Lucy Van Pelt is among football gag that would eventually become a series staple.

Violet was, in many ways, the series' original "Lucy", and they're even mistaken for each other frequently thanks to their matching black hairstyles.

Before Lucy's creation in 1952, Violet Gray ed the cast of Peanuts in 1951 as Charlie Brown's short-lived crush and long-term bully. Violet was, in many ways, the series' original "Lucy", and they're even mistaken for each other frequently thanks to their matching black hairstyles. She slowly faded into obscurity after Lucy's introduction, limited to cameo appearances in the '80s and '90s before her final appearance in 1997. Before then, though, Violet starred in plenty of entertaining comic strips that are worth revisiting as she celebrates her 74th anniversary this month.

10 Violet Didn't Care for Charlie Brown From Day One

First Published: February 7, 1951

Violet's debut in 1951 sets the precedent for her relationship with Charlie Brown before they even exchange a word. Upon her arrival, she happily introduces herself to Snoopy - who resembles a more traditional dog in early Peanuts comic strips - and ignores Charlie Brown when he pointedly clears his throat.

As it turns out, Charlie Brown hadn't been trying to get her attention, and he berates Snoopy for failing to introduce him to Violet. This joke hints at the intelligent dog Snoopy will someday become, in addition to establishing how little Violet cares for poor Charlie Brown, since she doesn't spare him so much as a glance before walking away. Unfortunately, Violet's treatment of Peanuts' protagonist only worsens from here.

9 Violet Was The First to Call Charlie Brown a Blockhead

First Published: August 16, 1951

Lucy may be known for calling Charlie Brown a blockhead, but she wasn't the first character in Peanuts to use the now-iconic insult. Violet originated the name back in 1951, prior to Lucy's introduction. In this comic, as Charlie Brown walks off, Violet recites the mantra of "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me", before turning around and calling Charlie Brown a blockhead.

The irony here, of course, is that Violet downplays the effectiveness of insults before slinging one in Charlie Brown's direction, just to get a rise out of him. Violet tends to be a hypocrite in her Peanuts appearances, being rude to Charlie Brown in one strip and being offended by him standing up for himself in the next.

8 Violet Originated Peanuts' Iconic Football Gag, Not Lucy

First Published: November 14, 1951

That's right: the long-running joke that Lucy is most commonly associated with throughout pop culture began with Violet instead of Lucy. In fact, contrary to its reputation, it wasn't always intended to be a mean-spirited prank. As seen here, Violet holds the football still for Charlie Brown but panics at the thought of him kicking her hand instead.

Just as Charlie Brown charges at the ball, she pulls away out of fear, causing him to slip and fall. In true Violet fashion, she immediately pins the blame on Charlie Brown after the fact by saying, "You didn't kick the ball, Charlie Brown...why didn't you kick it?" Lucy went on to hold Charlie Brown's football next, and it would gradually evolve into one of Peanuts' best gags.

7 Violet Will Do Anything to Keep Charlie Brown Away From Her Parties

First Published: September 14, 1954

In this comic, Violet isn't shy about not wanting Charlie Brown around. She asks if he likes coconut, and when he says he doesn't, she announces that she'll be hosting a party full of coconut, from coconut cake to coconut candy. Disgusted by the prospect of this, Charlie Brown runs away, and the triumphant smile on Violet's face says it all.

Charlie Brown first reveals that he doesn't like coconut in a comic strip from February 24, 1951, in which Violet offers him a mud pie sprinkled with coconut and he's more revolted by the coconut than the mud.

One of Violet's funniest running jokes involves throwing parties and telling Charlie Brown that he won't be invited to them for reasons that vary in absurdity. Along with her friend Patty - another underrated character who was also overshadowed after getting replaced by the more well-known Peppermint Patty - she finds endless joy in refusing to allow poor Charlie Brown ittance into her gatherings.

6 Charlie Brown Gets What's Coming to Him After Crossing Violet

First Published: June 14, 1953

Believe it or not, Violet's dislike of Charlie Brown isn't entirely unjustified, as their mistreatment of each other goes both ways. In an unusual moment of generosity, she offers him an ice cream cone as thanks for being "nice" to her. However, Charlie Brown its that he hasn't been nice to her at all. He recalls the ways he's harmed her, such as pushing her off her tricycle unprovoked.

Violet insists on giving Charlie Brown the ice cream, then smashes the cone on his head. Either she'd intended to do this from the start as a prank, or being reminded of his cruelty makes her lash out. Either way, this is one of the few instances where Charlie Brown deserves to get bullied by Violet.

5 Like Lucy, Violet Is Willing to Get Violent with Charlie Brown

First Published: April 4, 1953

Although Violet isn't quite as prone to violence towards Charlie Brown as Lucy is, she doesn't hesitate to knock him down a peg when the situation calls for it. One such example can be found in this comic, when Charlie Brown witnesses Patty calling Violet a tattletale. Once she's gone, he decides to rub salt in the wound by calling out, "Ol' 'Tattletale' Gray, huh?"

This joke doesn't amuse Violet in the slightest, and without a word, she punches Charlie Brown in the head before storming off. At this point, he should know better than to insult Violet, since it doesn't have a history of turning out well for him. Still, even if Violet doesn't appreciate Charlie Brown's humor, readers certainly do.

4 Charlie Brown Tries (And Fails) To Reason with Violet

First Published: August 4, 1963

This comic kicks off with Violet chasing after Charlie Brown in a fit of rage and declaring that she'll "get him", presumably because of a joke or insult that had backfired. Before she can land a hit on him, though, Charlie Brown attempts to reason with his assailant by delivering a powerful speech about violence not being the answer.

Charlie Brown goes on about how they should resolve matters peacefully to make the world a better place, then Violet shuts him up by punching him. As she leaves him lying on the ground, she tells Patty, "I had to hit him quick...he was beginning to make sense!" Maybe one day Violet will do some self-reflection, but this isn't that day.

3 Violet Brags About Her Father's Wealth, But It Backfires

First Published: December 29, 1953

Another hilarious quirk of Violet's is her habit of bragging about how rich her father is, especially in comparison to Charlie Brown's father. Here, she visits his house, and at every turn she mentions how much better her house is. She declares that her dad makes more money than his, to which he nonchalantly replies, "I realize that...and I'm very happy for you." Clearly, this isn't the reaction Violet had been hoping for.

Whenever Violet insults someone, she does so in an effort to get a rise out of them. Rather than giving her that satisfaction in this comic, Charlie Brown takes the high road, which frustrates her to no end. At his kind words, all she can do is exclaim, "You drive me crazy!"

2 Snoopy its He Can't Compete With Violet's Rich Father

First Published: August 22, 1963

Charlie Brown isn't the only Peanuts character who has to deal with Violet's constant boasts about how wealthy her family is compared to others'. Even Snoopy has to endure it, as depicted in this strip. Without any prompting on Snoopy's part, she suddenly says, "My dad has a better comprehension of the role Great Britain must play during the next decade than your dad."

The comedy here stems from the fact that she's trying to compete with a dog here, as opposed to an actual person who could possibly be affected by her words. Snoopy, knowing his parents are dogs, concedes that she's right about that. Violet's obsession with putting others down to prop herself up reaches a laughable new low here.

1 Lucy Puts Violet In Her Place, Hinting at Peanuts' Future

First Published: September 20, 1959

In this last comic, Violet's penchant for rudeness reaches a crescendo as she launches a series of devastating insults at Lucy. Charlie Brown is thoroughly impressed as she calls Lucy a "fourteen-carat blockhead" among other vicious nicknames. She then strides over to Lucy with a wicked smirk on her face, believing she's won their verbal brawl, but she gets more than she'd bargained for once it's Lucy's turn.

Lucy catches Violet off guard by shouting, "You're a no-good, tale-tattling little sneaking snip-snap pony-tailed ape!!!" Violet sulks off in defeat, and Linus tells Charlie Brown that "nobody can beat Lucy at "infighting". Funnily enough, this comic foreshadows Violet's ultimate fate in Peanuts, as Lucy ends up replacing her by stealing her main traits and pulling them off better.