# Is "Peanuts" still popular with kids today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536 "2022-06-21T03:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/1 "2022-06-21T03:07:39Z")
I’m teaching a “wacky music class” starting next week and one of our instruments is the jaw harp. Will kids (ages 9-11) recognize the instrument from Snoopy playing it? Or will they have no idea what I’m talking about if I mention Snoopy? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/2 "2022-06-21T03:11:28Z")
There was a Peanuts movie a few years ago that was pretty well received (my kids, now 13 & 11 saw it and liked it, the theater was packed with kids when we went). Plus there’s the Charlie Brown Christmas special that is still watched. They’ll know snoopy. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/3 "2022-06-21T03:18:28Z")
Kids may well still know Snoopy and the other Peanuts characters, but they may not be familiar enough with Snoopy to associate him with a jaw harp. IMO, the jaw harp was a fairly minor part of the character, and not nearly as closely associated with him as the doghouse, pretending to be a WWI fighter pilot, etc. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/4 "2022-06-21T03:27:41Z")
I asked my daughters 8 and 6. At first, they had no idea what I was talking about. When I showed them a picture, they recognized him. That said, I don’t remember Snoopy playing a jaw harp – I’m sure he did and I must have seen it a million times, but I just don’t associate the instrument with him and would not make the connection. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/5 "2022-06-21T03:36:10Z")
I think the jawharp only appeared in **A Boy Named Charlie Brown.** Definitely a minor aspect of Snoopy lore. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/6 "2022-06-21T03:36:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That said, I don’t remember Snoopy playing a jaw harp I didn’t remember it, either, until @CairoCarol mentioned it in her OP. It looks like he played it at least once in one of the Peanuts movies (“A Boy Named Charlie Brown”), and as a result, there is apparently a brand of inexpensive jaw harps which uses Snoopy’s name and likeness. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oCekQ8Sizqk/maxresdefault.jpg "Snoopy Jammin' on a Jaw Harp from "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" 1969") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCekQ8Sizqk) [https://cdn3.volusion.com/g69hy.ya6bn/v/vspfiles/photos/634015-2.jpg?v-cache=1606990802](https://cdn3.volusion.com/g69hy.ya6bn/v/vspfiles/photos/634015-2.jpg?v-cache=1606990802) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/7 "2022-06-21T03:42:07Z")
That’s the jaw harp I owned as a kid! I was very disappointed as I could never make it sound very good. I don’t think the kids in the class will get very good either - but I hope they will be amused by the idea. Even played badly, which is all we will achieve, it makes an intriguingly peculiar twang. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/8 "2022-06-21T03:44:50Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Kids may well still know Snoopy and the other Peanuts characters, but they may not be familiar enough with Snoopy to associate him with a jaw harp. > [@Nonsuch](#): > > I think the jawharp only appeared in **A Boy Named Charlie Brown.** Definitely a minor aspect of Snoopy lore. I was a pretty big fan of _Peanuts_ when I was a kid (and I’m sure I saw that movie at least once, sometime), but I don’t remember any association of Snoopy with a jaw harp. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/9 "2022-06-21T09:38:01Z")
Add me to the list of _Peanuts_ fans who had no inkling that Snoopy was a musician. I _did_ know that he could dance, however. mmm ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/10 "2022-06-21T10:07:39Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Add me to the list of _Peanuts_ fans who had no inkling that Snoopy was a musician. > > I _did_ know that he could dance, however. I also didn’t know/remember that he played that harp, but I have a picture in my mind of Snoopy playing a guitar. Is my memory correct? ETA: yep, I was right, though that also could have been a bass guitar: ![](https://c.tenor.com/oQrn4NHfb5sAAAAC/snoopy-peanuts.gif) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/11 "2022-06-21T11:28:18Z")
Yeah, my first thought is he played upright bass. But being Snoopy, he’s so cool that he could probably play anything if he wanted. This is kind of surreal: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qI5atjBjjtw/hqdefault.jpg "Charlie Brown | ZZ Top | La Grange") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI5atjBjjtw) ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/12 "2022-06-21T12:10:23Z")
Coincidentally, there was a question about Peanuts in the final round of _The Weakest Link_ just last night. The question was along the lines of “In the Charlie Brown Halloween special, Linus waits in vain for what imaginary character?” The answer, of course, is “The Great Pumpkin.” The contestant, not a kid but a relatively young woman, reasoned thusly: “Okay, I know Snoopy is the dog, so he’s not imaginary. I think ‘Peanuts’ has something to do with Charlie Brown and Linus, so I’m going to say Peanuts.” So she knew of Snoopy, but had only a vague knowledge of the Peanuts canon in general. My impression is that this is true of lot of younger people; apart from the occasional holiday special, which may get last among many other holiday specials, Peanuts has kind of fallen off the radar. Edited to add: in my mind, Snoopy is a bass player. They’re always the coolest one in the band, as everyone knows. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/13 "2022-06-21T12:34:22Z")
Grammar nitpick: the title should be “Are peanuts still popular…” ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/14 "2022-06-21T12:45:36Z")
No, it shouldn’t. The subject is a title. Titles are singular. I agree with the consensus that basically the characters are recognizable, the stories and personalities really aren’t. It’s interesting to compare this with Calvin and Hobbes: Watterson’s commitment to not merchandizing his characters or using them in advertisements (which I much admire) also has lead to their extinction in popular culture: for better or worse, I suspect Snoopy is still at least identifiable by name to the vast majority of grade schoolers. Calvin and Hobbes is only recognizable if you have the sort of parents who went out of their way to introduce you to them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/15 "2022-06-21T14:35:08Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I agree with the consensus that basically the characters are recognizable, the stories and personalities really aren’t. It’s interesting to compare this with Calvin and Hobbes: Watterson’s commitment to not merchandizing his characters or using them in advertisements (which I much admire) also has lead to their extinction in popular culture: for better or worse, I suspect Snoopy is still at least identifiable by name to the vast majority of grade schoolers. Calvin and Hobbes is only recognizable if you have the sort of parents who went out of their way to introduce you to them. A good parallel. Repeats of the old _Peanuts_ strips are still syndicated to newspapers, and appear on the GoComics website, though I doubt that many kids are aware of those. But, between re-runs of _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ and _It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown_ during the holiday season, and the characters still being used in licensing (including at some amusement parks), I agree that today’s kids are likely at least somewhat aware of the characters. Also, I just discovered that there are two fairly new Snoopy/Peanuts animated TV series running on Apple+. OTOH, I do regularly see (unlicensed) Calvin & Hobbes-themed t-shirts on several online stores, which specialize in “nerd culture” t-shirts; however, I’d agree that those shirts are likely being bought by old nerds like me, and most twenty-somethings and younger have no idea who the characters are. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/16 "2022-06-21T14:39:33Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > No, it shouldn’t. The subject is a title. Titles are singular. Of course you’re correct, and I _hope_ you’re being whooshed. @Roger_That teaches English, I believe, so surely he’s joking. You’re joking, right, **Roger\_That**? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/17 "2022-06-21T15:37:47Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Of course you’re correct, and I _hope_ you’re being whooshed. That’s what I assumed. > [@MandaJo](#): > > Watterson’s commitment to not merchandizing his characters or using them in advertisements (which I much admire) also has **lead** to their extinction in popular culture Gaudere’s Law? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/18 "2022-06-21T16:03:37Z")
I’m 45, and my mental image of Snoopy interacting with music is dancing, with no instrument at all. I do remember that Opus played a tuba, but I mostly only remember that because I played tuba. For that matter, a lot of comic-strip characters play tuba (the Born Loser and Ziggy come to mind), because frankly, the tuba is an instrument with a lot of comedic potential. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/19 "2022-06-21T17:35:03Z")
I remember Opus’s tuba playing. “Heavy metal?” “Weighty brass. Give me a break.” ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536/20 "2022-06-21T17:42:13Z")
My 3 and 6 year old love the Peanuts cartoons (we have a holiday sampler set with 4 or 5 of them), but I don’t think they’d recognize that instrument. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536.md?page=2)