Publisher Nat Gertler is a go-to guy for Peanuts trivia. He recently published a new edition of Miss Caroline, and while doing so he noticed our obituary of Miss Caroline creator Gerald Gardner.
Again, go-to guy for Peanuts trivia. Our obituary reproduced an October 6, 1963 Gerald Gardner article from The Chicago Tribune about mass market paperback comic books of that time. Nat noticed something there that was new to him:
Now, I’m sure it’s not just a coincidence that the Dennis books and the mass market Peanuts books were published by the same publisher as Miss Caroline, as part of the Fawcett Crest line. And that also explains why the article also had a spot cartoons of Dennis the Menace and from Virgil Partch… and it also has, A COOL SHOT OF CHARLIE BROWN AND SNOOPY READING BOOKS! I don’t think that I, as a Peanuts books guy, have ever seen this Peanuts-and-books image before! (emphasis added)
Charlie Brown and Snoopy © Viacom
So we’re thinking we may have accidentally stumbled onto a rare Peanuts drawing by Charles Schulz that may have been created for the 1963 article and has never been reproduced since. Is it possible?
And if so, what about those other illustrations by Virgil Partch and Hank Ketcham
Virgil Partch art © ?, Dennis the Menace © North America Syndicate (KFS)
and Frank Johnson?
Miss Caroline © Gerald Gardner & Frank Johnson
All original drawings for the article and not seen since?
I’ve seen the Dennis the Menace panel before. Maybe reprinted in the comic book?