted on the Peanuts Wiki. What's your favorite Snoopy? peanuts.fandom.com/wiki/Snoopy?...

Happy Birthday Sparky!

Latest Episode: Comics legend Mark Evanier stops by to discuss his work on the amazing new book The Essential Peanuts. We discuss Mark’s life in comics including his relationships with icons like Jack Kirby, Jim Davis, and of course, Charles Schulz. pod.link/upackingpeanuts