# Origina of phrase 'No comment from the peanut gallery'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931 "2000-06-28T20:28:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Corixidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Corixidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corixidae)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/1 "2000-06-28T20:28:52Z")
Anyone know where the phrase **No comment from the peanut gallery** originated? I’ve searched online and in dictionaries, quotation listings, and so on, and found no cites. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/2 "2000-06-28T20:35:57Z")
I believe, though I am not of the generation to which this refers, that it came from that venerable institution, the _Howdy Doody Show_. “Peanut Gallery” referred to the audience seats off to the side of the studio, and presumably “No comments from the Peanut Gallery” was used to quiet some of the more restive or overeager participants. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/3 "2000-06-28T20:38:29Z")
On the old Howdy Doody Show, the audience of children was known as the Peanut Gallery. In thows days, ‘peanut’ was a common slang term for ‘little kid’ (hence the name of Charles Shultz’ comic strip). It wasn’t long before comics and others used the term ‘Peanut Gallery’ as a way to lightly insult their adult audiences. Thus, when a heckler would shout something, the reply was often, “No comments from the Peanut Gallery, please.” I remember in the '76 (?) political conventions, they called the Carter supporters the Peanut Gallery. They also called Dole supporters the Pineapple Gallery. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/4 "2000-06-28T21:03:56Z")
it seemed that the phrase should be older, perhaps from the circus, so I went out looking for corroboration: [World Wide Words: Peanut Gallery](http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-pea1.htm) ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/5 "2000-06-28T21:50:00Z")
It was Dubose Heyward who coined the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/6 "2000-06-29T02:11:06Z")
You could always try the Archives: [What’s the origin of the expression “peanut gallery”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpeanut.html) ---
**Author:** ![Corixidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Corixidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corixidae)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/7 "2000-06-29T02:23:09Z")
Thanks all – I didn’t find that archive article either, so I must be a search idiot… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/8 "2000-06-29T13:40:33Z")
Once again, overeager posters showed up by The Master himself. I should learn to use the archive search tool. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origina-of-phrase-no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery/23931/9 "2000-06-29T13:45:15Z")
Well… actually, that “peanut gallery” in the Archives is in the Mailbag section, so was written by Straight Dope Staff Ian… and not by Cecil.