The 90’s in america were a peak fever of characters without narrative (without meaning?), mostly in the form of t-shirts. Big Dog. Life Is Good. No Fear. Stussy.
The next step in the evolution of meaninglessness was the arrival of brands like Hilfiger where the character was reduced to a logo, a personality taken apart and broken down into shapes and colors in a way that echoed abstract expressionism but through the lens of consumerism.
Very interesting. It makes sense that Hello Kitty has a bit of Snoopy's DNA in her design. During my first visit to Japan I was struck at how often I saw Snoopy and Woodstock on products and in advertising. In America, they were relegated to hawking MetLife and that was about it.
Brilliant piece, the Sanrio-ization framing is spot on. The idea that Tsuji saw Snoopy's anthropomorphic shift and reverse-engineered a character-without-story model is wild but totally makes sense in hindsight. I'd never connected that Peanuts pivot to making merchandise more "universal" directly enabled the Hello Kitty playbook. The medium-as-message thing for Kitty (ubiquity becoming her narrative) is such a tight observaton. Really changes how I see those collabs everywhere now.
Wonderful, about time for a Pure Invention re-read I reckon. Did you see those new Mega Man cartoons Capcom are putting out on their YouTube, Matt? Curious if you dig them or not!
I have not! By all means send links. Was one of my favorite game series on the NES as a kid. Many years later, Hiroko and I got to work on the localizations of several of the "Rockman.EXE" (aka "Mega Man Battle Network") games.
It’s a story of innocence, joy, and honesty. We grew up with those characters, and Schulz kept drawing them until the end of his life.
Over time, some said Peanuts became too commercial, too gentle—no longer edgy enough to feel relevant.
But somehow, Peanuts endured. It thrived. And today, we find ourselves yearning for that same innocence and honesty we so rarely find in the real world.
This year, I bought two Peanuts watches—one for myself, one for my best friend—to mark our friendship. We live far apart, but searching together for the right pair became its own quiet adventure: comparing designs, discovering what spoke to us.
The most beautiful watches I found were from Japan—thoughtful, elegant, almost reverent in their design. When I first saw them, my heart ached. I wanted them badly. But when reality set in—tariffs, shipping costs, logistics—they simply weren’t the right choice.
A simple gift could have become a big custom bill for my closest friend.
So, in the end, I chose two Timex watches instead. Simple. Automatic. Honest. Perfect for both of us.
And that’s what Peanuts has always stood for—not excess or spectacle, but quiet constancy, sincerity, and something that endures, especially when the world doesn’t.
And in that choice, I finally understood why Japan loves Peanuts so deeply—and why, all over the world, more and more of us are finding comfort in it again.
Thanks for your thoughts. It is interesting to me how Schultz so successfully stripped any hint of cynicsm from Peanuts. It's hard to imagine that going so smoothly in the modern day, and I can't really think of another creator or franchise that made this pivot so well.
Your comment made me think, though, about whether innocence is necessarily key to loving characters. There are all sorts of them out there with not-so-innocent backgrounds. Hiroko, my wife, who isn't a toy collector or anime fan, recently wrote about bringing a figurine from the series Jujutsu Kaisen to help soothe her on a difficult job. I don't think her story is unique. Characters of all kinds seem to possess a power to calm and balance us. I guess it's just a question of picking the one that's right for you!
great article, "Sanrio-ized" is so adequate !
The 90’s in america were a peak fever of characters without narrative (without meaning?), mostly in the form of t-shirts. Big Dog. Life Is Good. No Fear. Stussy.
The next step in the evolution of meaninglessness was the arrival of brands like Hilfiger where the character was reduced to a logo, a personality taken apart and broken down into shapes and colors in a way that echoed abstract expressionism but through the lens of consumerism.
Very interesting. It makes sense that Hello Kitty has a bit of Snoopy's DNA in her design. During my first visit to Japan I was struck at how often I saw Snoopy and Woodstock on products and in advertising. In America, they were relegated to hawking MetLife and that was about it.
Love reading your articles, I always learn something new. I’m especially fascinated by how cartoons and toys have shaped entire economies.
When it comes to American cartoons that shaped the Japanese zeitgeist, I'd rank Peanuts right alongside Popeye (which I wrote about separately a few months back) https://blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/the-most-influential-manga-in-japan
Thanks, I’ll give it a read.
Brilliant piece, the Sanrio-ization framing is spot on. The idea that Tsuji saw Snoopy's anthropomorphic shift and reverse-engineered a character-without-story model is wild but totally makes sense in hindsight. I'd never connected that Peanuts pivot to making merchandise more "universal" directly enabled the Hello Kitty playbook. The medium-as-message thing for Kitty (ubiquity becoming her narrative) is such a tight observaton. Really changes how I see those collabs everywhere now.
Wonderful, about time for a Pure Invention re-read I reckon. Did you see those new Mega Man cartoons Capcom are putting out on their YouTube, Matt? Curious if you dig them or not!
I have not! By all means send links. Was one of my favorite game series on the NES as a kid. Many years later, Hiroko and I got to work on the localizations of several of the "Rockman.EXE" (aka "Mega Man Battle Network") games.
Good idea to mention you have a book; I didn’t know (I think?).
And what a perfect gift for the holidays! :)
To those who love Charles Schulz’s Peanuts.
It’s a story of innocence, joy, and honesty. We grew up with those characters, and Schulz kept drawing them until the end of his life.
Over time, some said Peanuts became too commercial, too gentle—no longer edgy enough to feel relevant.
But somehow, Peanuts endured. It thrived. And today, we find ourselves yearning for that same innocence and honesty we so rarely find in the real world.
This year, I bought two Peanuts watches—one for myself, one for my best friend—to mark our friendship. We live far apart, but searching together for the right pair became its own quiet adventure: comparing designs, discovering what spoke to us.
The most beautiful watches I found were from Japan—thoughtful, elegant, almost reverent in their design. When I first saw them, my heart ached. I wanted them badly. But when reality set in—tariffs, shipping costs, logistics—they simply weren’t the right choice.
A simple gift could have become a big custom bill for my closest friend.
So, in the end, I chose two Timex watches instead. Simple. Automatic. Honest. Perfect for both of us.
And that’s what Peanuts has always stood for—not excess or spectacle, but quiet constancy, sincerity, and something that endures, especially when the world doesn’t.
And in that choice, I finally understood why Japan loves Peanuts so deeply—and why, all over the world, more and more of us are finding comfort in it again.
Thanks for your thoughts. It is interesting to me how Schultz so successfully stripped any hint of cynicsm from Peanuts. It's hard to imagine that going so smoothly in the modern day, and I can't really think of another creator or franchise that made this pivot so well.
Your comment made me think, though, about whether innocence is necessarily key to loving characters. There are all sorts of them out there with not-so-innocent backgrounds. Hiroko, my wife, who isn't a toy collector or anime fan, recently wrote about bringing a figurine from the series Jujutsu Kaisen to help soothe her on a difficult job. I don't think her story is unique. Characters of all kinds seem to possess a power to calm and balance us. I guess it's just a question of picking the one that's right for you!
https://blog.hirokoyoda.com/p/microphone-marathon