Behind Peanuts: The Little Red-Haired Girl

Charlie Brown’s unrequited love, The Little Red-Haired Girl, was inspired by Donna Mae Johnson-Wold, the real-life first love of Charles M. Schulz. He met Donna working at his former correspondence school, Art Instruction, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After a six-month courtship, Donna turned down Schulz’s marriage proposal in favor of another suitor. 

Schulz mined this rich vein of experience, like he did with much of his life, telling stories with deep emotional resonance to readers in dozens of languages, for decades. See the story behind the story through original art, photographs, and interviews of Charlie Brown’s unrequited love: The Little Red-Haired Girl.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.