Patty (Peanuts)

Patty is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. Patty was formerly a major character whose role was reduced in later years; she never developed a distinct personality like Lucy, or Sally. She is sometimes confused with Peppermint Patty, a different and later character with a similar name. Patty appeared in the first Peanuts strip, with Shermy and Charlie Brown, on October 2, 1950.[1]

For the later character from the same strip, see Peppermint Patty.
Patty
Patty in a red dress.
First appearanceOctober 2, 1950
Last appearanceApril 17, 1995 (comic strip; original )
November 27, 1997 (comic strip; reprint)
Voiced byKaren Mendelson (1963, 1965)
Lisa DeFaria (1966-1969)
Lynn Vanderlip (1966)
Sally Dryer (1969)
Linda Ercoli (1972-1975)
Lynn Mortensen (1974)
Linda Jenner (1974)
Roseline Rubens (1980)
Angela Lee (1983)
Stacy Ferguson (1984-1986)
Deanna Tello (1992)
Kaitlyn Maggio (2003)
Jolean Wejbe (2006)
Leigh Bourke (2008-2009)
Ciara Bravo (2011)
Anastasia Bredikhina (2015)
In-universe information
GenderFemale

Patty is best known as a girl who thinks highly of herself, and because of her self-opinion, she often torments the hapless Charlie Brown. She usually accompanies her best friend Violet and sometimes the abrasive Lucy.

Patty has appeared in numerous Peanuts television specials, cinematic films, theatrical plays, and video games.

In the 2015 film The Peanuts Movie, her last name is given as Swanson. This name never appeared in the comic strip or in any official Peanuts media during Schulz's lifetime and is thus not canon. (Patty Swanson was in fact the name of the real person who partially inspired Peppermint Patty and had also served as the inspiration for the earlier Patty's name.[2])

History

An early conception of the character was created by Schulz for his comic strip Li'l Folks (a precursor to Peanuts). Schulz then reused the character for Peanuts, and there, he named her Patty.

Patty was featured in the first Peanuts comic strip, on October 2, 1950.[3] In subsequent strips, Patty's character developed and she appeared regularly, but she eventually became less and less prominent until her succeeding appearances were reduced to mere cameos. By 1966, Schulz recycled the Patty name for a new character: "Peppermint" Patty Reichardt. Although the original Patty would make cameo appearances throughout the run of Peanuts, she had ceased being a featured character by about 1975.

She continued to make cameo or background appearances until the early 1990s. Her last appearance was a rerun of a 1992 strip which was republished on November 27, 1997. Schulz claimed he drew Patty in the March 2, 1994 strip in which she wants Snoopy to chase rabbits with her (a role previously usually taken by Frieda), although some fans have stated that the girl in the strip in question does not resemble Patty.

Both before and after she receded into the background, Patty usually appeared either with her best friend Violet or with the rest of Charlie Brown's baseball team.

Other media

Patty made her television debut in the 1965 classic A Charlie Brown Christmas, and appeared in many of the succeeding specials and theatrical animated films, the most recent of the specials being Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. Patty had a major part in the original version of the stage musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She also appeared in The Peanuts Movie, a computer-generated movie based on the strip.

Character outline

As the only female character in the strip's very earliest days, Patty often acted as a sort of hen, looking out for the younger characters; however, she also set the tone for the strong female characters in the Peanuts universe. In her (and the strip's) second appearance, Patty is shown walking down the sidewalk reciting "Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice." She then punches Charlie Brown in the face and, without missing a beat, continues "That's what little girls are made of!"

Patty's name was first mentioned on October 26, 1950, 24 days after her first appearance. She was apparently the oldest child in the strip (possibly along with Violet and Shermy), as she attended school when Charlie Brown did not (strip of September 18, 1951). Eventually, she, along with Violet, became best known for their social snobbery and combined cruelty to Charlie Brown, although Violet was generally the more dominant of the two (thus Patty's role, in her later appearances, was reduced to that of a yes-girl). Patty is also known for asking Pig-Pen why he is constantly so dirty. In the 2015 film The Peanuts Movie, Patty shows a crush towards Pig-Pen.

Patty's hair color is light brown (sometimes red, black, or blonde) and she customarily wears a checked dress with a matching bow in her hair, usually colored orange (colored light green in The Peanuts Movie), and Mary Janes shoes.

Patty's birthday is December 4, but the strip from October 20, 1954 seemingly contradicts this, indicating that her birthday is on October 21.[4] She plays outfield on Charlie Brown's baseball team; though in an early strip she was seen as catcher before Schroeder was introduced. It was Patty who first introduced Charlie Brown to Schroeder, whom she said lived next door to her.[5]

Voiced by
  • Karen Mendelson (1963, 1965)
  • Lisa DeFaria (1966-1969)
  • Lynn Vanderlip (1966)
  • Sally Dryer (1969)
  • Linda Ercoli (1972-1975)
  • Lynn Mortensen (1974)
  • Linda Jenner (1974)
  • Roseline Rubens (1980)
  • Angela Lee (1983)
  • Stacy Ferguson (1984-1986)
  • Deanna Tello (1992)
  • Kaitlyn Maggio (2003)
  • Jolean Wejbe (2006)
  • Leigh Bourke (2008-2009)
  • Ciara Bravo (2011)
  • Anastasia Bredikhina (2015)

Portrayals

Patty appeared as one of six characters in the original 1967 off-Broadway production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (played by Karen Johnson). The character in the original musical was actually a composite of Patty, Frieda (who forces Snoopy to chase rabbits), and possibly Violet. By the time the show was revived on Broadway in the late 1990s, the composite Patty was replaced with Sally, since Patty had ceased making regular appearances in the strip decades earlier.

References
  1. Farago, Andrew (2017). The Complete Peanuts Family Album: The Ultimate Guide to Charles M. Schulz's Classic Characters. Weldon Owen. p. 45. ISBN 978-1681882925.
  2. Michaelis, David (2008). Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. Harper Perennial. p. 221. ISBN 978-0060937997.
  3. Schulz, Charles (1972-05-31). "October 2, 1950 strip". GoComics. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  4. "October 1954 comic strips". Peanuts Wiki.
  5. "May 1951 comic strips". Peanuts Wiki.
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