Patty (Peanuts)

Patty is a character in the comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz (often confused with Peppermint Patty, a different and later character from the same strip). Her closest friend is Violet. The two appeared very early — Patty even appeared in the first strip, along with Charlie Brown and Shermy — but lacking the distinguishing characteristics of characters such as Lucy, Linus, or Sally, she became less prominent as years went by.

As the only female character in the strip's very earliest days (as well as the first female character in the strip), Patty often acted as a sort of mother-hen, looking out for the younger characters; however, she also set the tone for the strong female characters in the Peanuts universe. In her (and the strip's) second appearance, Patty is shown 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's name was first mentioned on October 26, 1950, 24 days after her first appearance. She was apparently the oldest child in the strip (possibly along with Shermy), as she attended school when Charlie Brown did not (strip of September 18, 1951). Eventually, she, along with Violet, became best known for their social snobbery and combined cruelty to Charlie Brown, although Violet was generally the more dominant of the two. Patty is also known for asking "Pig-Pen" why he is constantly so dirty.

Patty's hair color is light brown (sometimes red, or blonde) and she customarily wears a checked dress with a matching bow in her hair, usually coloured orange. Patty had a major part in the original version of the stage musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, as well as the early animated Peanuts television specials.

Although Patty — or at least unnamed girls who bear a strong resemblance to her — would make cameo appearances throughout the run of Peanuts, she pretty much disappeared as a featured character by the mid-1970s, making her last official appearance on April 11, 1976. Schulz claimed he drew Patty in the March 2, 1994 strip in which she wants Snoopy to chase rabbits with her (a role previously usually taken by Frieda), although some fans have stated that the girl in the strip in question 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. Her most recent appearance to this date was in the television special I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown and in a strip from November 27, 1997.

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

Portrayals

Patty was one of the featured characters in the original 1967 off-Broadway production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (played by Karen Johnson), but by the time the show was revived on Broadway in the late 1990s, Patty's character was replaced by Sally, since Patty had ceased making regular appearances in the strip decades earlier.