Patty (Peanuts)

Patty is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip ''Peanuts'', created by Charles M. Schulz. Patty was formerly a major character whose role was reduced in later years; she never developed a distinct personality like Lucy, or Sally. She is sometimes confused with Peppermint Patty, a different and later character with a similar name. Patty appeared in the first ''Peanuts'' strip, with Shermy and Charlie Brown, on October 2, 1950.

Patty is best known as a girl who thinks highly of herself, and because of her self-opinion, she often torments the hapless Charlie Brown. She usually accompanies her best friend Violet and sometimes the abrasive Lucy.

Patty has appeared in numerous ''Peanuts'' television specials, cinematic films, theatrical plays, and video games.

In the 2015 film ''The Peanuts Movie'', her last name is given as Swanson. This name never appeared in the comic strip or in any official Peanuts media during Schulz's lifetime and is thus not canon. (Patty Swanson was in fact the name of the real person who partially inspired Peppermint Patty and had also served as the inspiration for the earlier Patty's name.)

History

An early conception of the character was created by Schulz for his comic strip ''Li'l Folks'' (a precursor to ''Peanuts''). Schulz then reused the character for ''Peanuts'', and there he named her Patty.

Patty was featured in the first ''Peanuts'' comic strip, on October 2, 1950. In subsequent strips, Patty's character developed and she appeared regularly, but she eventually became less and less prominent until her succeeding appearances were reduced to mere cameos. By 1966, Schulz recycled the Patty name for a new character: "Peppermint" Patty Reichardt. Although the original Patty would make cameo appearances throughout the run of ''Peanuts'', she had ceased being a featured character by about 1975.

She continued to make cameo or background appearances until the early 1990s. Her last appearance was a rerun of a 1992 strip which was republished on November 27, 1997. Schulz claimed he drew Patty in the March 2, 1994 strip in which she wants Snoopy to chase rabbits with her (a role previously usually taken by Frieda), although some fans have stated that the girl in the strip in question does not resemble Patty.

Both before and after she receded into the background, Patty usually appeared either with her best friend Violet or with the rest of Charlie Brown's baseball team.

Other media

Patty made her television debut in the 1965 classic '' A Charlie Brown Christmas'', and appeared in many of the succeeding specials and theatrical animated films, the most recent of the specials being ''Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown''. Patty had a major part in the original version of the stage musical ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.'' She also appeared in ''The Peanuts Movie,'' a computer-generated movie based on the strip.

Character outline

As the only female character in the strip's very earliest days, Patty often acted as a sort of hen, looking out for the younger characters; however, she also set the tone for the strong female characters in the Peanuts universe. In her (and the strip's) second appearance, Patty is shown walking down the sidewalk reciting "Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice." She then punches Charlie Brown in the face and, without missing a beat, continues "That's what little girls are made of!"

Patty's name was first mentioned on October 26, 1950, 24 days after her first appearance. She was apparently the oldest child in the strip (possibly along with Violet and Shermy), as she attended school when Charlie Brown did not (strip of September 18, 1951). Eventually, she, along with Violet, became best known for their social snobbery and combined cruelty to Charlie Brown, although Violet was generally the more dominant of the two (thus Patty's role, in her later appearances, was reduced to that of a yes-girl). Patty is also known for asking Pig-Pen why he is constantly so dirty. In the 2015 film ''The Peanuts Movie'', Patty shows a crush towards Pig-Pen.

Patty's hair color is light brown (sometimes red, black, or blonde) and she customarily wears a checked dress with a matching bow in her hair, usually colored orange (colored light green in ''The Peanuts Movie''), and Mary Janes shoes.

Patty's birthday is December 4, but the strip from October 20, 1954 seemingly contradicts this, indicating that her birthday is on October 21. She plays outfield on Charlie Brown's baseball team; though in an early strip she was seen as catcher before Schroeder was introduced. It was Patty who first introduced Charlie Brown to Schroeder, who she said lived next door to her.

Voiced by

*Karen Mendelson (1963, 1965)
*Lisa DeFaria (1966-1969)
*Lynn Vanderlip (1966)
*Sally Dryer (1969)
*Linda Ercoli (1972-1975)
*Lynn Mortensen (1974)
*Linda Jenner (1974)
*Roseline Rubens (1980)
*Angela Lee (1983)
*Stacy Ferguson (1984-1986)
*Deanna Tello (1992)
*Kaitlyn Maggio (2003)
*Jolean Wejbe (2006)
*Leigh Bourke (2008-2009)
*Ciara Bravo (2011)
*Anastasia Bredikhina (2015)
*Natasha Nathan (2021)
*Addison Holley (2015-present)

Portrayals

Patty appeared as one of six characters in the original 1967 off-Broadway production of ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' (played by Karen Johnson). The character in the original musical was actually a composite of Patty, Frieda (who forces Snoopy to chase rabbits), and possibly Violet. By the time the show was revived on Broadway in the late 1990s, the composite Patty was replaced with Sally, since Patty had ceased making regular appearances in the strip decades earlier.

References

{{Peanuts

Patty
Comics characters introduced in 1950
Child characters in comics
Child characters in musical theatre
Child characters in television
Female characters in animation
Female characters in comics
Fictional bullies