Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: Are Peanuts comics still being made?
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz that ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. Peanuts is among the most popular and influential in the history of comic strips, with 17,897 strips published in all,[1] making it "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being".[2] At its peak in the mid- to late 1960s, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of around 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages.[3] It helped to cement the four-panel gag strip as the standard in the United States,[4] and together with its merchandise earned Schulz more than $1 billion.[1]
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.
In addition to the comic strip, Violet has appeared alongside other "Peanuts" characters in numerous "Peanuts" television specials, cinematic movies, theatrical plays, and video games.
Boiled peanuts are popular in some places where peanuts are common. Fully mature peanuts do not make good quality boiled peanuts; rather raw or "green" ones are used. "Raw" denotes peanuts in a semi-mature state, having achieved full size, but not being fully dried, as would be needed for roasting or peanut butter use. After boiling in salt water they take on a strong salty taste and become softer with the length of cooking, somewhat resembling a pea or bean, to which they are related. The most flavorful peanuts for boiling are the Valencia type. These are preferred in the United States, being grown in gardens and small patches throughout the South. Green Virginia-type peanuts are also sometimes used.
Later that year, Schulz approached the United Feature Syndicate (also a Scripps Company) with "Li'l Folks", and the syndicate became interested. However, by that time Schulz had also developed a comic strip (also called "Li'l Folks"), typically using four panels rather than one. The strip was similar in spirit to the panel comic, but it had a set cast of characters, rather than different nameless little folk for each page. The syndicate preferred the strip; however, the name "Li'l Folks" was too close to the names of two other comics of the time: Al Capp's "Li'l Abner" and a strip titled "Little Folks". To avoid confusion, the syndicate chose the name "Peanuts", after the peanut gallery featured in the "Howdy Doody" TV show. "Peanuts" made its first appearance on October 2, 1950, in seven newspapers.
The practice of continuing a zombie comic strip is commonly criticized by cartoonists, particularly younger ones in the new generation, including Bill Watterson and Stephan Pastis. Pastis addressed the issue in his strip, "Pearls Before Swine", in 2005. Mark Tatulli also commented on zombie strips in his strip "Liō" in 2010. and in 2013. After an incident in which United Feature Syndicate secretly retained the services of superhero comic artist Al Plastino to continue the comic strip "Peanuts" in case of an interruption, Charles Schulz, author and creator of "Peanuts", requested that his strip (which, in contrast to most comic strips today, he drew completely on his own with no assistants of any kind) not be continued by another cartoonist after his death; Schulz's family (as well as Universal Uclick, which currently holds the strip's publication rights) has honored his wishes. Since Schulz's death in 2000, "Peanuts" has continued in reruns under the title "Classic Peanuts".
Scott Mendelson from "Forbes" was more critical of the film, saying there was "nothing objectively wrong with "The Peanuts Movie"", but as he personally was not a fan of the "Peanuts" comic strip, that made him "anti-Charlie Brown", loathing each time Charlie Brown failed in the film. Joe McGovern from "Entertainment Weekly" was also not as receptive, giving the film a grade of C+, and criticizing the animation, stating, "Even if you assume that Schulz always wanted his frozen pond reflecting lustrous light and Snoopy frolicking in a lavish Hayao Miyazaki world, the animation steroids injected into the aesthetic here nonetheless shrivel the great melancholy that's so key to the comic's endurance".
Charlie Brown's Super Book of Questions and Answers was a series of encyclopedia-like books featured comic strips and art from the comic strip "Peanuts". Five volumes were made from 1976 to 1981.
The paintings using Schulz's comic strip, Peanuts, as subject matter began and replaced the skeleton and nature related paintings in 1988. The inspiration came to Everhart in Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was undergoing several operations for stage 4 colon / liver cancer in the summer of 1988. Everhart recalls lying in a hospital bed surrounded by enough flowers to open a florist shop, piles of art books and a stack of Peanuts comic strips sent to him by Schulz. The light streaming in from the window almost projected the new images of his future Schulz inspired paintings on the wall. All the images in Everhart's work are in some respect derived from Schulz's Peanuts comic strip.
As of the 2010s, mass-produced circus peanuts are made from sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, pectin, soy protein, food coloring and artificial flavor.
Over the years, confectioners have also offered circus peanuts colored yellow, pink, and white, including a variety of flavors, though orange is still the most predominant color and banana the most common flavor, by far. The leading producers of circus peanuts are Melster Candies, Spangler Candy Company, and Brach's, but they produce an essentially identical product. Circus peanuts sold in generic label bags in retail stores such as convenience stores, grocery stores, and drug stores are almost always manufactured by one of the three candy companies listed above, simply sold in a generic package. The Publix supermarket chain at one time sold generic circus peanuts under its own label, manufactured by Farley and Sathers. The serving size is 5 peanuts.
It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown is the 32nd prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip "Peanuts," by Charles M. Schulz. It is a hybrid of animation and live-action footage, and features Spike instead of the core "Peanuts" characters. A spin-off focused on Spike's unrequited love for a young woman, it was described to being similar to "Beauty and the Beast".
It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown is the last animated special produced under the supervision of Charles M. Schulz. Based on characters from the comic strip "Peanuts", it was released on September 12, 2000, seven months after the death of Charles Schulz. "It's The Pied Piper" also has the distinction of being the first new "Peanuts" special to be released to DVD.
An early conception of the character was created by Schulz for his comic strip "Li'l Folks" (which is like an embryonic stage of "Peanuts"). Schulz then reused the character for "Peanuts," and there, he named her Patty.
Throughout the region, many candies and snacks are made using peanuts. In Mexico, it is common to find them in different presentations as a snack or candy: salty, "Japanese" peanuts, praline, "enchilados" or in the form of a very nutritious traditional sweet made with peanuts and honey called "palanqueta", and even as peanut marzipan.
The foundations of the comics industry began in the early 1920's just after the culmination of the First World War. Initially starting out as small black-and-white strips, comics predominantly acted as entertaining filler space within national and local magazines and newspapers around the country. It was not until 1929 with the publication of "The Funnies #1" that the first collection of comics material came about. The years following witnessed a spurt of comics publication that lasted up until present day with children and adults alike still knowing names like "Batman, Superman, Peanuts," and "Calvin and Hobbes."
Nat Gertler (born April 30, 1965) is an American writer known for his comic books and his books about comics, including two on Charles Schulz's "Peanuts". Gertler is the publisher of About Comics, and founded an annual cartoonists' challenge, 24 Hour Comics Day. He was nominated for two Eisner Awards. Gertler made a guest appearance on the comic review show "Atop The Fourth Wall" as himself.
Snoopy is Charlie Brown's pet beagle[3] in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the Peanuts movies and television specials, like The Peanuts Movie. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in the comic strip, and is considered more famous than Charlie Brown in other countries. The original drawings of Snoopy were inspired by Spike, one of Schulz's childhood dogs.[4][5]
The December 1997 issue of The Comics Journal featured an extensive collection of testimonials to Peanuts. Over 40 cartoonists, from mainstream newspaper cartoonists to underground, independent comic artists, shared reflections on the power and influence of Schulz's art. Gilbert Hernandez wrote, "Peanuts was and still is for me a revelation. It's mostly from Peanuts where I was inspired to create the village of Palomar in Love and Rockets. Schulz's characters, the humor, the insight ... gush, gush, gush, bow, bow, bow, grovel, grovel, grovel ..." Tom Batiuk wrote: "The influence of Charles Schulz on the craft of cartooning is so pervasive it is almost taken for granted." Batiuk also described the depth of emotion in Peanuts: "Just beneath the cheerful surface were vulnerabilities and anxieties that we all experienced, but were reluctant to acknowledge. By sharing those feelings with us, Schulz showed us a vital aspect of our common humanity, which is, it seems to me, the ultimate goal of great art."[51]
In the early 1990s, starch-based packing peanuts were developed as a more environment-friendly alternative. The starch in the peanuts comes from crop-based sources rather than petroleum-based polystyrene, and is non-toxic. One of the first brands of biodegradable peanuts, Biofoam, is made from the grain sorghum; other brands are made from corn starch. Biodegradable foam peanuts have no electrostatic charge, another benefit over polystyrene. Being biodegradable and nontoxic, they are also safe for humans and pets if ingested accidentally. However, they are not produced in food-safe conditions, and are not recommended for eating. Also, during the manufacturing process, the nutritional value is removed from starch-based packing peanuts. This removes edible components, such as sugars, that would otherwise attract rodents and bugs. Their main drawbacks compared with polystyrene are lower resilience, higher weight (6.5 to 13 g per litre/0.4 to 0.8 lb per cubic foot), dust creation, potential attraction of rodents, and higher price. Starch-based peanuts are soluble in water, and polystyrene peanuts are soluble in acetone, but not vice versa. Starch based products can be disposed with down the sink, dissolving on contact with the water.
Shermy is a fictional character from the comic strip "Peanuts", by Charles Schulz. Schulz named him after a friend from high school. When Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, Shermy had the first lines of dialogue in the series, ending with "Good ol' Charlie Brown . . . How I hate him!" 
Peanuts continues to be prevalent in multiple media through widespread syndication, the publication of The Complete Peanuts, the release of several new television specials (all of which Schulz had worked on, but had not finished, before his death), and Peanuts Motion Comics. Additionally, BOOM! Studios has published a series of comic books that feature new material by new writers and artists, although some of it is based on classic Schulz stories from decades past, as well as including some classic strips by Schulz, mostly Sunday color strips.
Refined peanut oil will not cause allergic reactions in most people with peanut allergies. However, crude (unrefined) peanut oils have been shown to contain protein, which may cause allergic reactions. In a randomized, double-blind crossover study, 60 people with proven peanut allergy were challenged with both crude peanut oil and refined peanut oil. The authors concluded, "Crude peanut oil caused allergic reactions in 10% of allergic subjects studied and should continue to be avoided." They also stated, "Refined peanut oil does not seem to pose a risk to most people with peanut allergy." However, they point out that refined peanut oil can still pose a risk to peanut-allergic individuals if oil that has previously been used to cook foods containing peanuts is reused.
Linus Maurer was the inspiration for the name of Charles M. Schulz's famous character, Linus van Pelt, in the "Peanuts" comic strip. Maurer and Schulz had been classmates at Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and remained lifelong friends. Both men also worked together at the Art Instruction Schools Inc. in Minneapolis while Schulz was creating "Peanuts". Schulz would name Linus van Pelt, who is known for his blue security blanket in the "Peanuts" comic strip, after his friend and colleague. He would later wrote in a book marking the 50th anniversary of "Peanuts", "Linus came from a drawing that I made one day of a face almost like the one he now has...I experimented with some wild hair, and showed the sketch to a friend of mine who sat near me at art instruction, whose name was Linus Maurer. It seemed appropriate that I should name the character Linus." Schulz and Maurer continued to meet for coffee at Snoopy's Home Ice skating rink in Santa Rosa, California, until Schulz's death in 2000.
Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar is a candy bar similar to the Butterfinger, Clark Bar and 5th Avenue but differs by adding peanuts and peanut butter. It has a middle section made of flaky peanut butter, a layer of peanut butter, is covered with chopped peanuts and then coated with milk chocolate. The candy bar was introduced in February 2006in the United States as an addition to their Reese's product line and is currently still in production.
Cartoon tributes have appeared in other comic strips since Schulz's death in 2000 and are now displayed at the Charles Schulz Museum.[50] In May 2000, many cartoonists included a reference to Peanuts in their strips. Originally planned as a tribute to Schulz's retirement, after his death that February it became a tribute to his life and career. Similarly, on October 30, 2005, several comic strips again included references to Peanuts and specifically the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown television special.