The Bold Legacy of Franklin: How Peanuts Championed Racial Inclusion in 1968

When it comes to entertaining across thousands of newspapers and spanning decades, Peanuts stands out for its profound reflection of 20th-century cultural touchstones. For a series deeply committed to portraying the philosophical depths of childhood, creator Charles M. Schulz had more than one opportunity to make meaningful changes to its world or character roster without feeling forced. This was especially true of Franklin, a recurring character introduced in 1968 as the second person of color and the first Black recurring character in the iconic comic strip.

Franklin’s debut, joining Charlie Brown at the beach on July 31, 1968, was far from an understated move. Schulz did not originally conceive of this addition and initially balked at the proposal, fearing it would be perceived as an insincere token gesture. Despite receiving significant pushback, Schulz continuously included the character, giving him a rich backstory and seamlessly integrating him into the Peanuts cast. While Franklin’s moments alongside the cast were not without their missteps over the years, Schulz impressively refused to compromise on this inclusion, staying remarkably ahead of his time.

Peanuts’ Inclusion Of Franklin Was Relatively Ahead Of Its Time

Preceded by trailblazers like Morrie Turner’s Wee Pals, recognized as the first ongoing American comic strip with racially integrated characters, Peanuts served as a powerful example of how its creator understood the gravity of such an inclusion. The character passed the litmus test with readers, producing a figure in one of the most widely-circulated comic strips of all time that allowed additional audiences to see themselves represented.

However, this addition was not Schulz’s original idea, but rather born from a fan letter by Harriet Glickman of Los Angeles in the days following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite initially expressing deep fears about the process, Schulz forged ahead despite complaints from editors, including United Feature Syndicate president Larry Rutman, frequently putting his own job on the line. This stands in stark contrast to the Jim Crow-era minstrel depictions seen in strips like Dennis the Menace’s Jackson, or other problematic caricatures such as Mandrake the Magician’s Lothar.

Franklin is conscientious, thoughtful, friendly, and a remarkably laid-back member of the Peanuts gang. His backstory quickly established that his father fought in Vietnam, a topically relevant detail in 1968, while Charlie Brown amusingly forgets which war his own father fought in. It is clear that Franklin is a carefully-realized character with his own distinctive personality, maintaining his integrity as a student even when Peppermint Patty hatches her usual half-baked classroom schemes to guess the right answer on a test.

Released on November 12, 1969, Franklin was placed in the same classroom as white students, sitting just in front of Peppermint Patty. This decision likely angered at least one editor. Schulz recalled an instance of an editor at a newspaper distributing Peanuts in the American South who requested Schulz “don’t show them in school together.” Schulz, of course, ignored the request, with Franklin continuing to make such appearances up until November 5, 1999, as the comic strip approached its final days. While Schulz showed feisty defiance by having the audacity to let a new character exist in the same sphere as his others, not every iteration of Franklin was perfectly presented.

Franklin’s Biggest Controversy Was Finally Addressed Over 50 Years Later

In what was otherwise a sweet and typical Peanuts TV special, 1973’s A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving encountered significant backlash in retrospect for its odd visual style choice of having Franklin isolated on the empty side of their feast table. Sitting conspicuously in a lawn chair while the opposite end and other sides were crowded by Charlie Brown’s friends, it was a strange move, especially for the most prominent Black character in Peanuts.

Yet, the same sweetness for which the franchise is known manifested in 2024’s Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin. In the special, the gang enjoys a pizza party and celebrates the moment Franklin confirms his dad’s new job won’t have him needing to relocate as much. Addressing the faux pas head-on, the special sees Franklin once again seating himself at the empty side of the table, only for Linus to say the group saved him a seat next to the group on the other side. It is a meaningful gesture that is very much not lost on the viewers, clearly in keeping with what the creator of Peanuts had proven he was willing to risk his job to preserve: the existence of a kid who deserved friends and to be a part of the story.

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