Despite making two of the most iconic comic strips of all time, the creative minds of Charlie Brown and Calvin and Hobbes disagreed on one major subject. Resurfaced comments of Charles Schulz reveal what separated him from Bill Watterson.

When it comes to comic strips that dominated the comic sections of newspapers, few reached the level of fame as Peanuts Calvin and Hobbes, on the other hand, was a series that focused on the imagination of a young man who saw his stuffed animal as a walking, talking tiger pal. Despite both strips ending decades ago, they remain quite popular among readers,

Charlie Brown's Creator Was Fine Merchandising Because He Wasn't "A True Artist"

But while each strip is still beloved, the creators of both properties disagreed on one major thing. Hogan’s Alley reprinted remarks made by Peanuts’ Charles Schulz at the 1994 National Cartoonists Society convention. At one point, Schulz is asked about comic character merchandising. Schulz mentions that he doesn’t know Calvin and Hobbes’ creator Bill Watterson personally, and can’t speak to his feelings on merchandising. Schulz however says he never felt that there was anything wrong with merch, mentioning how inspired he was seeing Yosemite Sam on the back of a truck in traffic. Schulz recognizes that people generally like having products of characters their familiar with. He also says that he doesn’t see himself as “a true artist”, he’s just simply trying to do the best he can with his abilities to write and draw.

Schulz’s comments are quite different than the thoughts and feelings Watterson had when it came to making merchandise for his strip. Watterson was notoriously against the idea of commercializing Calvin and Hobbes. He infamously ed on making millions of dollars by turning Calvin and Hobbes into a line of toys and cartoons, noting that it was a detriment to his strip’s identity. Schulz obviously never felt this way, as Peanuts had numerous specials and merchandise featuring characters like Snoopy. In a way, Schulz’s reasoning to merchandise his own work doubles as a compliment to Watter’s decision not to cash in on Calvin and Hobbes’ fame.

Calvin and Hobbes' Creator Valued His Strip More Than Money

Merchandising can be a contentious choice, with some fans calling the decision ‘selling out’. But from Schulz’s perspective, he’s not compromising his artistic integrity because he doesn’t see himself as an artist. In a roundabout way, Schulz also compliments Watterson and his decision to keep Calvin and Hobbes sacred and calls Watterson more of an artist than himself. There’s no one right way to deal with the various facets of cartooning or merchandise. Schulz didn’t see a problem with merchandising and chose to do so while Watterson felt it wasn’t the right decision for his work. Neither is better than the other, and it doesn’t diminish the heights that both Charlie Brown and Calvin and Hobbes reached.

Source: Hogan's Alley