The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

1 f 12 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, December 19,1984 Section Three : r'"v ' FLASHBEAGLE Snoopy struts his stuff in the hit CBS-TV special "Flashbeagle," rated number one in its time slot.f Happy Birthday Charlie Brown! Happiness is winning a baseball game, outshooting the Red Baron, flying flying a kite without getting it caught in a tree and kicking the football clear to the moon. While Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang have never quite managed to master these labors, at least they have delighted their readers for 35 years by trying. Happiness is also living a long, happy happy and successful life -- something that comes as second nature to the Peanuts comic strip, now entering its 35th year. Currently the most widely read comic strip in the world, Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts was first published in a handful of newspapers on October 2,1950. Distributed by United Feature Syndicate, it has since gained a popularity popularity unsurpassed by any other, appearing in more than 2,000 newspapers newspapers worldwide, a new record. The universal appeal of the simple characters characters makes Peanuts a favorite all over the world. The strip appears in 55 countries and is translated into 33 languages. In 35 years, Charles M. Schulz has drawn more than 11,000 comic strips. Unlike most cartoonists who work with a staff of artists to help them produce produce their strips, Schulz has drawn every figure, written every letter and colored every inch himself. He considers considers himself a "born cartoonist" and, after 35 years, still takes great pride in drawing "the best comic strip I know how." Says Schulz, "It seems beyond the comprehension of people that someone can be born to draw comic strips, but I think I was." His numerous honors, including two Reuben Awards by the National Cartoonists Cartoonists Society, confirm his assessment. The diversity and depth of the characters have spawned more than 1,000 books, 30 television specials and four feature films. Paperback collections collections of the strip have sold more than 300 million copies to date. The musical, musical, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" was a long-running Broadway and Off-Broadway hit that remains the most widely produced musical in America--1,800 productions annually. annually. Another musical based on Peanuts, "Snoopy," had a long Broadway run in 1983 and is still running at the Dutchess Dutchess Theater in London's West End. The Peanuts gang is familiar to all: Charlie Brown, the well-meaning loser who, despite continuing defeats, nurtures nurtures an eternal hope to overcome adversity; Linus, the intellectual blanket-toting philospher, who helped make "security blanket" part of the English language; Lucy, the crabby loudmouth who adores Schroeder, the piano-playing Beethoven idolizer; and Snoopy, the "Joe Cool" beagle whose antics have made him an American Hero. Charlie Brown and friends have become become an important part of American culture. Schulz-isms like "good grief," "the Great Pumpkin," "happiness is..", are now commonplace, while expressions like "Charlie Brown Christmas tree" have taken on vivid meaning to millions. Although Peanuts is celebrating its 35th anniversary, the strip remains as timely and fresh in the 1980s as it did throughout the '50s, '60s, and '70s. The characters have grown and changed changed with the times. Thus, Snoopy who once was known only for being Charlie Brown's dog has evolved into the World War I flying ace, Joe Cool, Beagle Scout, Mad Punter, literary ace, all-star athlete and in the '80s, Flashbeagle. As Charlie Brown and Snoopy prepare to celebrate their milestone, one thing is for sure. Happiness is 35 years of Peanuts, f cIear fmENds lil<E you! TNanI<s foR A Very Merry Christmas . . ... and a bEINC l s0 l<INd Happy New Year r | lis CNn '„ E y ear. from all the girls: Wendy -- Darolyn -- Lorraine Diana -- Violei and Linda Kut 'n' Kurl Beauty Shop Phone 71 King St. "EAST" 623-5019 Bowmanville May this holiday season bring to you and yours the old-fashioned spirit of Christinas. A warm hearth, warm friends and a season bright with warm holiday cheer. We would like to join in by wishing you the warmest of holiday greetings ! FRED OWEN ROY OWEN and Staff MOTO Authorized Chevrolet-Oldsmobile Dealer Hwy. No. 2 at Courtice Telephone 728-6206