Patty

“There is nothing funny about a little boy being mean to a little girl. That is simply not funny! But there is something funny about a little girl being able to be mean to a little boy.”

—Charles M. Schulz on Patty and the female bullies Lucy and Violet

Patty
Background info
First appearance:	October 2, 1950 (comic strip) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965 TV special)
Latest appearance:	November 27, 1997 (comic strip) The Peanuts Movie (2015 film)
Voiced by:	Karen Mendelson (1963, 1965) Lisa DeFaria (1966-1969) Lynn Vanderlip (1966) Sally Dryer (1969) Linda Ercoli (1972-1975) Lynn Mortensen (1974) Linda Jenner (1974) Roseline Rubens (1980) Angela Lee (1983) Stacy Ferguson (1984-1986) Lindsay Sloane (1990) (Possibly) Deanna Tello (1992) Kaitlyn Maggio (2003) Jolean Wejbe (2006) Leigh Bourke (2008-2009) Ciara Bravo (2011) Anastasia Bredikhina (2015)
Character info
Family:	Unnamed parents, unnamed aunt, unnamed grandparents
Gender:	Female

Patty (not to be confused with Peppermint Patty, a different and later character from the same strip) is a supporting female character from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Her closest friend is Violet.

Although a major character in the year of the strip's debut and for a few years thereafter, Patty's personality was never fully developed and she lacked characteristics that strongly differentiated her from other characters. By the mid-1960s, Patty had been relegated to the background and, although she made occasional appearances throughout most of the remainder of the strip's run, she had virtually disappeared from Peanuts by the 1970s.

History

The prototype version of Charlie Brown, Patty, and Snoopy all appear in the pre-Peanuts strip Li'l Folks. She was named after Schulz's cousin, Patricia Swanson. 

In the early days of the Peanuts comic strip, Patty was one of its major characters. Although she was not named until October 26, 1950, Patty appeared in the very first strip on October 2, 1950, along with Charlie Brown and Shermy. However, since she and Shermy lacked the discerning characteristics of such characters as Lucy, Linus, and Schroeder, they became less prominent as years went by.

As the only female in the strip's earliest days, Patty was often portrayed as a sort of "mother-hen" character who looks out for the younger characters; however, she would also set the tone for the strong female characters that

would later appear in the Peanuts universe. In her second appearance, Patty is seen walking down the sidewalk reciting, "Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice." She then punches Charlie Brown in the face and, without missing a beat, continues, "That's what little girls are made of!" Patty was apparently the oldest child in the early days of Peanuts, as shown by one strip which revealed that she attends school but Charlie Brown does not. Eventually, she, along with Violet, became best known for their social snobbery and combined cruelty to Charlie Brown. It has once even been noted that she often kicks down his sandcastles whenever he makes one (though this has only been shown once or twice in the strip). Patty is also known for asking "Pig-Pen" why he is constantly so dirty.

Patty's name was first mentioned on October 26, 1950, 24 days after her first appearance.

Patty's birthday is December 4. She plays outfield on Charlie Brown's baseball team; though on an early occasion she was seen as a catcher before Schroeder was introduced. Interestingly, it was Patty who first introduced Charlie Brown to Schroeder, claiming he lived next-door to her.

Appearance

Patty punches Charlie Brown in the second Peanuts comic strip from October 3, 1950.

Patty is fair-haired. Over the years, she has variously been shown with blonde, red and light brown hair. Although she is a brown-haired brunette in most of the TV specials and movies, she is a blonde in The Peanuts Movie and a black-haired brunette in It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown. She customarily wears a checkered dress with a matching bow in her hair and (usually black) Mary Jane shoes. Patty's dress and bow are colored orange in the television specials and in the movies A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Come Home, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!). In The Peanuts Movie, her dress and bow are colored light green.

In TV specials, movies, and musicals

Patty had a major part in the original version of the stage musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. However, in both the 1985 animated television special You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and the 1999 Broadway revival of the play, her part was replaced by Charlie Brown's sister, Sally Brown, since she ceased to appear regularly in the strip decades earlier.

Like most Peanuts characters, Patty has appeared in numerous Peanuts television specials throughout the years, as well as all five movies, although she becomes an increasingly minor character after the 1960s.

Patty's TV and film appearances

Patty as she appears in The Peanuts Movie.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
• Charlie Brown's All-Stars (1966)
• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
• You're in Love, Charlie Brown (1967)
• He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968)
• It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969)
• A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)
• Snoopy, Come Home (1972) [silent]
• You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972) [silent]
• Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975) [silent]
• You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975) [silent]
• It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976) [silent]
• Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977) [silent]
• Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) (1980) [silent]
• It's Magic, Charlie Brown(1981) [silent]
• Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? (1983) [silent]
• The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1983-1986)
• Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985) [silent]
• Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! (1986) [silent]
• It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)
• It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown (1997) [silent]
• I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003) [silent]
• He's a Bully, Charlie Brown (2006) [silent]
• Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011)
• The Peanuts Movie (2015)

Patty's gradual disappearance

Patty was a prominent character in Peanuts until around 1960, after which she began to appear less and less often. Although Patty (or at least unnamed characters who bear a strong physical resemblance to her) would make cameo appearances throughout the run of Peanuts, she had pretty much disappeared as a featured character by 1976. Schulz claimed he drew Patty in a March 1994 strip in which she asks Snoopy to chase rabbits with her, but some fans have stated that the girl in the strip does not resemble Patty. Some have postulated that Patty's doom was sealed by the appearance of the similarly-named Peppermint Patty in 1966, but others say her character was already in decline by then.

Patty's appearances from 1976 until 1999

• April 11, 1976
• November 17, 1976
• July 24, 1978
• January 23, 1980
• August 21, 1983
• April 15, 1984
• May 27, 1984
• November 20, 1985
• May 3, 1986
• January 4, 1987
• January 23, 1989
• September 28, 1990
• January 21, 1991
• August 25, 1991
• September 3, 1991
• November 25, 1992 (This strip was rerun on November 27, 1997)
• December 12, 1993
• March 2, 1994 
• April 17, 1995 (Patty's last appearance in an original strip)

Trivia

• Patty is one of the many Peanuts characters to appear in the video game Snoopy's Street Fair, in which she owns a balloon cart.
• Patty (along with Eudora) is one of the few main characters to own a dog besides Charlie Brown with Snoopy. In the strip from January 23, 1989, she enrolls a shaggy-looking dog about Snoopy's size into an Ugly Dog Contest.
• She is one of the few characters who has an after-mentioned birthday, the others being Charlie Brown, Lucy van Pelt, Sally Brown, Linus van Pelt, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Violet Gray, Rerun van Pelt, and Snoopy.

Gallery

Patty flirts with "Pig-Pen" at the Winter Dance, much to Violet's disgust.

Patty says that "a little dirt never hurt anyone", making "Pig-Pen" blush.

Patty, Lucy, and Violet

Patty and Violet.

Patty and Violet as pirates.

Patty and Violet dance during the end credits of The Peanuts Movie.

Patty and Violet see Charlie Brown hug Snoopy.

Puppy-dog eyes.

Patty, Violet and "Pig-Pen" in Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown.

External links

• Quotations from Patty on Wikiquote.