"Speedball" pen used in the creation of Peanuts comic strips by Charles Schulz.
Charles Schulz’s Peanuts was a syndicated newspaper comic that ran from 1950-2000. Originating from Schultz’s original cartoon Lil Folks , Peanuts became one of the most popular comic strips ever, running in over 2,6000 newspapers, developing into a massive multi-media franchise and marketing juggernaut. The strip, whose 17,897 cartoons were all written and drawn by Schulz, was noted its psychological depth and a philosophical bent, as well as for providing a humorous yet honest window into interpersonal relationships and life’s myriad challenges. Featuring only children and animals as characters, including the depressed yet perseverant Charlie Brown his joyful, imaginative pet dog Snoopy, the security blanket wielding Linus and his “crabby” older sister Lucy, Peanuts established reoccurring stories and motifs that have become part of the world’s shared popular culture.