--- title: Peanuts Comic Strip Social Commentary Show at Charles M. Schulz Museum description: An exhibit at the Charles M. Schulz Museum highlights Charlie Brown's place in a changing society canonical: https://time.com/3453647/peanuts-commentary/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-02T15:00:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:07:35.815Z article:section: History og:title: Peanuts Comic Strip Social Commentary Show at Charles M. Schulz Museum og:description: An exhibit at the Charles M. Schulz Museum highlights Charlie Brown's place in a changing society og:url: https://time.com/3453647/peanuts-commentary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a5c7a3d5c833999/6986a66ce8524b7ae8605035/peanuts-comics.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Snoopy, Lucy, Charlie Brown, & Linus in Peanuts og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Peanuts Comic Strip Social Commentary Show at Charles M. Schulz Museum twitter:description: An exhibit at the Charles M. Schulz Museum highlights Charlie Brown's place in a changing society twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a5c7a3d5c833999/6986a66ce8524b7ae8605035/peanuts-comics.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See How _Peanuts_ Addressed Feminism, Nuclear War and More by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Oct 2, 2014 3:00 PM UTC  Snoopy, Lucy. Charlie Brown, and Linus stand in a line in a drawing from the Charles Schultz (1922 - 2000) comic strip, 'Peanuts,' 1968. Snoopy, Lucy. Charlie Brown, and Linus stand in a line in a drawing from the Charles Schultz (1922 - 2000) comic strip, 'Peanuts,' 1968.Fotos International/Getty Images by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Oct 2, 2014 3:00 PM UTC _Peanuts,_ which [debuted on this day in 1950](http://wp.me/p5HMd-esez), is sometimes remembered for the cute kids and dogs that filled the comic strip’s boxes — but, as an exhibit now on show at the Charles M. Schulz Museum shows, that didn’t mean it stayed away from weighty topics. Rather, Schulz, who created _Peanuts_, used Charlie Brown, Snoopy and their friends to talk about some of the most controversial issues out there. Schulz didn’t often take sides, but rather — as can be seen in the examples shown here — let his characters prompt readers to think a little more deeply. _Social Commentary_ is on view at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, Calif., through Nov. 2. _Captions above courtesy of the Charles M. Schulz Museum._  Peanuts, August 1, 1968 Shortly after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Los Angeles schoolteacher, Harriet Glickman, wrote to Schulz regarding the integration of Peanuts. She believed that the popular comic strip could help influence American attitudes on race, and as a result of their correspondence, Franklin was introduced to the cartoon in the summer of 1968. Peanuts © 1968 Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Peanuts, June 18, 1954 The United States carried out the first test of a thermonuclear weapon in 1952\. Russia tested a hydrogen bomb in 1953, and several other countries soon followed suit. The innocuous “H-Bomb” game played by Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Patty, contrasts their innocence with the real threat of global atomic warfare. Peanuts © 1954 Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Peanuts, April 10, 1970 By the early 1970s, the National Organization for Women had more than 400 local chapters. Together with the National Women’s Political Caucus and other advocacy groups, they pressed for gender reform on issues such as equal pay, education, and reproductive rights. With her outspoken and unabashed persona, Lucy Van Pelt spoke to the ideology of the feminist movement in Peanuts. Peanuts © 1970 Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Johnny Horizon Environmental Program Flier January ,1972 Schulz collaborated with the United States Department of the Interior at the request of his friend, Clayton Anderson, who worked for the Johnny Horizon Environmental Program. Associated posters and pamphlets featured Peanuts characters to promote the program’s anti-litter campaign. 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