10 Funniest Peanuts Comics That Capture the Joy of Childhood Summers

Summary Peanuts captures childhood nostalgia with summer-themed comic strips showcasing traditional summer moments and adventures.

The comic strips strike a perfect balance of nostalgia and humor, featuring iconic characters in relatable pastimes.

From pool battles to failed summer job attempts, Peanuts delivers funny and heartwarming snapshots of summer childhood.

Peanuts is no stranger to capturing childhood nostalgia, with summer breaks being represented by the iconic comic strip. Capturing the joy of summer that happens during childhood when there's no school and freedom is in grasp, Peanuts provides snapshots of those nostalgic moments that many can relate to and find the humor in.

With traditional summer moments like going to the beach, swimming in the pool, looking for a job (usually unsuccessfully), and taking vacations, Peanuts featured its characters in notable childhood pastimes of summer. Whether it be Lucy and Snoopy battling out for her pool or Charlie Brown trying to educate Sally about vacation postcard writing etiquette, Peanuts always delivered comic strips that managed to be nostalgic but not overly sentimental, striking a perfect balance.

10 "A Beagle Floating Downstream"

July 27, 1969

Snoopy knows how to get on Lucy's absolute last nerves and if he happens to get a dip in the pool while the sun's rays are beaming at the same time, all the better. However, it is not a wise decision to mess with Lucy, especially when valuable relaxing time is potentially at risk like in this comic strip. When a furious Lucy sees Snoopy has jumped in her pool (which he seems to have a habit of), she undoes the inflatable pool, making it deflate.

Linus is the favorite character of Lee Mendelson, an executive producer of most of the Peanuts TV specials.

As the air escapes the pool, Snoopy goes downstream with all the released water. A beagle floating downstream is a very unique sight, with Linus being appropriately aware of this rare opportunity. Lucy has her pool back, so she doesn't seem to care much about the special sight, caring more about Snoopy finally being out of her pool.

Related 10 Funniest Peanuts Comics Where Snoopy Fights Lucy Both stubborn and bold, Lucy and Snoopy have had their squabbles and outright fist fights, making for some funny and even tense Peanuts comics.

9 "Fishing"

June 13, 1981

Fishing is a beloved activity of summer for many. Snoopy is one such individual and Woodstock wants to get in on the fun too. However, Snoopy is not too thrilled that he has to do the heavy lifting of the actual fishing while Woodstock is just carrying a little net to catch the fish in. At least Woodstock is trying to pitch in, even if it is not exactly to Snoopy's liking.

As much as Woodstock's little net irks Snoopy, the upside is that he has got his buddy with him while he is out on the water. Fishing can be a hobby of solitude sometimes, which is why some people like it, so Snoopy has his best pal with him while he waits to catch a fish, which could be a very long time.

Related 10 Funniest Peanuts Comics Starring Woodstock Woodstock may be best known as Snoopy's sidekick, but these hilarious comic strips feature the tiny, yellow bird as the star of the show.

8 "I Should Have Listened To My Father"

June 6, 1977

Given Sally's less-than-stellar feelings about school, it is surprising that she has a close relationship with the school building itself, even if it is a complicated relationship. She has yelled at the building but also acted like a pal to it, treating it like its own unique character, School Building. She has even congratulated School Building on making it through their first year of school. However, School Building is ambivalent about the praise, thinking that it should have been an airline terminal instead like its father wanted it to be.

Apparently, even buildings have to deal with parental expectations. When School Building first met Sally, it called her a weirdo, but based on this comic, it seems like they're less judgmental of each other (well, at least on Sally's end). The School Building character is always a little morose, both this version and its predecessor, making the comic one more piece of proof of School Building's mopey disposition.

Related Why Peanuts Never Shows Adults: The Perfect Explanation from Creator Charles Schulz Charles Schulz's iconic Peanuts brand focuses on the lives of its cast of child characters. There's a good reason adults never feature in the strip.

7 "I Only Have One Nail"

June 9, 1975

Looking for a summer job as a kid can be tricky because one obviously wants to make some cash, but supplies and expertise are in short supply, making the number of possible jobs very slim. Charlie Brown showcases this summer experience in a 1975 comic strip that sees him trying to earn some money through summer carpentry jobs that need to be small since he only has one nail to work with.

Since Charlie Brown is not known for being a prodigy in any sense of the word, and he only has one measly nail to work with, it's highly likely that no one will take him up on any carpentry assignments. Charlie Brown's job search is ultimately unsuccessful, with no one taking him up on any offers, including carpentry, painting, reading, and window washing. This forces him to have to go to summer camp instead, much to his dread.

6 "Of All The Crazy Dogs"

August 31, 1952

There are few things that are better than going in the pool on a hot summer day as a kid. Charlie Brown is a firm believer in this as he prepares his inflatable pool on a scorching day. As per usual, however, things do not go Charlie Brown's way, with Snoopy getting in the water and ruining his nice oasis and forcing him to start over again.

Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts, has said that the reason Charlie Brown loses so much is because he is meant to represent the average person, who tends to lose more than win.

Matters only get worse when Charlie Brown takes off for a quick second to turn off the water. He returns to see that his kiddie pool is full and has no room for him... but Snoopy has somehow managed to get a spot again. Charlie Brown's day of fun in the sun ends up amounting to just a lot of work for not much reward. But at least he knows that he gave Snoopy and the neighborhood kids a fun summer day in the pool.

5 "I Don't Even Understand Vacations"

June 18, 1969

Sally is a little kid, and like all little kids, there are a lot of things that she does not understand. A vacation is a pretty easy thing to grasp even among the youngest of kids, so Sally's confusion is not totally understandable. Regardless, she's been confused from the start about vacations, so vacation post card writing is another level that she struggles to even begin to understand.

When the Brown family is on vacation, as many fortunate families tend to do in the summer, they leave Snoopy behind to stay with Lucy. Missing his dog, Charlie Brown writes Snoopy a postcard from their vacation. While Sally may not be having the best time on her holiday (can she enjoy something she doesn't understand?), the kids are having a better time on the summer break than Snoopy and Lucy, who struggle to get along and quit squabbling.

Related How Peanuts' Creator Charles Schulz Helped Inspire Calvin & Hobbes Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson was inspired by Peanuts' cartoonist Charles Schulz, as he once received a letter from one of his comic heroes.

4 "I've Never Known What You Are Talking About"

June 23, 1985

Linus is a gifted sandcastle artist, which has been captured in some beach-set Peanuts comics. Linus is not limited to sandcastles, however, with the elementary schooler capable of building sand forts as well. Unfortunately for Linus, his fort gets overtaken by Snoopy in a flight of fantasy that sees him as the World Famous French Foreign Legionaire and Linus's fort as Fort Zinderneuf.

When Linus tries to alert his big sister of what's happened to his fort, she is not the most understanding. Rather, Lucy takes the time to say that she has never understood what Linus is talking about, dating all the way back to when he was born. While one can't fault Lucy for finding her little brother a bit perplexing, the poor kid's fort has already been overtaken, so the insult probably could have waited.

Related 10 Funniest Peanuts Comics Set at the Beach As well as being incredibly fun and interesting, these beach-set Peanuts comic strips have also been important in establishing new characters.

3 "Roasting Marshmallows"

June 9, 1977

Snoopy is a resourceful dog who knows how to get what he wants while also having a wild imagination. What looks like a simple gardening tool to most is a one of a kind marshmallow roasting tool to Snoopy in one summer-coded comic strip. Seeing a rake and getting the idea of a lifetime, Snoopy takes the rake and puts marshmallows on the sharp ends, being an effective and efficient marshmallow roaster.

A perfect summer treat, roasted marshmallows have been a favorite snack of kids on summer break and beagles too, evidently. Why roast just one marshmallow at a time when there can be multiple roasted all at the same time? That's what Snoopy seems to be thinking in the comic anyway. For someone who loves food as much as Snoopy, it is no shocker that he comes up with some clever solutions to bolster his eating experience, never willing to play around when it comes to his sweets.

Related 10 Classic 1970s Peanuts Comic Strips Twenty years after Peanuts premiered, creator Charles Schulz was still improving his formula, creating new characters and reinventing his best gags.

2 "Beautiful Memories Of Other Summer Nights"

June 16, 1983

Sitting out on the porch on a nice summer night is an enjoyable pastime for both adults and children in the warmest season. Sally and Peppermint Patty sit outside under the stars while Sally reminisces about other summer nights like the current one, nights that she has spent with Linus holding hands and listening to music. From afar, Linus insists that they never did this, necessitating Sally to wish that they would have.

Sally adores her Sweet Baboo, but how she goes about her devotion to him bugs him like no other. Linus has little patience for certain things like people who try to take away his security blanket, or any slander against the Great Pumpkin. But few things annoy Linus as much as Sally's fantasies about their "relationship" do. Regardless of his exasperation with Sally, that does not stop her from insisting on her opinion of how things should have been, like sitting out together, holding hands and listening to music on a summer night.

Related Peanuts: 10 Best Peppermint Patty and Marcie Moments These best buds could not be more opposite, but Peppermint Patty and Marcie have some hilarious best-friend moments in these Peanuts strips.

1 "No Dogs Allowed"

August 21, 1967

Anyone who has watched the classic Peanuts specials and movies knows that Snoopy has heard "No Dogs Allowed" all too much. The "No Dogs Allowed" stance is applied by Lucy as well, which is not all that surprising given Lucy's loathing of dog germs. When Lucy stops Snoopy from getting into her pool on a sweltering summer day with the rule of "No Dogs Allowed," he at first seems to obey. However, it is Snoopy after all, so he does a fake out and instead dives into the pool with all the grace the beagle can muster.

Snoopy gets a double win in this comic. He not only bugs Lucy, as he loves to do, but he also gets to swim in the pool. It would be a major annoyance as a child if one's friends wouldn't let them swim in their pool during the hottest of summer days, something that Snoopy gleefully disobeys in this classic summertime Peanuts comic.