Top 10 Peanuts Comics Starring Charlie Brown's Biggest Unrequited Crush

Peanuts protagonist Charlie Brown was well-acquainted with unrequited love, as he pined for the "Little Red Head Girl" for much of the strip's fifty-year run in publication, but never was able to get her to return his affections. In fact, he never actually acted on his feelings, creating one of the great one-sided love stories of all time.

Based on a real person from artist Charles Schulz's past, the Little Red Head Girl became a staple of Peanuts, and one of the characters who truly emphasized the sad nature of Charlie Brown, which came to define the character.

Charles Schulz himself once proposed to a red-haired woman, and her rejection of him subsequently resulted in unrequited love becoming a recurring theme in his work. To emphasize this, Little Red Haired Girl never actually appeared in a Peanuts panel, emphasizing how Charlie Brown fawned over her from a distance.

10 "I'd Give Anything In The World If That Little Girl With The Red Hair Would Come Over At Sit With Me"

First Published: November 19, 1961

Lunchtime was never a fun hour for Charlie Brown. Lunch hour is when he usually takes the time to beat himself up for a myriad of reasons, or to pine over the Little Red Haired Girl from afar, a perennial Peanuts theme first introduced in this cartoon. He just wants to spend his lunch hour with his crush, but alas he could never muster the courage to do so.

His crush on the Little Red Head Girl would last all the way to very end of the Peanuts' run in 200. Thirty-nine years is an incredibly long time to pine after someone, but then again, Charlie Brown never worked up the bravery to talk to her, so he cannot really put the blame on anyone else.

9 "I've Never Even Said Hello To Her!!"

First Published: July 16, 1969

In a heartbreaking storyline for Charlie Brown, the Little Red Haired Girl is revealed to be moving away from the neighborhood. When Charlie Brown finds out that Little Red Haired Girl is leaving town, he laments that he thought he had years to finally work up the nerve to talk to her, but now it is too late. Linus suggests he say goodbye to her before it is too late, but it makes Charlie Brown even more upset, as he admits that he has "never even said hello to her", making his goodbye bound to seem a tad awkward in the process.

Amusingly, Charlie Brown had obviously thought a lot about his plans to talk to her, outlining potential meet-cutes from from "the sixth grade Swim Party"all the way to Senior Prom. Unfortunately for him, it all flashes before his eyes when he sees those opportunities no longer being an option.

8 "Suddenly I'm Writing Country Western Music"

First Published: October 4, 1969

Charlie Brown can feel things a little too deeply sometimes. Case in point, his heartbreak after the Little Red Haired Girl moves away without Charlie Brown being able to tell her his feelings for her... or to tell her anything, really. Likewise, if there is something that country music loves to croon about, it is heartbreak.

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When Charlie Brown is kept awake at night with his thoughts about the Little Red Haired Girl, he fights between what he should do about his feelings for her. Talking to himself about it, he realizes that his lovelorn thoughts make him sound like a country music songwriter. Honestly, he isn't wrong, based on what he says in this comic strip. Unrequited love and all the feelings that comes with it are in full force for poor Charlie Brown.

7 "It's Her! It's The Little Red-Haired Girl!"

First Published: December 20, 1969

After the grief of losing Little Red Haired Girl when she moves away, Charlie Brown thinks he will never see her again. Little does he know that a few months later he will end up encountering her again on his school ski trip with the rest of the Peanuts gang. All is going well for Charlie Brown, as well as things can for him at least, on his ski trip, but when he is on his first ever ski chair lift ride, he sees the Little Red Haired Girl and flips out... literally.

He falls off the chair lift, flipping onto the snow. Since kids come to the ski slopes from all over the state, Charlie Brown pauses to wonder the possibility of her being there only for him to be stuck in his tracks, well his seat, at the sight of her.

6 "Slugging Her Won't Solve Anything, Sir"

First Published: June 13, 1972

While it may be a big secret to the rest of the Peanuts gang, Peppermint Patty has a massive crush on Charlie Brown, or Chuck as she likes to call him. It is no secret to her best friend Marcie, however, or to readers. As much as Peppermint Patty tries to deny her crush on Charlie Brown, Marcie knows her too well to ever believe her denial. When Peppermint Patty and Marcie run into Little Red Haired Girl at summer camp, it sends Peppermint Patty into a bit of a tailspin.

She immediately gets upset as well as jealous when she hears that the girl Charlie Brown has been pining over constantly is at the same camp as her. Acting like she just wants to meet the girl, Peppermint Patty may have other plans in mind as Marcie points out, causing the pair to nearly come to blows.

5 "She Doesn't Think Of Me Because I'm A Nothing And You Can't Think Of Nothing"

First Published: May 30, 1978

The Little Red Haired Girl moved away in 1969, but she returned in 1978, with Charlie Brown first bringing her up again in this comic strip. He mentions to Linus how he is always thinking of her, but that his thoughts are not reciprocated by Little Red Haired Girl ,since he is "a nothing" and "you can't think of nothing." Linus does his best and tries to correct Charlie Brown, telling him that he is not nothing, which Charlie Brown figures to mean that he is above nothing, but barely, registering at .00001.

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To say that Charlie Brown does not have the best self-esteem would be a huge understatement, which is usually only made worse when he thinks of Little Red Haired Girl, like in this comic strip. He never thinks he is enough for her, no matter how much Linus tries to boost his buddy up.

4 "Hey Kid, Your Lover's Out Here!!"

First Published: December 28, 1978

Now that Little Red Haired Girl has moved back to the neighborhood, Charlie Brown goes back to his pining from afar strategy. However, this time it is a little on the creepy side, given that he decides to hide behind a tree at her house to watch her. That does not sound the best on paper, but his intentions are not bad; he's just not secure enough to talk to her or make his presence known to her, so he resorts to hiding.

Lucy tries to help Charlie Brown get his crush's attention in a way that is bold enough that Little Red Haired Girl learns of Charlie Brown's existence, but subtle enough to not be obnoxious. Unfortunately for Charlie Brown, her subtle way of letting her know that Charlie Brown exists is supremely embarrassing.

3 "You Pretend You're The Little Red-Haired Girl, Okay?"

First Published: February 10, 1985

Given Charlie Brown's feelings for her, it is not all that surprising that a Valentine's Day comic strip was done on the Little Red Haired Girl. In a festive comic strip of The Peanuts, Charlie Brown has gotten the Little Red Haired Girl a Valentine's card but is too nervous to give it to her in person yet, so he wants to practice giving it to her. As a result, Charlie Brown enlists Snoopy to pretend to be Little Red Haired Girl for the roleplay exercise to lessen Charlie Brown's nerves.

When Snoopy comes out, it is clear he decides to go method with his acting, wearing a red wig that looks straight out of Little Orphan Annie. It is safe to say that Charlie Brown did not plan on Snoopy going the extra mile with his Little Red Haired Girl disguise.

2 "I Wonder What Would Happen"

First Published: November 6, 1986

Charlie Brown often tries to think of ways to approach Little Red Haired Girl, but is usually way too scared to ever act on his ideas. Things appear to have taken a turn in this Peanuts strip, which fetures Charlie Brown wondering how she would react if he winked at her – and he seemingly actually does, until the reader realizes that he did not actually wink at Little Red Haired Girl because she was not even at school that day.

Perhaps this is a step in the right direction; he starts acting how he would want when she isn't there to prepare him for when she is. When it comes to Charlie Brown, things are bound to not go his way. Although, at least he is trying. One can feel confident in betting that Charlie Brown will not even attempt to wink at Little Red Haired Girl when she is back in school.

1 "I Think Someone Is Ahead Of You"

First Published: May 25, 1998

Little Red Haired Girl may get mentioned a lot in the comics, but she is never actually depicted, with one major exception. Little Red Haired Girl was shown in silhouette in this comic strip, with it being the only comic to show Little Red Haired Girl. At the Spring Dance, the whole Peanuts gang is there, including a hopeful Charlie Brown who would like to dance with the Little Red Haired Girl.

Every time he tries to approach her to dance, something gets in the way, like Peppermint Patty and Marcie cutting in. Likewise, when Charlie Brown is about to go up to the Little Red Haired Girl to dance a fox trot, Snoopy, in his Scott Fitzgerald Hero alter ego, has already taken her away for a dance.Peanuts' Charlie Brown just cannot seem to catch a break, especially when his love life is on the line.

Peanuts

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.