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THE COMPLETE PEANUTS FAMILY ALBUM

O

ne of Charlie Brown’s oldest friends, Shermy is

always ready to jump in and join a game of

catch, go to the movies, or enjoy a nice stroll around

the block. His even temper and affability make him

one of the most reliable kids in the neighborhood, and

you can always count on him to join your baseball

team or lend a hand.

Because of Shermy’s reserved demeanor, however,

he seems to fade into the background when new kids

like Lucy and Linus move into the neighborhood. As

Charles Schulz noted, Shermy’s role diminished over

time, and he soon appeared only when the cartoonist

“needed a character with very little personality.”

Shermy’s last official appearance was on June 15,

1969, and his expression and single word of dialogue

(“Really?”) seemed to indicate that he knew his time

was up. Lest it be forgotten, though, Shermy was

there from the beginning and was the only character

to speak in the very first strip, on October 2, 1950.

His introduction of the strip’s star set the tone for

everything that followed: “Good ol’ Charlie Brown . . .

How I hate him!”

SHERMY

first aPPearanCe

10/02/1950