It’s Marcie Day!
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Happy 55th Birthday, Marcie!
We interrupt our California Route 66 tour for a special announcement. July 20th is Peanuts’ Marcie Day, and I’m celebrating with my namesake. Over 70 distinct characters were introduced in the Peanuts comic strip during its 50-year run. My favorite, of course, was Marcie. She’s a studious character, known for her appreciation of the arts, nature, and truth, and a best friend to Peppermint Patty. Marcie was first introduced on July 20, 1971, so at age 55 this year, she’s a bit younger than I am. Heck, I’m old enough to be her Mom!
“Marcie is one-up on Peppermint Patty in every way. She sees the truth of things, where it invariably escapes Patty. I like Marcie.”
I read recently that Schulz’s Marcie character was modeled after Elise Gallaway, the roommate of Patty Swanson, Schulz’s cousin and the inspiration for his Peppermint Patty character.
On the Peanuts website, I got a rundown on Marcie and her ‘evolution’ through the years, and I was interested to see just how closely I resemble my namesake. She wears opaque glasses (I hate wearing glasses), so we’ve never actually seen her eyes. I’m pretty sure they’re green like mine. She enjoys quiet activities (me? not so much), although I’ve seen her play the tuba, not exactly a quiet musical instrument. But I shouldn’t disparage her efforts; I don’t play any musical instrument at all. She’s sometimes depicted as quiet or introverted, though she is brave and a good problem-solver. Okay, other than the name, maybe we don’t have that much in common.
She calls Peppermint Patty “Sir” for some strange reason and refers to Charlie Brown, her secret heartthrob, as Charles. I call my ‘not so secret’ heartthrob David, though most people call him Dave. Marcie always enjoys a good book, as do I. At least we share some good habits. Though she can't tell the difference between a basketball and a cantaloupe, she happily cheers on her friends at football games. Hmm… I guess we’re more alike than I thought.
Marcie is not a good cook. Her efforts fail time and time again — she tries cooking eggs on a waffle iron and puts one in a toaster. I’m not that bad, but I wouldn’t say cooking is one of my fortes.
Marcie was highlighted in the Peanuts’ special, Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, which premiered August 18, 2023 on AppleTV. I never got the chance to watch that one and being honest, though I loved the comic strip, I don’t particularly enjoy the animated specials.
Though I’ve never met Marcie ‘in person’, I have had a chance to see Snoopy’s brother, Spike… in Needles, Arizona, no less. He was on display in a Subway of all places. We hear he’s got new digs in the local museum.
Spike and Me - Needles, AZ 2019
Marcie & Woodstock - Photo credit: Kay Roseland @KayLoire
Over 100 Peanuts character statues are on display in Minneapolis and St. Paul honoring the late Charles Schultz. I’ve seen a couple, but never got a chance to see this one of Marcie and Woodstock.
How am I going to celebrate? Hmm… well, we’re supposed to be celebrating David’s birthday and our anniversary, so I think I’ll downplay the Marcie Day celebration a bit. Perhaps just remembering it’s her birthday and writing this blog are enough of a celebration. Now where were we? Oh, yeah… let’s get back to Route 66!