Shermy (Peanuts)
Encyclopedia
Shermy was a character in the comic strip
Peanuts
, by Charles Schulz. Schulz named him after a friend from high school. When Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, Shermy had the first line of dialogue in the series. As Peanuts matured, however, Shermy became an extraneous character who was used less and less frequently, until his final appearance in 1969. In a television interview, Schulz said that in the 1950 debut of the strip, it was solely Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and a few minor characters, then showed the first strip, in which the "minor characters" he spoke of were clearly Patty
and Shermy. Shermy's name was first mentioned on December 18, 1950, making him the last of the original characters to have the name revealed. In Schulz's Peanuts-precursor strip Li'l Folks
, a character resembling Shermy went by the name "Charlie Brown".
's superior at the things that mattered to Charlie Brown, especially athletics. Though he spoke the only lines of dialogue in the first strip and was one of the strip's primary figures in its first few years, he was mainly utilized as a "straight man"
for Charlie Brown and soon began to be eclipsed by newer characters who were more developed, such as Linus
and Lucy
. It was unlikely that Charlie Brown knew of Shermy's first sentence, as the two would spend time together; or it could have been more likely that Shermy did not actually hate Charlie Brown and was annoyed with him the first day of the strip. His disappearance from the strip was even faster and more complete than those of the other early characters, Patty
and Violet
; as early as the late 1950s his appearances were becoming noticeably rare. Shermy's major physical characteristic was his short, dark hair, which he had styled in a crew cut
on April 18, 1953, and kept that way permanently thereafter. Shermy would sometimes make reference to the fact he seemed doomed to have that look; he complained to Charlie Brown he got a new hairstyle one weekend only to shortly come down with an illness that kept him from attending school. By the time the illness subsided, Shermy's hair had returned to its normal look, to which Shermy exclaims "I wasted a good haircut!" in not getting to model it at school. Apparently Schulz himself was not a big fan of this look, even though he never changed it, as he once commented that he "disliked" the way he drew Shermy's hair. Shermy was sometimes said to play the position of first base on Charlie Brown's baseball team.
Peanuts TV specials, beginning with A Charlie Brown Christmas
in 1965, where he has one line of dialogue. Upon being cast as a shepherd
in the gang's Christmas
pageant, he laments, "Every Christmas it's the same: I always end up playing a shepherd." He also appears (sometimes with dialogue and sometimes without) in Charlie Brown's All-Stars
, It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown
, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown
, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
, Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?
, It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown
, and It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown
, with the latter five being produced several years after he had already disappeared from the comic strip. Shermy is mentioned briefly in the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
, in the song "The Doctor Is In," but does not appear or have a speaking part; and he also makes a cameo appearance in the feature film Snoopy Come Home.
Shermy returns to the animated movies in the 2011 Direct-to-DVD Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
, which includes a scene based on the very first Peanuts strip, where Shermy notes how much he hates Charlie Brown.
and Lucy are discussing players on their baseball
team; he is mentioned as the team's designated hitter
. An unnamed character on November 9, 1975 who looked like Shermy was also in a movie strip.
Issue #117 of Mad Magazine (1968) has a piece called Will Success Spoil Charlie Brown?. Shermy returns to his old neighbourhood to find out his former friends have become insufferable egomaniacs swelled with their success.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
, by Charles Schulz. Schulz named him after a friend from high school. When Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, Shermy had the first line of dialogue in the series. As Peanuts matured, however, Shermy became an extraneous character who was used less and less frequently, until his final appearance in 1969. In a television interview, Schulz said that in the 1950 debut of the strip, it was solely Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and a few minor characters, then showed the first strip, in which the "minor characters" he spoke of were clearly Patty
Patty (Peanuts)
Patty is a character in the comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz . Her closest friend is Violet...
and Shermy. Shermy's name was first mentioned on December 18, 1950, making him the last of the original characters to have the name revealed. In Schulz's Peanuts-precursor strip Li'l Folks
Li'l Folks
Li'l Folks, the first comic strip by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, was a weekly panel that appeared mainly in Schulz's hometown paper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, from June 22, 1947 to January 22, 1950...
, a character resembling Shermy went by the name "Charlie Brown".
Personality and characteristics
Shermy was often portrayed as Charlie BrownCharlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
's superior at the things that mattered to Charlie Brown, especially athletics. Though he spoke the only lines of dialogue in the first strip and was one of the strip's primary figures in its first few years, he was mainly utilized as a "straight man"
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
for Charlie Brown and soon began to be eclipsed by newer characters who were more developed, such as Linus
Linus van Pelt
Linus van Pelt is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared on September 19, 1952; however, he was not mentioned by name until three days later....
and Lucy
Lucy van Pelt
Lucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
. It was unlikely that Charlie Brown knew of Shermy's first sentence, as the two would spend time together; or it could have been more likely that Shermy did not actually hate Charlie Brown and was annoyed with him the first day of the strip. His disappearance from the strip was even faster and more complete than those of the other early characters, Patty
Patty (Peanuts)
Patty is a character in the comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz . Her closest friend is Violet...
and Violet
Violet (Peanuts)
Violet Gray is a fictional character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Violet has shoulder-length dark hair, and she frequently wears green dresses...
; as early as the late 1950s his appearances were becoming noticeably rare. Shermy's major physical characteristic was his short, dark hair, which he had styled in a crew cut
Crew cut
A crew cut is a type of haircut in which the hair on the top of the head is cut relatively short, graduated in length from the longest hair at the front hairline to the shortest at the back of the crown. The hair on the sides and back of the head is usually tapered short, semi-short or medium. A...
on April 18, 1953, and kept that way permanently thereafter. Shermy would sometimes make reference to the fact he seemed doomed to have that look; he complained to Charlie Brown he got a new hairstyle one weekend only to shortly come down with an illness that kept him from attending school. By the time the illness subsided, Shermy's hair had returned to its normal look, to which Shermy exclaims "I wasted a good haircut!" in not getting to model it at school. Apparently Schulz himself was not a big fan of this look, even though he never changed it, as he once commented that he "disliked" the way he drew Shermy's hair. Shermy was sometimes said to play the position of first base on Charlie Brown's baseball team.
Movies and television specials
Shermy appears in several of the animatedAnimated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
Peanuts TV specials, beginning with A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was produced and directed by former Warner Bros. and UPA animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice for the character of Snoopy...
in 1965, where he has one line of dialogue. Upon being cast as a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
in the gang's Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
pageant, he laments, "Every Christmas it's the same: I always end up playing a shepherd." He also appears (sometimes with dialogue and sometimes without) in Charlie Brown's All-Stars
Charlie Brown's All-Stars
Charlie Brown's All-Stars is the second prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was the second such TV special to be produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez , and originally aired on the CBS network on June 8, 1966...
, It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown
It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown
It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown is the sixth prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. It was directed by Bill Meléndez and originally aired on CBS on September 27, 1969...
, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown
You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown
You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown is the ninth prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz and the eighth one to air. It originally aired on CBS on October 29, 1972, right before the 1972 election....
, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is the 13th prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on January 28, 1975. ABC will next air it on February 11, 2011....
, Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?
Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?
Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? is the 24th prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on February 21, 1983.-Plot:...
, It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown
It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown
It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown is the 35th prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally slated to air on CBS in Spring of 1992, but was cancelled until eventual release on video.-Plot:The special follows the spring training...
, and It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown
It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown
It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown is the 38th animated TV special based on characters from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It is one of two specials that have yet to air on TV ....
, with the latter five being produced several years after he had already disappeared from the comic strip. Shermy is mentioned briefly in the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts...
, in the song "The Doctor Is In," but does not appear or have a speaking part; and he also makes a cameo appearance in the feature film Snoopy Come Home.
Shermy returns to the animated movies in the 2011 Direct-to-DVD Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown is a Peanuts television special animated by Wild Brain that was released in 2011. The special is the 45th in the series and the first without the late Bill Melendez on the production team...
, which includes a scene based on the very first Peanuts strip, where Shermy notes how much he hates Charlie Brown.
Last appearance
Shermy's last actual appearance in a Peanuts strip came on June 15, 1969. Schulz expressed no regrets at dropping Shermy from the cast, remarking many years later that it had gotten to the point by then where he only used Shermy in situations where he "needed a character with very little personality." Shermy was referred to by name once more after 1969, in a 1977 strip where Charlie BrownCharlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
and Lucy are discussing players on their baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team; he is mentioned as the team's designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. An unnamed character on November 9, 1975 who looked like Shermy was also in a movie strip.
Issue #117 of Mad Magazine (1968) has a piece called Will Success Spoil Charlie Brown?. Shermy returns to his old neighbourhood to find out his former friends have become insufferable egomaniacs swelled with their success.