The Journey of Sparky and Franklin
The road to Welcome Home Franklin, the new Apple TV+ special, was a long and winding one. Most viewers would have no idea of the time and hurdles the special faced, not to mention the initial journey that Sparky embarked on to introduce Franklin to the strip.
Many may know Franklin as a character in the Peanuts comic strip. Now all can see his untold origin story and partnership with Charlie Brown in a soapbox derby competition. One could say, ‘After 50 years, Franklin’s time has come.’
The beauty of Sparky’s comic strip is that it all lives in our minds, and the lines do not need to be strictly drawn. The comic strip tells a complete story each day. If several days continue the same theme, that is for the reader’s entertainment, as Sparky enjoyed creating longer stories by stringing the comics together. But each day must, above all, stand on its own so that if a reader were to read only one strip a week, it would still be a complete story over time.
The history of Harriet Glickman’s correspondence with Sparky in the spring of 1968 has been noted frequently, and I won’t repeat it here, but in July 1968, Sparky wrote to Harriet saying, “I have taken the first step.” And this is what he meant!
Originally published July 31, 1968.
Originally published August 1, 1968.
Originally published August 2, 1968.
A few months later, to continue the introduction of Franklin to the strip, Sparky made a series of strips in which Franklin comes looking for Charlie Brown and meets the strangest group he has ever encountered.
Originally published October 15, 1968.
Originally published October 16, 1968.
Originally published October 17, 1968.
Originally published October 18, 1968.
(It is a shame Franklin is older than Rerun—now there is a character he could have related to)
Originally published January 5, 1996.
6 months later, Franklin phones Charlie Brown to tell him he is forfeiting a game, continuing the theme that Franklin is now a member of the neighborhood.
Originally published April 23, 1969.
In November 1969, several strips involved Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Franklin in school, which further cements Franklin as a permanent member of the gang.
Originally published November 12, 1969.
And so, time passed:
Franklin’s identity finally became complete with the last name Armstrong in 1994 when Sparky, Bill Melendez, and Lee Mendelson were outlining the script for the Peanuts special You’re in the Super Bowl Charlie Brown. The storyline of this special involves the characters in a “Pass, Punt, and Kick” contest. Each character is announced with a full name as they appeared. Franklin needed a last name.
Framed print of Charles Schulz posing in his studio with cartoonist Robb Armstrong and his first wife, Sherry. © SFIPT 1993
Sparky called his friend Robb Armstrong, creator of the comic strip Jumpstart, to ask if he could give Franklin his last name. The two had met earlier in 1993, and during that time, Sparky complimented Robb on his relatable characters. In interviews, Robb has said that Peanuts and Charles Schulz gave him the impulse to become a cartoonist.
For Robb, this call from Sparky may have been ’the icing on the cake.’ Robb was delighted to give Franklin his last name.
Due to the immense popularity of this new special, I wanted to accentuate that Franklin’s story in the comic strip, rather than being a solitary, one-time occurrence, is more like a budding rose, gradually unfurling to unveil its complete and perfect form.
— Jean Schulz
