CHARLES M. SCHULZ, CREATOR OF PEANUTS*, TO RETIRE
NEW YORK, Dec. 14 - Charles M. ("Sparky") Schulz, creator of the PEANUTS
comic strip, will retire January 4th, 2000. In a letter to his readers,
colleagues, fellow cartoonists and friends, Schulz wrote:
"I have always wanted to be a cartoonist, and I feel very blessed to have been
able to do what I love for almost 50 years. That all of you have embraced
Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus and all the other PEANUTS characters has
been a constant motivation for me.
"It is important for me to tell you personally that I have decided to retire
from drawing the PEANUTS comic strip, after the daily release of Monday,
January 3rd, 2000 (and Sunday release of February 13th), in order to
concentrate on my treatment for and recuperation from colon cancer. Although
I feel better following my recent surgery, I want to focus on my health and
my family without the worry of a daily deadline.
"Thank you for your kindness and support over the years and for the outpouring
of good wishes since my surgery."
In accordance with the wishes of Mr. Schulz, his last original daily strip will
appear on Monday, January 3rd, and his last original Sunday will appear on
February 6. Beginning on Tuesday, January 4th, for dailies (and February 20th
for Sundays), we will be offering our PEANUTS clients comic strips originally
drawn in 1974. The year 1974 was chosen as the roll-out year for Classic
Peanuts because it incorporates the characters of the strip's very early days
(Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder and Snoopy) with popular characters that were
introduced in later years such as Peppermint Patty and Woodstock. The strips
that he drew in 1974 unite the genius of comic timing and dialogue with the
artwork of a master.
On October 2, 1950, Charles M. Schulz's PEANUTS comic strip first appeared in
seven newspapers. Growing from that original seven to more than 2,600 today,
PEANUTS is the most widely syndicated comic strip in history. On a daily basis,
PEANUTS reaches more than 355 million readers in 75 countries and 21
languages. Its timeless and endearing humor has expanded into more than 50
animated television specials, more than 1,400 books selling 300 million copies,
and four feature films.
資料來源
http://www.snoopy.com/comics/peanuts/letter.html
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