Linus Maurer, Namesake of Beloved “Peanuts” Character | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Linus Maurer, Namesake of Beloved “Peanuts” Character

August 21, 2025
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Linus Maurer with statue of Linus van Pelt

Longtime cartoonist Linus Maurer ’51 inspired the name of one of the most iconic characters in American comics: Peanuts’ Linus van Pelt.

Maurer was a classmate and lifelong friend of Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts, and later worked alongside him at Art Instruction Schools Inc. in Minneapolis. Schulz recounted that after sketching an early version of the Linus van Pelt character, he shared the drawing with Maurer and decided to name the character after him.

Beyond his indirect fame through Schulz's work, Maurer had his own successful career as a cartoonist and puzzle designer. He authored several nationally syndicated comic strips including Old Harrigan of Sleepy Eye, Abracadabra, and In the Beginning, and also created a math puzzle series called Challenger.

Maurer and Schulz remained close friends until Schulz’s death in 2000, often meeting for coffee and continuing to exchange ideas. Maurer passed away in 2016 at age 90, leaving behind a creative legacy quietly intertwined with one of the most enduring comic strips in history.

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