Charles Schulz’s Snoopy Was First a Believe It or Not!

From Spike to Snoopy

Schulz’s first published drawing, however,  wasn’t Snoopy … it was a cartoon of his own dog, Spike, sent to Robert Ripley as a Believe It or Not!

Schulz’s drawing of his dog Spike became the inspiration for Snoopy.

Ripley published the sketch as part of his Believe It or Not! cartoon on February 22, 1937 (as seen to the right)

One Hungry Dog

February 22 marks the 75th anniversary of Charles Schulz’s very first published drawing.

Schulz, 15 years old at the time and nicknamed “Sparky,” submitted a sketch of his dog Spike to Robert Ripley and wrote about how the dog would eat pins, tacks, razor blades, and more.

In the book PEANUTS JUBILEE, Schulz talks about his dog and his first drawing. “Spike was a mixed breed, probably part pointer. The similarity to Snoopy is at least in the markings. Spike would eat almost anything in sight [...] I made this drawing of Spike and sent it to Ripley’s Believe it or Not!. It was my first published drawing.”

The Letter that Started it All

Young Schulz with dog Spike

“That was an amazing crossing of paths for two young illustrators who would go on to  create cartoons, books and other media that have entertained millions of people around the world,” said Norm Deska, Executive VP of Intellectual Property for Ripley Entertainment. “This cartoon was basically the birth of Snoopy.”