Summary

• Snoopy's evolution from a doglike character to an anthropomorphic one is perfectly showcased in two comics published 40 years apart.
• Schulz's decision to make Snoopy more humanlike over time, with verbal communication and new activities, changed the character forever.
• The striking similarities between two comics from 1954 and 1994 may have been intentional, showing just how much Snoopy changed over the years.

Two remarkably similar his first Peanuts appearances made him far more doglike. What's amazing is that two comics published 40 years from each other perfectly show the character's evolution over time.

In a comic published in April 1954, Snoopy is shown chasing after a golf ball as it lands in the hole. He ends up digging through the hole to retrieve the ball, which leads to angry golfers throwing their clubs at him to get him off the green. It's a funny little strip that fits with who Snoopy was at the time. However, 40 years later, in a July 1994 strip, Snoopy is shown to be a golfer himself as he putts his ball into the hole. When he chucks it back, other golfers lob their balls at him in anger over the returning ball potentially causing confusion.

It's remarkable to see how similar these two comic strips are in concept. However, what makes them even better is how they showcase just how much Snoopy had changed over the course of the comic's life.

Snoopy's Golf Escapades Perfectly Showcase Just How Far He's Come

He's Evolved Well Past What Schulz Intended Him to Be

The coolest thing about these two similar-yet-different comics is that they perfectly show just how much Snoopy has moved away from how he was originally portrayed. Back in his early days, he was a standard dog. He didn't have any thought bubbles to show what he was thinking. Instead, he exclusively relied on visual gags to show off the silly side of being a dog. He was even far more restricted in his movements, limited entirely to running on all fours.

"Schulz took a different approach to the character by making him behave like the other Peanuts kids."

As decades went by, though, and Snoopy became more popular with readers, Schulz took a different approach to the character by making him behave like the other Peanuts kids. He walks on his hind legs; he's able to communicate verbally with the reader, as well as other animals like Woodstock, through thought bubbles; and he participates in human activities with various alter-egos, despite being a dog. In a way, Schulz molded him to be one of with his beloved cast of characters, and it was a decision that changed the character forever.

Snoopy's 40-Year Golf Comparisons May Have Been Intentional

There's No Way It's a Funny Coincidence

When looking at the two comics from 1954 and 1994, it's hard to say that they're similar by coincidence. They both have a similar setup and punchline as Snoopy interacts on the golf course and becomes the target of angry golfers. It's possible that the 1994 comic was Charles Schulz's way of paying homage to his original portrayal of Snoopy in the 1950s. After all, the comic strip had been around for over 40 years at that point, and Peanuts would officially come to an end six years later. So, Schulz likely thought it would be funny to tell a similar joke, but with the new Snoopy that had become popular as the years went by.

It's impossible to say if this is true, since Schulz ed away the same year as Peanuts' final strip. However, whether intentional or not, it's a funny way to show just how different Snoopy became as the strip grew in popularity. Peanuts evolved with time as the years went by, and Snoopy's similar comics told 40 years apart are a perfect showcase of just how much he changed compared to the other characters.