How the first black 'Peanuts' character was born

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

Really glad to hear Shultz's first and only concern with the idea was accurate representation. That's the right attitude to have.

[@scottishcheese13]

Fr, that was probably a much better mindset than most of his peers

[@Ranstone]

His first concern was actually the idea of "Token minorities". He liked the idea of including a black cast member, but didn't like the idea of putting people in _because_ of their color. That's just racism with extra steps. This is covered well in his letters to fans. Good man. Years ahead of his time, and years ahead of the modern 20's.

[@cupheadjustacup1932]

He’s Cool

[@cupheadjustacup1932]

He’s Rich

[@cupheadjustacup1932]

He’s A Dad

[@draphking]

"You either print it just the way I draw it or I quit" -Chad M. Schulz

[@jrt2792]

A Chad uplifts everyone regardless of ethnicity.

[@ImGonnaBeAStarr11]

The best quote ever

[@IsitheScribe]

What I love about Franklin is he was one of the few characters who actually liked and respected Charlie Brown and didn't give him a hard time despite how perpetually luckless he was.

[@PsychoMoFoGaming]

Also dabs him up every time they meet

[@retroguy3344]

Franklin is a homie

[@rad_lad_2715]

Franklin and Linus are the only legitimate friends to Charlie, the rest of the kids are the source of all of Charlies self esteem issues

[@jneezypv]

So people were ok with Snoopy being in all the scenes and kissing people in the mouth, but not Franklin sitting in a desk next to peppermint patty?

[@lemmonharris6117]

Yes,because apparently BESTIALITY is ok for ignorant racist losers! Smh

[@EstablishedHeritage]

SOUNDS ABOUT WHITE!

[@Ok-cr9yl]

What’s wrong with that?

[@stevenedwards4470]

5th Best Carter Maybe a black kid and a 8 year old LBGTQ rep was too much for a Monday morning in 68.

[@easyenetwork2023]

@@lemmonharris6117 I kiss my dogs all the time and love it! That is not beastiality, it is being a doggy parent.

[@meyerpictures]

I think it's pretty amazing that given the technical limitations of the comic medium and especially the beady eyes and small mouths of Peanuts, they were able to give Franklin a darker skin color while still being able to easily make out his features.

[@theotherjared9824]

His figure basically being scribbled in at first is funny to me.

[@mahogania5536]

Might be thanks to the light reflected off his skin, I've noticed light skin tends to have pronounced shadows while dark skin has pronounced lights, so playing with the contours between them gave space to show his facial features too. Although I'm just speculating on the technique, since now we just use semitones

[@doodleedoo]

@@mahogania5536 exactly! dark skin tends to be more reflective than light skin, which creates exactly that effect. you can find many beautiful paintings using reflective light on dark skinned models, it's super fun to play with as an artist!

[@zigfaust]

@@doodleedoo Yeah, my sharp cheekbones and gobbo nose are my most recognized facial features due to how light reflects on them.

[@mrfoodskater]

Lol

[@aaronflowers8881]

I love Franklin. He was the first black cartoon character I remember seeing on tv. I saw him in 1988. I said Look! He's a chocolate Charlie Brown lol. It was fascinating seeing someone who looks like me. He was cool and smart despite not having a lot of lines.

[@Angel-nx6wy]

Awhhhhhh that's so sweet! He was honestly my favorite character growing up and I just loved of smart and innocent he was!

[@aaronflowers8881]

@@Angel-nx6wy Thank you very much.

[@MouldMadeMind]

@Psychoticpebbles can't believe you are still

[@DuckCommenter]

no one cares 🐵

[@TNTkeynine]

Shultz being concerned about accurately representing black people is awesome. It's something you NEED to focus on with characters.

[@davifernandopereiraborges5168]

To make a black character is the same as making a withe one,i dont see the concern

[@XxNeo776]

@@davifernandopereiraborges5168 Not everyone has the same background as other people. People have different cultures, beliefs, different treatment than others, and stuff that other people cannot relate to.

[@comicalcatastrophe1865]

@@davifernandopereiraborges5168 no it is not. People are who they are from experiences. Treatment = experiences. Black people and white people have been treated differently.

[@itspeachiie]

@@davifernandopereiraborges5168 today, you might not see it as a big deal. but at the time, it was.

[@_Beamish]

@@davifernandopereiraborges5168 "I'm not black" woulda been easier

[@zachanikwano]

I love the bit with the black fathers who told him to "Just try." I wonder if, knowing his heart was in the right place, if he just tried to portray another kid of a different ethnicity, he'd get it right enough to matter. At least for the time period. Plus, just having representation of a black kid living life alongside the rest, as the most normal thing in the world, that's what leads to change. This is normal. This is good.

[@krow1551]

Man I never really thought about how Franklin was made literally coming off the empowering movement MLK Jr. started. He never really felt like he was sticking out and was just another fun member of the peanuts cast

[@BunnyLove5763]

“You either print it the way I draw it or I quit” absolute king

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

dude, i'm so glad chuck fought against racism😊😊😊😊

[@qopkornz]

Amazing right.

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

​@@qopkornz😊❤

[@darkguardian1314]

This is how diversity should be done. Don’t change an existing character and make them a minority. Franklin is his own person. As a Black kid growing up we would jokingly call Franklin a token black character because he was the only one we ever seen in the comics. Now, in my 60s and knowing the back story (no internet in our days, kids) I can only thank Mr Schulz for sticking to his guns. 🙂

[@chrisrockett5897]

Dang, that must've been quite the time.

[@easyenetwork2023]

Yeah, I think he did it to show he loved people regardless of race. That is how everyone should behave. I have my buses or stereotypes maybe, but I love people of all races.

[@rumblebird9888]

What about Token Black from South park?

[@Felixthecatfan21]

@@rumblebird9888 Tolkien Black*

[@spadinnerxylaphone2622]

I also love Franklin's role in the comics. Him playing the Straight Man to Peppermint Patty's antics or getting exhasperated at the others' neuroses was always hilarious. We've all felt like that in our friend groups sometimes, like "Come on guys, really?"

[@jelly_elli]

“Either you print it just the way I draw it or I quit.” Shultz is a legend.

[@nevaehlheaven]

Shultz seemed like a happy man too. All the old bitter racist men and women have a frown on their face. This man is smiling and wanted to be respectful towards Black people. I respect that.

[@princessfrancois8225]

I can't imagine Peanuts without Franklin.

[@johnathanedwards5814]

same

[@princessfrancois8225]

@Nathan Lee Yes, really.

[@OCC_Plumbing_and_Restorations]

I can. He doesn't play a very big role.

[@mvhernandez83]

@@zanoozie3254 racist

[@easyenetwork2023]

@@OCC_Plumbing_and_Restorations He does not, but he plays an important role, he is a sign of inclusion in darker times, racially speaking.

[@RobGradyVO]

I always thought Franklin was a later addition (Im born in the mid 90's) Had no idea hes over 50 years old. Im Glad Charles Schultz was a Paragon for Creative Freedom and Social Justice/Reform

[@elovejapan7818]

Technically, he is a later addition- Peanuts was born in 1950.

[@inari3298]

I remember when I read that first page as a kid, and growing up in the 00's it goes to show how much has actually changed. Sure I was a kid and all, but the fact that I didn't even think about Franklins skin colour, goes to show that preexisting societal norms easily can be changed from generation to generation.

[@cawsomeaolin]

he was born at a very young age

[@MisterHamiltonn]

I was too omg I relate to him so much

[@mytummyhurtsreallybad]

can't relate

[@Faunadude]

Omg same

[@phantom5731]

I hate that people were getting mad at the fact a black character was added to a newspaper cartoon, I'm glad that times have changed and people no longer get mad at stuff like that. (Well, most people.)

[@vibaj16]

Twitter would

[@fakeemail6815]

​@@vibaj16 ironic that on a comment about people being mad for no reason, you managed to make it negative for no reason

[@vibaj16]

@@fakeemail6815 What are you talking about? I was just correcting OP.

[@phantom5731]

@@vibaj16 That's why I added Well most people, I know Twitter exists and I know they would lol.

[@clarencerobinson7301]

twitter dgaf bout that

[@jimmypatterson3998]

I like Franklin.

[@mictoonanimation8852]

Yea I agree

[@angg922]

Hes my favorite character

[@employeeinternet]

Franklin from gta 5

[@therealmarkzuckerberg]

Charles is so absolutely based for this

[@Guivi99Druid]

my favorite thing about franklin is how he daps up charlie brown snoopy and others are phenomonal

[@Awesomemay]

Shulz was an icon!!

[@lr8118]

hey awesomemay

[@keytarnerd]

woah its awesomemay

[@dejus_e]

woah

[@urdoom]

charile can always count on a homie like franklin

[@ochuspin]

Never forget when Franklin dapped him up

[@asafupps]

It’s so interesting that his first appearance is him talking about swimming. I never even thought about the connotations of that before.

[@cocraine]

wdym?

[@FunkySpaceAlien]

@@cocraine There was a big issue of interracial swimming in public pools back then. Like everything else during that time period, they try to segregate it. If a black person tries to swim in a "white people only" pool, they would get kicked out

[@cocraine]

@@FunkySpaceAlien Ohh!!

[@BuggyPopp]

I thought this was very heart warming

[@MatchaFoxx]

I never knew this backstory behind his inclusion! So happy Charles was the way he was. You either get it all or nothing. What a great way of handling the “problem” at the time. ❤️

[@RalphTho]

I love you franklin

[@luthfeesenpai4933]

There is this one comic strip where Franklin was trying to play hockey...later Patty interrupted and said "You block my way".I don't know the rest of the conversation but at the last box,Patty said "How many black players in the NHL,Franklin?" And i think people got mad at that

[@tahutoa]

Peppermint or Regular

[@ginafreyre4308]

@@tahutoa I think it was Peppermint Patty

[@tahurpsych660]

lefties crybabies

[@uberd3323]

@@tahutoa Cow

[@alejandrocervantes3624]

​@@tahutoa lol

[@abu-bøqr]

Man I like people like Shultz's. We need more people like him. RIP.

[@greetings5640]

Been to Shultz's grave and this ice skating place dedicated to his work and his name. Pretty great memories. Love his work

[@jasperdoggydude]

i’m assuming like everyone else, the first black peanuts character was born via birth

[@justaway_of_the_samurai]

"I didn't know how to do it, frankly. So I did it Franklin."

[@dominicscherder2037]

He is one of my favorites

[@mr.horrorchild4094]

Yeah, okay

[@dominicscherder2037]

@@mr.horrorchild4094 what’s that supposed to mean.

[@Unknown-wb4ex]

“Either you print it the way I want it or I quit” ICON

[@guilhermeteodosio40]

"Either you print it the way I draw it or I quit" Dude has the balls😤😤😤

[@Littlebodybighearthasmyheart]

I remember watching “a Charlie Brown Christmas” and wondering where Franklin was. I was quite sad when I realized why he wasn’t there

[@dejus_e]

Franklin was off doing his own thing.

[@liblast64]

Short answer: he was drawn

[@Buggy-zu9zw]

Sparky knew what he was doing...he changed comic history...he stuck to his guns

[@elementallobsterx]

Schultz was a great guy.

[@littlebat66666]

Love how transparent he was about not patronising the experience!

[@obbzerver]

They made Franklin sit on the opposite side of the table from the other kids. Made him sit in the back of the bus too.

[@johnathanedwards5814]

yep :(

[@zanoozie3254]

@Abdullah M LOL 😂😂😂😂😂

[@JENDALL714]

In the Mayflower special showing the Peanuts characters arriving in America, Franklin wasn't shown arriving to America with the other characters, he came over later on a different kind of ship with other Black people.

[@obbzerver]

@@JENDALL714 Vic Morrow whipped Franklin and told him "Yer name is Franklin - say yer name!"

[@OnlyMichaelJackson]

I noticed that :(

[@johmlemon532]

I feel like this was a huge step in the right direction, normalizing people of different ethnicity. I’m white, but growing up if I saw franklin on the TV I thought of him no differently from the rest. I didnt notice he had a different skin colour. I just watched him the same as all the others. This applies to every other black character or asian character on TV or in books I saw. I never even noticed. As a kid I just saw a person and thought “thats a person.” If somebody had pointed to an african american and asked 7 year old me to identify what they were i’d just say “uhhh…. Human?” Because I would be confused what they meant. I think a big part of me having that mindset and still having it is because of people like Schulz who normalize it. As it should be. Its normal.

[@YungReg88]

Love this, but unfortunately now we have people literally fighting AGAINST having black characters in TV shows/movies. Whether it's the majority of the cast or just a single lead role. Look at how many hateful people you see jump onto internet comments & use word like "agenda," "pandering," & "woke." Exactly what type of agenda are they talking about & what does "woke" even mean anyway? 🤔 (YES I'm African American. That's why I'm asking these questions that I'm quite sure no one has an answer for)

[@nirvanaheights]

Yep, it's saddening

[@mememachinexp0518]

I think the issue is more so that existing characters are being replaced and retconned simply for the sake of diversity. Nobody except the furthest of extremists would say that having black characters or changing them in other ways is a bad thing, but at what point does it just become corporate pandering?

[@mememachinexp0518]

And to elaborate on that, pandering means “changes enacted purely to appeal to a wider audience”. I don’t think there’s any doubt that mega-corporations operate on the guise of “Does this make us more money?” so it’s not that crazy of a leap that something like this could happen

[@samoftheristic]

“woke” is a term originally used for when someone advocates against racism and looks out for it (i think? please correct me if im wrong) - but often in this case it mostly is just an insult people use towards other people/media with more liberal views (eg. lgbtq+ acceptance, racial diversity, etc) for whatever reason. hopefully my explanation isnt too confusing

[@Ithoughthewasnigh]

It’s because characters like Velma are having their race changed for no reason.

[@otchii106]

i was expecting franklin to originate from being some sort of caricature of a black person, but man it turned out to be the exact opposite

[@jasonito23]

¨Either you print it the way I draw it or I quit.¨ That´s what I´m talking about!

[@jujuoof174]

Dang, Charles was REALLY mature for the time, it's nice to see that for once!

[@KingDro-c5r]

Franklin was always my favorite Peanuts character as a black man i could always relate to him

[@oakenshadow6763]

The power of a fan.

[@pixel__huh]

Franklin lore:

[@deanb0t]

worried about patronizing the community instead of accurately representing it??? if only companies had that concern today

[@Saladzyumm]

This video kept getting recommended to me after 4 years

[@crash5642]

Same like twice a month and I just watched it 😂

[@alishaanimations3058]

He’s so lovely

[@someguynamedelan]

I wished Charles Shultz used screen tones instead of crosshatch, just a minor artistic preference.

[@-Scrapper-]

Was that available at the time cost efficiently

[@someguynamedelan]

@@-Scrapper- According to Wikipedia, screen tone was commercially available since 1937. I assume a few sheets wouldn’t make the top cartoonist of that time go bankrupt.

[@-Scrapper-]

@@someguynamedelan Yeah but it won't stay true to the light hearted newspaper style and will look more like an action comic

[@ssr8555]

I think the crosshatch works with his style really well but I get where you’re coming from.

[@aino-kaisav5504]

He actually started using screen tones in his later comics.

[@LucidMlem]

I'm such a horrible person the thumbnail made me think they were talking about Pigpen

[@williambarnes7133]

Right on sparky, I'll do the same motto print it the way I draw it....that's great

[@Uncontrollable_Sphere]

peanut

[@Sufganiyot]

peanut

[@61subsandnovideos]

peanut

[@SolarDelite]

peanut

[@vibaj16]

peanut

[@sproutify]

peanut

[@alfredsupersauce]

Franklin the OG

[@multiversegamer6587]

It’s strange that this popped up in my recommended, considering I just learned about it in history class in relation to black history month. Is KZbin listening?

[@Renee-ln9mp]

Awesome.. We love you Franklin Armstrong ! never knew his last name 😊

[@boofini1830]

There’s always pushback for the good in the world, but things changed because enough important people put their foot down

[@stupidcupidd37]

I have a sweater with him on it

[@musics4me]

If only people realize how *patronizing* current Disney is

[@-Scrapper-]

what did they do

[@SunshineDaizies]

They have people of color working with them now and do their research. Yes, they do sadly take advantage of the fact people like representation but people of color are represented correctly.

[@spunchflopbadpants]

Ok? And that isn't what this video is about so

[@MoritakaYTP]

Common Schulz W

[@mehmoop6306]

God loves you all. May he bless you and allow you to have a good day.

[@DavidLS1]

It's sad that fifty years later, people are still complaining that it's 'woke'.

[@spunchflopbadpants]

Wait what... where??

[@DavidLS1]

@@spunchflopbadpants Not Franklin per-say, but black characters in shows in general.

[@OmegaTAFKAL-mb5hg]

@@DavidLS1 Nobody is lol. Only blackwashing is

[@SofiaPreCure]

Franklin is actually cool and nice

[@adobemoon]

this made me cry ngl

[@cocoaorange1]

I wish he had added more minority characters, but I love Franklin.

[@tahurpsych660]

because? , the series did not need more characters, on the contrary, it needs to get rid of several

[@richardpaisono1810]

why?

[@Moodboard39]

​@@tahurpsych660 I think he had a lot

[@astro7366]

I love videos that make me go "Huh!"

[@ivanbukac4618]

The comments just show how people like being with people who look like them and are similar to them. But some people just can't confess that to themselves.

[@own4801]

That depends on how discrimatory your surroundings are. Overall, that shouldn't be a thing, and that's the context for such an introduction.

[@ivanbukac4618]

@@own4801 nothing to do with discrimination at all. Not talking about it. There is a reason why people have groups with people of their nationality in countries. Becouse they feel like home with them. If you didn't see i also wrote "similar" and that applies to culture and ways of behaving. I am well aware for example how Brazil has people of many shades and I am not aware of race related issues there.

[@own4801]

@@ivanbukac4618 That's what I just said in describing why they feel "at home."

[@richardpaisono1810]

@@own4801 and thats natural, it was never evil or wrong

[@ducktooth2502]

But why did they put him on his own side of the Thanksgiving table

[@jacobgarrity9055]

Because the world was changing and many fans wanted more black characters to appear on movies and television and they were able to get more diversity

[@richardpaisono1810]

fans probably didn't want it lol

[@alishaanimations3058]

0:25 REALLY! OMG

[@tweetybeetweetybea9652]

I wish they would create a little black girl, too. 😟

[@i_garfed_on_the_carpet]

he was born at age six without a face

[@jayblueguy9932]

1m views soon I'm calling it

[@lifewithlee6298]

I noticed Franklin is often sitting next to peppermint patty and seems to just have to put up with this crazy girl commentary as he’s trying to pay attention 😅

[@Sneeffy]

I like to think Franklin grew up, moved to Los Santos and started hanging out with Trevor and Micheal

[@shim64]

yes

[@Timic83tc]

Franklin was cool but we needed lamarr

[@MuddyHammer]

A chair is a piece of furniture with a raised surface supported by legs, commonly used to seat a single person. Chairs are supported most often by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or can have a different shape. Chairs are made of a wide variety of materials, ranging from wood to metal to synthetic material (e.g. plastic), and they may be padded or upholstered in various colors and fabrics, either just on the seat (as with some dining room chairs) or on the entire chair. Chairs are used in a number of rooms in homes (e.g. in living rooms, dining rooms, and dens), in schools and offices (with desks), and in various other workplaces such as the black Mesa facilities. A chair without a back or armrests is a stool or when raised, a bar stool. A chair with arms is an armchair; one with upholstery, reclining action, and fold-out footrest is a recliner. A permanently fixed chair in a train or theater is a seat or, in airplane, airline seat; when riding, it is a saddle or bicycle saddle; and for an automobile, a car seat or infant car seat. With wheels it is a wheelchair; or when hung from above, a swing. An upholstered, padded chair for two people is a 'loveseat', while if it is for more than two people it is a couch, sofa or settee; or If is not upholstered, a bench. A separate footrest for a chair, usually upholstered, is known as an ottoman, hassock, or pouffe

[@hatzziy]

I know what you are

[@thebrightdiamondtp7871]

What is this supposed to be

[@BlackBloodCombatClub]

Thanks Dr. Coomer

[@-Scrapper-]

@@thebrightdiamondtp7871 it's supposed to be a chair

[@MLH_1231]

Thank you, Didu. 🥰🥰

[@dennisduncan7561]

Based Charles Shultze.

[@euniceacquah1969]

Happy birthday 🎉🎂

[@CozumelTy]

Love Charles Shultz glad he brought the Peanuts gang to our world. The lesson here is things like this work best when its not political, when you are not trying to prove a point. Just do it and don't make hoopla about it and it becomes normal. We don't need ---------> "hey heres the black guy". No he just put Franklin in there and he's a part of the gang simple as that.

[@gerardine9675]

I much prefer the cartoons to the computer animation which doesn't have the charm of the cartoons. The cartoons are just like Shultz's own drawings.

[@almaboyjake808]

S/O to Harriet & Charles❤️💜

[@teawrecks1243]

and there are no peanuts in Peanuts

[@TheLionFireGod]

50? He doesn't look a day over 10

[@AmanojakuX]

Nowadays, people would cry about Peanuts going "woke." Sad how backwards we've gone.

[@WarDamnATL]

Nothing woke about it.

[@AmanojakuX]

If you don't think the anti-wokes would cry about "pandering" and "forced diversity" if this happened in 2024, you're not paying attention.@@WarDamnATL

[@AmanojakuX]

Treating a black character interacting with a bunch of white characters as normal, in 1968, *was* "a political point." Why do you think people were opposed to it?@wingsofwinter2600

[@myyoutube887]

kinda reminds me of a Bob D song put your hand on that plow and hold on.......

[@whoever5526]

At least they ain't do what they did to Irwin in Billy and Mandy..

[@myyoutube887]

Keep Your Hands On the Plow and Grandma Hold On.......

[@own4801]

Why are you using so many periods?

[@sup_my_bwana]

So… Token?

[@Cnw8701]

And unfortunately, Franklin is the only minority character in the entire cast. He's literally the definition of a "token" minority.

[@JENDALL714]

Not true, Pig Pen is Mexican.

[@freakyfriesday]

I perceive Shermy as Asian. Don’t ask me why 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@Cnw8701]

@@freakyfriesday His hair?

[@Cnw8701]

@@JENDALL714 Gee, that's a little racist!

[@JohnDoe-ti2np]

There is also Jose Peterson, but he showed up in only a few strips.

[@Cassimation]

huh interesting

[@daltonsideas]

common charles schultz w

[@blueskye6372]

Wonderful. 👌💜🙏🌈

[@juanitajones7169]

Ivar moment.✊👊💥💫

[@simonphamandcompany]

Franklin Clinton. Is that you?