Editing Linus Van Pelt (section)

{{Short description|Peanuts comic strip character}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=December 2022}}
{{In-universe|date=December 2022}}
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{{Use mdy dates| date=October 2011}} 
{{Infobox character
| name = Linus Van Pelt
| series = [[Peanuts]]
| image = Linus van Pelt.gif
| caption = 
| first_major = Peanuts
| first_date = {{Unbulleted list 
  |  July 14, 1952 (first mention) 
  |  September 19, 1952 (debut) 
}}
| last = February 13, 2000 (comic strip)
| creator = [[Charles M. Schulz]]
| gender = Male
| family = * [[Rerun Van Pelt]] (younger brother) 
* [[Lucy Van Pelt]] (older sister) 
* Unnamed blanket-hating grandmother 
* Unnamed parents 
* Marian (aunt) 
* Felix Van Pelt (paternal grandfather)
| voice = Various voice actors<br><small>''[[#Voiced by|See below]]''</small>
}}

'''Linus Van Pelt''' is a fictional character in [[Charles M. Schulz]]’s comic strip ''[[Peanuts]]''. He is the best friend of [[Charlie Brown]], the younger brother of [[Lucy Van Pelt]], and the older brother of [[Rerun Van Pelt]]. His first appearance was on September 19, 1952,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1952/09/19|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for September 19, 1952|website=[[GoComics]]|date=September 19, 1952 |access-date=January 1, 2025}}</ref> but he was not mentioned by name until three days later. He was first referred to two months earlier, on July 14. Linus spoke his first words in 1954, the same year he was first shown with his [[security blanket]]. Linus is named after Schulz's friend [[Linus Maurer]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schulz |first=Charles M. |title=Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art with Charlie Brown and Others |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston |year=1975 |isbn=978-0030150814 |pages=81–100}}</ref>

The character's creator, [[Charles M. Schulz]], has said of the character, "Linus, my serious side, is the house intellectual; bright, well-informed which, I suppose, may contribute to his feelings of insecurity."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schulz |first=Charles M. |date=February 23, 1980 |title=What Do You Do with a Dog That Doesn't Talk? |journal=TV Guide |pages=22–24}}</ref> [[Lee Mendelson]], producer of the majority of the ''Peanuts'' television specials, has said that Linus is his favorite character: "He made sucking your thumb and holding a security blanket OK. I think he's one of the most original fictional characters of all time—blending childish behavior with great wisdom."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comicbookmovie.com/animated_features/exclusive-q-a-with-charlie-browns-lee-mendelson-a115192 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Q & A With Charlie Brown's Lee Mendelson |last=Best |first=Nathan |date=February 12, 2015 |work=Comic Book Movie |access-date=July 19, 2018}}</ref>