Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang have officially found a new home at Sony.
To close out the year, Sony has secured a major stake in Peanuts Holding LLC, the company that manages the rights to the beloved characters created by Charles M. Schulz, including Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The deal includes the purchase of WildBrain’s 41 percent ownership.
Sony will now control 80 percent of Peanuts Holdings, significantly increasing its stake in the company. The Schulz family will continue to hold onto 20 percent, ensuring they remain involved in the legacy of the classic characters who audiences have loved for more than seven decades.
Sony Music Entertainment Japan (SMEJ) has been in partnership with the Peanuts brand since 2018. With its increased ownership stake, the company says it plans to leverage the Sony Group’s global network to expand the franchise's outreach and value.
In a public statement, SMEJ's president and CEO, Shunsuke Muramatsu, promised that he would remain committed to preserving Schulz’s legacy. He will work alongside Sony Pictures Entertainment and maintain its ties with WildBrain, while exploring new opportunities to keep Peanuts relevant and loved for many more decades. Check out his statement below:
Since 2018, SMEJ has been proud to be part of the partnership behind Peanuts, an iconic global entertainment brand with a 75-year legacy of delighting audiences worldwide. With this additional ownership stake, we are thrilled to be able to further elevate the value of the Peanuts brand by drawing on the Sony Group’s extensive global network and collective expertise. We are deeply committed to carrying forward the legacy of Charles Schulz and the Schulz family. Together with SPE, and backed by WildBrain’s continued partnership, we will continue to embrace new opportunities to ensure that Peanuts remains a relevant and beloved presence across generations, reaching new audiences and sharing the timeless charm of the Peanuts gang for years ahead.
Sony Pictures President and CEO Ravi Ahuja made his own statement. He added that with the company’s combined resources, the corporation has the opportunity to both preserve and shape the future of the beloved Peanuts characters at the same time. Like Muramatsu, he also promised that he and his team would ensure that the Peanuts characters would continue to resonate with audiences.
With our combined strengths, we have the unique capability and extraordinary opportunity to protect and shape the future of these beloved characters for generations to come.
Peanuts, briefly titled, Good ol' Charlie Brown, first won the hearts of many Americans as a comic strip that came out on October 2, 1950. And, to many modern fans' surprise, Snoopy, who has become synonymous with the franchise, wasn't around for the franchise's debut. However, the beloved dog joined the gang just two days after the first comic strip. The series ran for 50 years until Schulz's death in 2000.
Throughout the years, the Peanuts franchise grew and spread across all media. The widely recognizable franchise has its own comic books, TV series, and films. And, now that Sony has acquired majority ownership, fans of the beloved brand and its characters can look forward to seeing more of their adventures.
