- “Now, there's a guy who is going places.”
- ―The Peanuts Movie
Violet Gray is a supporting female character and once a main character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. the protagonist of The Violet and Patty Movie, Her most recognizable feature is her trademark ponytail. Her closest friends are Lucy and Patty. While she often antagonizes him in the strip, Violet does have a nicer side toward Charlie Brown.
One of the strip's earlier characters dating from 1951, Violet was seen less frequently after other female characters such as Lucy, Sally, and Peppermint Patty were introduced and developed in the 1950s and 60s. Post-1970s appearances by Violet are rare, and after that, she was usually seen only as a background character. Her last appearance was in 1997.
Relationships[]
Patty[]
Violet and Patty are best friends and they would often appear as a duo. They mostly talked about how much they disliked Charlie Brown, although in the early days, they talked about how much they liked him. They also ganged up on him and abused him verbally, sometimes under the lead of the more commonly seen Lucy.
Charlie Brown[]
In the early years of the strip, Violet's relationship with Charlie Brown seems to change day to day. In some strips, Violet would tell Charlie Brown how much she likes him and be concerned about whether or not he liked her back. On other occasions, she would be mean and rude to Charlie Brown and try to annoy him and hurt his feelings. As her appearances became less frequent in the later years of the strip, her mercurial nature was, however, unchanged: sometimes she would use any excuse to bring Charlie Brown down or elevate herself above him; while other times the two were quite cordial, often spending the day together chatting.
In the strip from March 17, 1963, Violet offers Charlie Brown a valentine in person, explaining that she felt bad about not having done so in the past, only to be upbraided by Schroeder, who happened to be nearby, for giving the valentine merely to ease her own conscience. In the end, however, Charlie Brown still accepts the valentine, much to Schroeder's surprise.
It may come as a surprise to many that Charlie Brown himself has initiated very unfriendly physical abuse against Violet before without any apparent provocation. Thus in the strip dated June 14, 1953, Violet offers Charlie Brown an ice cream cone for being ‘so nice to me’, but he answers in embarrassment that he has not in fact been nice to her, and then recalls that in the two previous days he did such things as pushing her off her tricycle and throwing an object at her. Violet decides she would still like to give him the cone anyway – stubbed onto his head.
Her abuse of Charlie Brown[]
Verbal abuse[]
Violet's verbal assaults on Charlie Brown (usually in tandem with Patty, although it is clear that Violet is the dominating force in this) can be quite cruel—sometimes exceeding even the severity of Lucy's insults.
Violet makes it clear that she does not like Charlie Brown and will sometimes go out of her way to verbally abuse him. Most often, she shows no remorse for what she does. In fact, she makes no bones about her hatred of Charlie Brown.
A classic example of this is in the strip from May 3, 1961, in which Violet is seen lashing out at Charlie Brown, finishing him off with the line, "And I don't care if I ever see you again, do you hear me?!" Linus walks in and notices that Charlie Brown is really hurt. Charlie Brown then points out that Violet has not taken all the life out of him, lamenting "but you can number me among the walking wounded."
Violet is also the first person to call Charlie Brown a 'blockhead', in the strip from August 16, 1951, a trait that would later be taken over by Lucy.[1]
Another example shows Patty and Violet reciting a very mean-spirited poem, pointing out that "Boys are rotten filled with cotton" and that "Girls are dandy filled with candy!" They then walk away smugly, where Charlie Brown retaliates with the phrase, "Generalities!!!"
Still, another involves the two berating Charlie Brown (in front of Linus) about a wrong answer Charlie Brown gave to a teacher's question, both going so far as to call him "stupid" and then walking off laughing at him.
Her verbal abuse was not only confined to Charlie Brown. One Sunday strip from 1959, shows Violet and Patty mocking “Pig-Pen”. At one point, during October 25, 1961, Violet berated Linus for liking the Great Pumpkin. She called him "just plain stupid crazy," said he was talking "like someone who had just fallen out of a tree" and also called him "stark raving stupid!"
"We're having a party, and you're not invited!"[]
While Lucy's insults tend to be fairly blunt—calling Charlie Brown names like "blockhead" and making sarcastic remarks at his expense—Patty and Violet prefer to use social exclusion as their weapon, sometimes going to the extremes of making him feel like an outcast. This can be seen as a caricature of the "in crowd" that exists at many elementary and secondary schools—a lording of their own status over peers who are not members of the "in." For example, in one strip from February 3, 1952, they invite him to join their "secret club," and then immediately reject him after he accepts. In an early Sunday strip, Patty and Violet put Charlie Brown and Shermy to work building a clubhouse for them, only to hang a "No Boys Allowed" sign on the clubhouse door after it is finished.[2]
On several other occasions, especially in the early years of the strip, Patty and Violet go out of their way—sometimes with unconcealed glee—to make sure Charlie Brown knows that they are throwing a party and he is not invited. However, Charlie Brown manages to get back at them on several occasions:
- In one strip from November 23, 1951, when they mention excluding Charlie Brown from their party, he lets it roll off his back saying he does not want to go to their "dumb ol' party" anyway. After he leaves, they wonder whether he meant it. Violet is convinced he did, so Patty suggests "In that case, maybe we'd better invite him."[3]
- In another similar situation, he replies to them saying if they do not like him they are better off not inviting him. Stunned to silence, the girls simply walk away, with Charlie Brown smiling after them.
- In the strip from September 1, from 1954, Charlie Brown uncharacteristically threatens to strafe, then bomb their house if he is not invited, to which both girls state "Okay, you're invited."[4]
- In another strip from October 15, 1952, he tells the girls that he does not care and runs off laughing, only to become disappointed at being rejected when he is out of sight from them.[5]
The one time Charlie Brown is invited to one of Violet's parties is in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, where Lucy states he must have gotten on the wrong list by accident, as there is apparently a "do-not-invite" list also.
Physical violence[]
Violet also differs from Lucy in that she is less often prone to using physical violence against Charlie Brown. In one Sunday strip from August 4, 1963, an angry Violet is seen chasing Charlie Brown, threatening to "knock (his) block off". Before she can throw a punch, Charlie Brown stops her and tries to reason with her, saying that there are better ways to solve problems than with violence. Unfazed, Violet ends up punching him in the middle of his speech, and in the final panel admits to Patty, "I had to hit him quick. He was beginning to make sense!"
Lucy[]
Violet and Lucy are close friends, although they are sometimes seen verbally fighting each other in the strip. Back in the earlier years of the strip, Violet was sort of a mother hen to Lucy, similar to Patty. In later years, Lucy is shown leading Violet and Patty in something of a mean girl clique, as the three girls are shown to make fun of other characters, especially Charlie Brown, although more often, Violet is shown bullying others almost exclusively with Patty (though later more frequently with Lucy, as Patty became less of a frequent character), while Lucy usually acted alone. They have also mocked Charlie Brown in the TV specials, most notably in A Charlie Brown Christmas and You're in Love, Charlie Brown.
"Pig-Pen"[]
Violet usually mocks and insults "Pig-Pen". (Although a notable exception occurred in the June 17, 1962 strip, when Violet graciously welcomes Pig-Pen to her birthday party and accepts his gift, even to the point of completely ignoring Charlie Brown, who dressed quite nicely for the occasion.) In one strip, Violet attempts to shame "Pig-Pen" by making him look in a mirror. She asks him, "Aren't you ashamed?" to which "Pig-Pen" replies, "On the contrary. I didn't think I looked this good." He has also told Violet "I forgot to rake my hair" when she criticized him for having leaves in his hair in the November 16, 1984 strip. In the Peanuts computer game, It's the Big Game, Charlie Brown, "Pig-Pen" says that he is in love with Violet, due to her habit of making mud pies. However, this has never been stated in the comic strip, and therefore cannot be considered canon. But it has been hinted in the strip, for example, in one early strip, "Pig-Pen" cleans up after seeing Violet hug Snoopy, complaining that no one ever hugged him this way, to impress her and possibly get a hug.
Sally[]
Like most of the other characters, Violet frequently bullies Sally. In the storyline, the latter first appears in, she is one of the players who are upset at her, because her brother has to take her on a stroller during the big game. In one strip on Mother’s Day, Violet and Sally along with Lucy talk about what they are going to get for their mothers.
Snoopy[]
Violet has a good relationship with Snoopy and unlike Lucy, she is not afraid to be licked or kissed by him. In one strip, Lucy lashes out at the dog, but Violet comforts him and hugs him. Violet can frequently be seen cuddling with Snoopy, especially in the 50's.
Film and TV appearances[]
Violet appears in numerous animated Peanuts television specials and all five feature films. Voice actors who played Violet over the years include Ann Altieri (who also voiced Frieda) from 1965–1969 and Linda Ercoli (who also voiced Peppermint Patty) from 1972–1975.
Violet's TV and film appearances are as follows:
- A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) [debut appearance]
- Charlie Brown's All-Stars (1966)
- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
- You're in Love, Charlie Brown (1967)
- He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968)
- It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969)
- A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)
- Snoopy, Come Home (1972) [silent]
- You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972)
- There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown (1973) [silent]
- Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975)
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975) [silent]
- It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976) [silent]
- Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977) [silent]
- It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977) [silent]
- Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) (1980) [silent]
- Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? (1983) [silent]
- The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1983) [silent]
- Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985)
- Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (1986) [silent]
- Snoopy!!! The Musical (TV special) (1988) [archival footage]
- Why, Charlie Brown, Why? (1990) [silent]
- It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)
- It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown (2000) [silent]
- I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003)
- He's a Bully, Charlie Brown (2006)
- Peanuts Motion Comics (2008)
- Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011)
- The Peanuts Movie (2015)
- The Adventure Begins of Cars Story (2021)
- The Snoopy Show (2021)
- Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne (2021)
- The Violet and Patty Movie (2022)