12 Best Snoopy Comics In Peanuts History

Snoopy might be a dog, but he’s also the undeniable GOAT of the Peanuts franchise. Though his owner, Charlie Brown, is ostensibly the star of the series, Snoopy is the MVP: Most Valuable Peanut. He’s also the mascot, the most recognizable and beloved character Peanuts ever produced.

Snoopy was a mainstay of newspapers from Peanuts debut in 1950 up through the dawn of the new millennium, when the strip ended its 50-year run. He’s an iconic pop culture figure, one who ranks among the top creations of the 20th-century. He was the center of countless memorable moments in Peanuts comics.

This list takes a look at some of his greatest moments over the years. It highlights the kinds of humor that defined Snoopy, and charts his progression from “just” another dog to a full-fledged character, with his own opinions, a distinct attitude, and a deeply fleshed-out personality. And it also reminds readers just how all-around loveable Snoopy was.

12

Snoopy Shows Charlie Brown Who Is The Boss

Peanuts Readers Knew The Answer From Early On

This Peanuts comic from the strip’s earliest days hits hard for pet owners, even 70+ years after it was published. It’s also an early trendsetter for how Snoopy and Charlie Brown’s dynamic would evolve over the next half-century of Peanuts.

In the initial frame, Snoopy is sitting on an armchair, while Charlie Brown sits on the footstool in front of it, reading a book. Already there’s an amusing power imbalance at play, and then Snoopy rests his chin on Charlie Brown’s head. Despite the utterly content smile on Snoopy’s face, Chuck isn’t pleased with this development.

Instead, he’s annoyed. He gets up and storms off, causing Snoopy to do a full 360-front flip, whacking his head in the process. Snoopy rolls with it, though, and the final panel shows him smiling as he uses the footrest to prop up his chin. It’s a classic Peanuts gag, one that speaks to anyone with a lap dog, or cat, that likes to use them as a piece of furniture.

11

Snoopy Sets HImself Up For A Traumatic Fall

Snoopy Vs. Leaves Has An Unexpected Winner

This is another formative Peanuts cartoon from the 1950s. In subsequent years, Snoopy evolved a more human-like person, complete with extensive internal monologue, a rich fantasy life, and aspirations to be the next Great American Novelist. Initially, though, he was much more of a conventional canine.

This strip is a great example. It starts with Snoopy’s attention being caught by a leaf blowing in the wind. This wistful taste of autumn sends the beagle into full-on attack mode, chasing after the leaf, barking like a mad…well, you get it. Then, abruptly, Snoopy stops dead in his tracks. The last panel shows him bolting back the way he came, a pack of leaves having ganged up to go after him.

It’s the kind of silly punchline Peanuts always had a penchant for. The kind of silliness that is geared toward adolescent readers, but which most readers find they appreciate even more as they age.

10

Readers Will Get A Kick Out Of Snoopy Giving Lucy The Boot

Nobody Messes With Snoopy’s House

Lucy is arguably Peanuts‘ third “main” character, behind Charlie Brown and Snoopy. This comic stars all three, and it literally kicks off Lucy and Snoopy’s longstanding love/hate relationship. They seem to be getting along at the start of this Peanuts strip, as Charlie Brown shows them the blueprints for “Snoopy’s new home,” until Lucy says the rudest possible thing and totally sets Snoopy off.

One of Peanuts’ most absurd recurring bits was the idea that Snoopy’s doghouse, despite its modest red exterior, was a sprawling mansion within. Here, Lucy questions why that’s necessary, because Snoopy is “only a stupid dog!“

In response, Snoopy dramatically dropkicks Lucy out of the next frame. Hilariously, Charlie Brown and Snoopy go back to the blueprints as if nothing happened, talking about the “ceramic tile” and “stairway” planned for the interior of the doghouse.

9

Snoopy Tells Woodstock His Four-Step Approach To Life

Great Advice If You Can Follow It

Peanuts always had a folksy philosophical strain to it, and those moments were often funniest coming from Snoopy. Why? Because Snoopy allowed Peanuts writer Charles Schulz to offer a dog’s POV on the world.

In this cartoon, Snoopy tells his best friend Woodstock about his outlook on life: “Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Look to tomorrow. Rest this afternoon.”

It’s solid life advice for anyone, whether bird, dog, or human. Yet finding time in the afternoon to rest is tricky for most adult humans. It is a luxury, one Snoopy is afforded as a domesticated animal. Yet if readers can find time for a nap, they’ll find themselves grateful to Snoopy for this wise counsel.

8

Snoopy’s Attempt At A Late-Night Snack Causes Him Grief

Snoopy’s Stomach & Head Aren’t On The Same Page

In this extended Peanuts cartoon, Snoopy wrestles with a perennial doggy dilemma: who is supposed to feed a pooch at night when their human is asleep?

The comic depicts Snoopy waking up in the middle of the night, ready for a midnight snack. But when he goes and fetches his bowl and brings it back to Charlie Brown, Snoopy gets scolded and told to “go back to sleep.” Instead, he lies awake thinking “my head may go to sleep, but my stomach will be awake all night!“

Eventually, Snoopy does pass out, but his irregular sleep pattern leaves him dog-tired in the morning, when it actually is time for breakfast. “Rats,” Snoopy thinks as Charlie Brown wakes him up with a bowl of food, “now my head’s awake, but my stomach’s asleep!”

7

Snoopy Gets A Touching Love Letter With One Glaring Mistake

His “Sweetheart” Had One Job…

Peanuts cultivated many recurring jokes over the course of 50 years, with Snoopy at the heart of many of them. One of the beagle’s best bits was his fondness for correspondence: Snoopy loved sending and receiving letters from various pen pals. Here, readers find him in the middle of responding to a love note from a long-distance flame.

“It made me so happy,” Snoopy tells his “sweetheart,” but he can’t help but admit that “one little part bothered” him. “When you misspelled my name,” he writes in the concluding panel. It’s a simple punchline that hits hard, in the manner of the best Peanuts jokes. Especially because it leaves readers asking how, exactly, someone could misspell “Snoopy.”

“Snoopie,” perhaps? Or “Snooppy.” “Snoppy,” maybe? That’s what makes it such a delightful bit. Snoopy’s sweetheart almost nailed it with her love letter, but she made the funniest mistake possible. 10/10 Snoopy moment, no notes.

6

Snoopy Was A Menace On The Tennis Court

Let The Ref Make The Calls, Snoop

One thing Peanuts fans know and love about Snoopy is how ultra-competitive he could get. This was especially apparent when he would hit the tennis court. Yes, at points in Peanuts history, Snoopy fancied himself a rising tennis star. He even had pretensions to make it to Wimbledon.

This memorable Peanuts tennis comic finds Snoopy overzealously calling his opponents’ shots out-of-bounds before the referee even has a chance to. But then, when it’s Snoopy’s turn to serve, he’s shocked for it to be called “out” as well. What does he learn from this?

“Live by the bad call, die by the bad call,” Snoopy sums up in the closing frame. It’s not exactly the right lesson, but it’s the funniest conclusion he could draw. Snoopy was never quite the tennis pro he pictured himself as, and moments like this took full advantage of that to great comedic effect.

5

Peanuts Confirms That Snoopy Doesn’t Know Charlie Brown’s Name

Snoopy Doesn’t Have Time For Minor Details Like That

Another hilarious Peanuts recurring bit: Snoopy doesn’t actually know Charlie Brown’s name. Here, Snoopy solicits Lucy to read an excerpt from his autobiography. Her big takeaway? Snoopy refers to Charlie Brown as “the round-headed kid.”

“Don’t you think you should at least use his name?” she asks. In response, Snoopy looks over the page and thinks, “I hate doing all that research.”

It’s an iconic Snoopy moment, one that shows his laziness extends far beyond just lounging on the roof of his doghouse and doing nothing all day. Even when Snoopy does something, there’s usually a limit to how much energy and effort he can muster for it.

4

​​​​​​​Snoopy And Linus Share A Moment (And Linus’ Blanket)

Snuggle Over Struggle

“I don’t recall ever inviting you to share this blanket,” Linus says to Snoopy as they cuddle together during naptime. Still, Linus has to begrudgingly “admit [Snoopy is] kind of warm and fuzzy.”

Though the pair had some epic battles over Linus’ security blanket over the years, this moment of tenderness stands out above the rest. “Everyone brings something to the party,” Snoopy muses internally. This cartoon is Peanuts at its cutest, its most heartwarming.

It’s also the perfect mix of “Snoopy as dog,” and “Snoopy as a member of the Gang.” Linus and Snoopy might be occasional rivals, but here, they’re just a boy and a dog. ​​​​​​​

3

A Sweet Scene Proves Lucy & Snoopy Could Be On The Same Page

They Both Needed That

In this classic Peanuts, Linus and Lucy are walking to school when they encounter Snoopy. Lucy takes this moment to teach her brother a valuable piece of life wisdom: “when…you meet a dog, you should always stop and pat him on the head.”

“That always gets your day off to a good start, Lucy explains. It’s a sweet moment, but what really makes this cartoon iconic is Snoopy’s reaction.

“At least I’m contributing something to society,” Snoopy thinks. It leaves readers with the impression that Snoopy needed that moment as much as Lucy did, and that it set both of them up for success as the day wore on.