The beloved characters created by legendary Peanuts© creator Charles M. Schulz have become classic icons – Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Woodstock, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, and the entire gang. Yet fine artist Tom Everhart, who developed a strong friendship with Schulz and is the only artist entrusted to create Peanuts© artwork under his direction, has put an atypical spin on the characters, creating artwork and names that are distinctly different.
Schulz was actually the one to suggest Tom put his own spin on the Peanuts© characters, so that his work would be different, not a facsimile of Schulz’s. He emphasized that Tom’s paintings should spring from his own feelings and insights, finding a new way to see the characters.
His first attempt was a six foot by 12 foot painting of the famous toy piano. Everhart explained, “In my opinion, the toy piano is the most elegantly drawn object in the [comic] strip.” At the time, a law was being presented to Congress to ban cadmium in paints, so he thought it might be funny to color the piano in cadmium red. Schulz was impressed with the painting, but not with the “typical” title Everhart had chosen: “Schroeder’s Toy Piano”. Everhart gave it some thought and renamed the piece, “Play On Cadmium Red!” (see image above). From that day forward, the artwork titles reflected Tom’s insight and feeling, usually in the form of creative puns.
Here are a few of our favorite artwork images with wacky names that seem to fit the vibrant and bold style of Everhart’s interpretation of Snoopy art. For more information on Tom Everhart’s original artwork and prints of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the Peanuts© gang, visit Ocean Galleries.
