Shermy (Peanuts)

Shermy was one of the four original characters in the comic strip "Peanuts", by Charles Schulz. Schulz named him after a friend from high school. ["Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art With Charlie Brown and Others", (c)1975 by Ballantine Books] When Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, Shermy had the first line of dialogue in the series. As Peanuts matured, however, Shermy eventually became an extraneous character, and by 1982, he stopped appearing entirely.

Personality and characteristics

Shermy was often portrayed as Charlie Brown's superior at the things that mattered to Charlie Brown, especially athletics. Though he spoke the only lines of dialogue in the first strip and was one of the strip's primary figures in its first few years, he was mainly utilized as a "straight man" for Charlie Brown and soon began to be eclipsed by newer characters who were more developed, such as Linus and Lucy. His disappearance from the strip was even faster and more complete than those of the other early characters, Patty and Violet; as early as the late 1950s his appearances were becoming noticeably rare. Shermy's major physical characteristic was his short, dark hair, which he usually wore in a crew cut. Apparently Schulz himself was not a big fan of this look, even though he never changed it, as he once commented that he "disliked" the way he drew Shermy's hair. ["Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Me: And All the Other Peanuts Characters", (c)1980 by Doubleday & Co., Inc.]

Movies and television specials

Shermy appears in several of the animated Peanuts TV specials, beginning with "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 1965, where he has one line of dialogue. Upon being cast as a shepherd in the gang's Christmas pageant, he laments, "Every Christmas it's the same: I always end up playing a shepherd." He also appears (sometimes with dialogue and sometimes without) in "Charlie Brown's All-Stars", "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown", "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown", and "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown", with the latter two being produced several years after he had already disappeared from the comic strip proper. Shermy is mentioned briefly in the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", in the song "The Doctor Is In", but does not have a speaking part, and he also makes a cameo appearance in the feature film "Snoopy Come Home".

Last appearance

Shermy's last actual appearance in a Peanuts strip came on June 15, 1982. [ [http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com/peantfaq.txt The Peanuts FAQ, section 4.2] ] Schulz expressed no regrets at dropping Shermy from the cast, remarking many years later that it had gotten to the point by then where he only used Shermy in situations where he "needed a character with very little personality." ["Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Me: And All the Other Peanuts Characters", (c)1980 by Doubleday & Co., Inc.] Shermy was referred to by name once more before 1982, in a 1977 strip where Charlie Brown and Lucy are discussing players on their baseball team. Shermy is mentioned as the team's designated hitter. Who he would have been hitting for was a mystery, since Charlie Brown was the pitcher, but always hit for himself, although in his days as a "Peanuts" regular (which predated the creation of the DH position) he usually played first base. The DH is an extra player, as was the Shermy character itself.

References