Annotations of The Complete Peanuts/1987 to 1988

Annotations to The Complete Peanuts: 1987 to 1988 by Charles M. Schulz (Fantagraphics Books, 2013. ISBN 1606996347

• p. 4 (January 10, 1987) Although it has almost completely disappeared today, "Kilroy was here" used to be an ubiquitous graffiti in the North American urban landscape. Its original meaning is quite obscure.

• p. 13 (January 29, 1987) "I was born in October." This is not implausible, as the first appearance of Linus is on September 19, 1952, and he then appears a bit younger than one year old. In any case, Peanuts characters are known to age much more slowly than real-world people.

• p. 15 (February 2, 1987) The chosen Valedictorian is usually the student with the highest ranking among his or her graduating class. Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline.

• p. 34 (March 19, 1987) Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Bartley are regulars of the golf club. They used to hire Peppermint Patty and Marcie as caddies (see for example the strip of July 17, 1983, The Complete Peanuts 1983 to 1984, p. 86.)
• p. 183 (February 29, 1988) First three-panel daily strip.

• p. 227 (June 12, 1988) 1988 is the year when Fax machines became known at large to the general public. They were then expensive and rather big, so they were considered as being primarily office machines.

• p. 231 (June 21, 1988) After years of legal arguments, the estate of Margaret Mitchell finally announced on February 3, 1987, that a sequel to Gone with the wind would be authorized. The news was a sensation, and generated feverish interest and speculation in the public. On April 26, 1988, the project was formally launched when Warner Books purchased the rights to the sequel for US$4.94 million. It was finally published in September 1991, under the title Scarlett, by author Alexandra Ripley.

• p. 249 (August 2, 1988) Although nearly inescapable today, answering machines became affordable to the general public only in 1988. Before that, they were not even common in an office environment: rather, the secretary of a department had the charge of receiving calls and taking messages.

• p. 291 (November 8, 1988) Tuesday, November 8, 1988, was a Presidential election day in the United States. George H.W. Bush won against Michael Dukakis. That Sally rooted for Abraham Lincoln is not unexpected, as he is often referred to with reverence by various characters in Peanuts. He must be the favorite president of the gang.