Determining the date of a Peanuts item can be tricky. The copyright date is not always a good indicator of when an item is made pre-1994. Sometimes, there just isn’t a date at all. However, there are other clues that will help a collector date a piece. First we’ll look at copyright info and what it means. Second, we’ll look at official logo usage through the years. Finally, there’s nothing like an anniversary year to help pinpoint when an item came out.
Copyright
First, we look at the copyright. Every piece from figurines to shirts will have some legal copy, usually printed small. It can be along the edge of a design or on the bottom of a piece. If a piece does not have any copyright info, it may have lost its tag or sticker, or it may not be licensed at all.
There are just two basic types of copyright information: United Feature Syndicate and Peanuts Worldwide.
United Feature Syndicate
For 60 years, United Feature Syndicate held the licensing right to the Peanuts comic strip. Products made from 1950 to mid-2010 will have a United Feature Syndicate or UFS copyright on them.
Before 1994, the copyright generally also had the character copyright years included as well. You can read more about the nuances of copyright dates in our article Dating a Peanuts Item.
Peanuts WOrldWide
In June 2010, Peanuts Worldwide LLC was formed selling the rights from United Feature Syndicate to Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates and licensing partners. We’re keeping it simple here!
Items produced under the new company are copyrighted Peanuts Worldwide, Peanuts or PNTS. Any dates associated with this copyright can be trusted as accurate to the manufacturer of the item.
Peanuts Logos
Starting in the 1990’s, Peanuts branding became consistent across different manufacturers’ product lines. This makes it easier to determine the potential age of an item based on the branding used.
To determine these dates, I used Hallmark ornament boxes when possible. If anyone has more firm evidence to better represent this information, please reach out to Caren at info@collectpeanuts.com.
NOTE: More variations might be available for the logo depending on branding, placement, size, colors, etc. The actual dates of usage may vary and overlap.
Peanuts Anniversaries
There’s nothing more brands love to promote than an anniversary year. Every five years, Peanuts celebrates another big milestone. Then there are milestones for other beloved Peanuts specials like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
A word to the wise. Anything celebrating a non-milestone anniversary, like the 71st anniversary of Peanuts, is unlicensed. Every five years is more than enough!
Comic Strip Anniversaries
Animated Specials Anniversaries
