Snoopy is perhaps the most beloved character in the entire Peanuts catalog, even including Charlie Brown himself. Despite his widespread popularity, however, many fans might now know Snoopy’s full backstory. Everyone knows Snoopy is Charlie Brown’s dog, as he has been since the start of the comic strip back in 1950. But what they may not know is that Snoopy had an owner before Charlie Brown, which was a comic strip story arc that later inspired an animated film.
As revealed in a crop of Peanuts comic strips published in August 1968, Snoopy had an owner named Lila before being adopted by Charlie Brown. This shocking revelation isn’t just sprung on fans, either, but is slowly revealed in a series of strips that pull back the layers of Snoopy’s backstory - ones that also explain why Lila will always have a special place in his heart.
In the Peanuts comic strip published August 20, 1968, Charlie Brown approaches Snoopy, who’s sitting on top of his dog house. Charlie Brown is bringing his dog a letter from someone he’s never met before: Lila. Charlie Brown has heard Lila’s name before, but he’s never actually met her. Other than the fact that she sends Snoopy letters from time to time, Charlie Brown doesn’t know anything about her. However, this comic strip makes it clear that Snoopy certainly knows Lila, and he’s annoyed to be hearing from her.
In the Peanuts comic strip published August 21, 1968, Snoopy holds the letter from Lila that Charlie Brown gave him in the previous strip, though as of the first few panels, he hasn’t read it. Snoopy is reluctant to read a letter from Lila, because doing so always makes him depressed. But, Snoopy eventually bites the bullet and reads what Lila wanted to write to him. In the last panel, Snoopy lets out a dramatic “Oh, no!”, leaving Charlie Brown to wonder what’s wrong.
After reading Lila’s letter, Snoopy goes into a panic in this Peanuts comic strip published August 22, 1968. He starts running around saying “Lila needs me” while looking for any supplies he may need on his journey to go visit her (which ends up being nothing more than his dog food bowl). Once more, Charlie Brown is left wondering what’s going on, though Snoopy doesn’t leave him entirely in the lurch. After he’s all packed up and ready to leave, Snoopy gives Charlie Brown a firm handshake, as if to express his respect and thanks.
In the Peanuts comic strip published August 24, 1968, Snoopy finally arrives at his destination, and it’s a bit more heart-wrenching than readers likely would have thought. Snoopy went to a hospital, as Lila had been hospitalized due to an unknown (unrevealed) illness. She wrote to Snoopy, hoping to see her old dog during this difficult time - and Snoopy was happy to answer the call. The strip ends with Snoopy sitting by Lila’s side in her hospital room, with Lila overjoyed to see the pup again.
In the Peanuts comic strip published August 29, 1968, Snoopy had already returned home as if nothing happened after spending some time with Lila - though that wasn’t good enough for Charlie Brown. Chuck was driving himself crazy, wondering where Snoopy went, what Lila wanted, and who Lila even was. Then, Linus reveals that he uncovered all that information. Linus tells Charlie Brown that Lila was Snoopy’s original owner (which is how readers found out this information for the first time, too).
Snoopy is arguably Peanuts' most iconic character, and that has a lot to do with his hilarious alter egos, including his World Famous Tennis Player.
In the two comic strips that followed (August 30-31, 1968), Charlie Brown questions if Snoopy even wanted to be his dog, or if the pup would rather be with Lila. But, Linus reassures Charlie Brown that Snoopy is happy right where he is - something Snoopy himself would agree with wholeheartedly.
The Peanuts Animated Film “Snoopy, Come Home!” was Inspired by This Comic Strip Arc
The Peanuts Comics Published in August 1968 Inspired the 1972 Animated Feature
The entire story that’s told in the Peanuts comic strips published August 1968 is adapted beautifully in the animated feature film “Snoopy, Come Home!”. Not only were the strips themselves adapted almost frame-for-frame, but the movie even expanded on the established storyline. In the film, it’s explained that Lila had to get rid of Snoopy because the apartment she and her family lived in had a rule against having dogs, so Lila’s parents had to return Snoopy to the puppy farm. In the comic, it’s only stated that Lila lived in an apartment, without mentioning the "No Dogs Allowed” rule.
Not only that, but the trip Snoopy took to go see Lila was greatly expanded upon, and even included Snoopy’s best friend, Woodstock (who was nowhere to be seen in the comic strips). Snoopy and Woodstock encountered a number of hurdles to see Lila, including an animal-obsessed little girl named Clara they had to escape, as well as the hardships of simply roughing it out in the wild.
The biggest change the film added, however, had to be how this story ended. In the comic, Snoopy simply returns home to Charlie Brown. In the film, Snoopy briefly decides to stay with Lila. The details of Lila’s recovery remain a mystery in the comic, but she recovers in the movie, and wants to bring Snoopy back home to live with her again. While Snoopy agrees - leading to a tearful goodbye to Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang - Snoopy ultimately returns to Charlie Brown.
Peanuts Animated Adaptations are Why the Comic Strip Became So Widely Beloved
It’s no question that Peanuts is probably the most beloved comic in history, and while the strip does stand on its own in terms of its humor, characters, and story arcs, a big reason why that’s the case is assuredly due to the animated adaptations. In fact, “Snoopy, Come Home!” is a testament to that assertion, as it not only shined a spotlight on this story arc that might have been totally buried by the mountain of Peanuts comic strips, it also expanded on the story in interesting ways, allowing fans to dive even deeper into the world of Peanuts.
Snoopy's WWI Flying Ace is his most iconic alter ego in Peanuts comic strips, movies, and specials, and his rich history is worthy of the recognition.
Every animated adaptation does this, from the original “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” to the fan-favorite holiday special “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”. And “Snoopy, Come Home!” is certainly no exception, as it’s perhaps the most important story in terms of Snoopy’s personal character development, and it was inspired by one of the best Peanuts story arcs in the comic strip’s history, as it revealed that Snoopy had an owner before Charlie Brown.
Created by Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts is a multimedia franchise that began as a comic strip in the 1950s and eventually expanded to include films and a television series. Peanuts follows the daily adventures of the Peanuts gang, with Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy at the center of them. Aside from the film released in 2015, the franchise also has several Holiday specials that air regularly on U.S. Television during their appropriate seasons.
English (US) ·