Peanuts Begins by Charles Schulz for August 01, 2023

I only had one. “I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates/You got a brand new key.” #1 hit in December 1971 – https://youtu.be/RCTMTflcuug

Where did she get the extras? I only had one.

I was wondering…

I remember them well!

Melanie has a lot to answer for.

Maybe she should hide one someplace near where she actually uses roller skates.

Clamp-on, ball bearing roller skates enjoyed widespread popularity among American children in the beginning of the late 1930s and during the decades following World War II. Most of these skates fit onto skater’s shoes, and had adjustable metal toe clamps and foot beds that permitted use by children of all ages and sizes. Skate keys permitted those adjustments, and became an important part of any skate purchase. Often worn around the necks of children (threaded through the key’s central loop), skate keys became a badge of pride for the children who owned them.

https://emuseum.nyhistory.org/objects/77486/skate-key

The date (9/9) has reappeared in the fourth panel. The three recent strips with Snoopy as a snake (9/6 – 9/8 of 1955, run here on 7/29 – 7/31) were not dated, either here or on the regular Peanuts page. Anyone have any ideas about this? I thought Schulz always dated his strips.

So where her’s skates?

I’d really like to know how many readers have NO idea what a roller skate key is (was).

In the fifties I used my skates a lot and I replaced those two small clamps in front that only covered the sole of the shoe, and sometimes slipped off, with larger clamps that came up over the top of my shoes. These were also great because they let you wear sneakers. Great roller skates that you could always make larger as your feet grew with that wonderful skate key. I loved ‘em!!