Peanuts captures both the highs and lows of childhood, including the dreary and rainy days filled with April showers. Many kids can days when they could not go outside to play because of the rain, or the inverse of that: playing out in the rain even if no one else wanted to.

The latter is something that Charlie Brown did all too often when it came to baseball games in Peanuts. Likewise, Snoopy got caught out in the rain more times than he would have liked, but he would try to make the best of things if not be a little bummed about it. Linus also dealt with April showers in his own unique Linus way, thinking that a smile could be his umbrella on its own. All these rain-centered Peanuts stories differ from one another, but one thing is for sure: they are never boring.

8 "Maybe She's Right..."

April 9th, 1972

With all the Peanuts baseball team, except for Charlie Brown, complaining about the rain before ditching the game altogether, Lucy makes it very clear that anyone who chooses to stand out in the rain should see a psychiatrist. Charlie Brown decides that Lucy may be talking some sense, so he goes to see a psychiatrist... who just so happens to be Lucy. Charlie Brown explains that there must be something wrong with him because he does not get out of the rain when it pours since he is so enmeshed in his baseball game.

This color Peanuts strip makrs the only appearance of Frieda in 1972.

At first, Lucy acts like she is going to help Charlie Brown achieve a therapeutic breakthrough, but she actually just complains about the rain. Charlie Brown seems to have a one-track mind when it comes to baseball, never leaving a game for rain, sleet, or snow. There have only been a rare handful of occasions that Charlie Brown has missed a baseball game, with him only being absent from games when it is absolutely necessary, as this strip shows that the rain is not enough of a reason for him to call it quits.

7 "And You Watch Your Pancakes Float Downstream"

April 2nd, 1978

Snoopy contemplates the difficulties of being a dog when it rains on him. One of the biggest difficulties occurs when Snoopy has been waiting excitedly for his breakfast, overjoyed when his meal is finally served to him. However, the joy turns to disappointment and horror when he sees water filling up his supper bowl and the pancakes he has been waiting for float away on the water going downstream. As much as Snoopy loves to eat in Peanuts, it is incredibly upsetting to him any time something happens to his food.

Whether it be because of the weather or any other factor, Snoopy gets immensely bummed when his food escapes him, as this comic strip can attest. Anyone who loves pancakes would get upset at their morning meal literally floating away from them, which Snoopy has experienced firsthand thanks to the unrelenting rain. Readers see Snoopy go from doing his happy dance as he sees his food approaching to the most pitiful face when he sees his pancakes floating away from him.

6 "I Wonder If I Can Be Patented"

August 28th, 1960

Lucy tasks Linus with demonstrating his special gift before their mom sees them standing out in the rain. Linus shows that all he does is say the "Rain, Rain, Go Away" rhyme, and the rain magically disappears, to Lucy's astonishment and fear. Linus knows that it is a bit scary that he is capable of doing such a thing, questioning if his gift is some sort of medical condition or a Vegas act capable of selling out seats. Linus then worries that maybe people will think he is a demon and stone him because of his rain-vanishing talents, but Lucy calms him down when she reasons that it has only happened twice, so it may just be a coincidence.

As they wait for the next bout of rain to test out Linus's ability, Linus questions if he should be patented. Thinking that he may have an ability so rare and possibly so profitable that it should be given a patent shows that Linus may not be as scared of his rain-stopping abilities as he at first seemed to be.

5 "It's Tough to Be a Dog When It Rains"

March 1st, 1960

Stuck out in the rain, Snoopy laments how tough it is to be a dog when the weather is bad. However, Snoopy practices some gratitude when he notes that he is actually more fortunate than a lot of dogs because he has a doghouse he can go home to. Rather than go inside his doghouse like a normal dog would in the rain, Snoopy takes his usual post on top of his doghouse despite the pouring rain. While it may seem weird that Snoopy rarely goes inside his doghouse, especially during times of bad weather like pouring rain, the beloved beagle actually does have a reason.

He does not go inside his doghouse if he can help it, because he gets highly catastrophic, which is strange since Snoopy's doghouse is supposed to be a mega mansion inside. However, he clearly looks on the bright side, as seen in how Snoopy is clearly grateful for the amenities he has thanks to Charlie Brown, since he has the option to sleep with a roof over his head even if he does not ultimately take the opportunity to sleep under said roof.

4 "Get Up There and Get a Hit"

April 17th, 1977

Lucy sees the rain coming down harder, so she believes that they should call the baseball game. As Charlie Brown tends to do when it rains during a game, he wants the game to continue, downplaying the situation by saying that the rain is just a drizzle. Lucy is adamant that the rain is more than just a mere drizzle and that she wants to go home. Charlie Brown insists that she cannot go home yet because it is her turn to bat, insisting that she get up and hit the ball. Deciding to listen for a change, Lucy does so. However, she uses an interesting yet appropriate batting tool: an umbrella.

This comic strip was adapted into a segment for an episode of the 1983 show The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show.

Lucy is definitely a quick thinker, which may be a pain for Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang, but it does usually pay off for her. Grabbing the umbrella instead of the bat was a smart move for Lucy, even though her baseball batting will probably suffer from the choice. At the same time, Lucy would have struck out even with the best baseball bat in the world, so it really does not matter that much anyway.

3 "A Smile Makes a Lousy Umbrella"

June 27th, 1967

Linus gets caught out in the rain, but he puts a smile on his face regardless. He walks all the way home with a smile on his face despite getting soaked by the pounding rain. When he finally gets home, he tells his sister, who is sitting comfortably in her dry house, that a smile actually makes for a horrible umbrella. Linus takes the saying of letting a smile be one's umbrella in the most literal sense, going through the rain with no kind of rain protection except his smile.

Finding out the hard way that a smile actually does nothing to help against the rain like an umbrella would, Linus is not too thrilled with the saying after his very rainy experience. Perhaps the saying is meant to be taken figuratively, meaning that staying positive can help one weather metaphorical storms easier, much like how an umbrella makes it easier to deal with the rain. However, Linus's literal take on the saying is a dark cloud for him. After his experience of using a smile as an umbrella, it is clear that Linus will not be forgetting his raincoat and umbrella the next time the weather forecast calls for a rainy day.

2 "Don't Complain"

November 14th, 1981

Snoopy advises Woodstock not to complain about the rain, because the Earth needs the rain in order for things to grow and to have water to drink. When the rain gets even worse, Snoopy lets Woodstock know that they can whimper in the rain but just not complain. Rain is important for the Earth and for humans (and dogs and birds) to thrive, something Snoopy definitely understands. However, he does not always like that he can't complain about the torrential rain, settling for a good whimper instead of an outright complaint.

Luckily, Snoopy has his best buddy Woodstock by his side to whimper along with him, so he is not doing it all alone. Snoopy is usually not one to hide any sort of complaints or keep anything in, being the kind of dog who makes his discomfort very well known. For example, he threw his supper dish at Charlie Brown's head after he made a joke that Snoopy did not like. As a result, it is a new look for Snoopy to speak against complaining, but he still finds a way to make his displeasure clear.

1 "Rescue All of Them"

November 26th, 1989

Commenting on how hard it is raining, Sally notes how she is glad that she is inside since it looks like it is the worst storm she has ever seen before. Sally and Charlie Brown can't help themselves from thinking about all the animals who have to be outside in the rain. Snoopy's empathy comes out, and he puts on his raincoat with rain hat complete with a flashlight so he can rescue all the animals stuck out in the rain. As virtuous as Snoopy tries to be, Charlie Brown gives him a dose of reality when he tells Snoopy that he does not think it is possible to go and rescue all the animals in the rain.

Snoopy is usually one to be a little on the selfish side, so the fact that he sees the rain and wants to help all the many animals stuck out in the rough weather gives another layer to Snoopy, one that is sweeter and much more kind than what readers typically see from him. While they may not be able to help every single animal out of the rain, it is still very altruistic that Snoopy even wants to attempt to do such a nice thing in this Peanuts strip.