The Big Change in ‘Peanuts’ Ownership, Explained

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang just got a whole lot richer.

Sony recently purchased WildBrain’s 41% stake in the rights to the comic strip Peanuts and its characters, originally created by Charles M. Schulz.

The Japanese company already owned 39% of the rights to Peanuts, meaning Sony now has a controlling 80% stake in the franchise. The Schulz family still owns the remaining 20%.

“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 Groupʼs extensive global network and collective expertise,” Sony Music Entertainment President Shunsuke Muramatsu said in a statement.

Peanuts began on October 2, 1950, and detailed the adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty and plenty more. Common phrases like “good grief,” “happiness is a warm puppy,” and “security blanket” originated from the series.

It eventually became one of the most-read newspaper comic strips of all time, before expanding to movies and TV with beloved works like A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

Sony first acquired their initial 39% stake in Peanuts all the way back in 2018. The company paid $457 million for the other 41%.

Most recently, all Peanuts related specials have been produced by Apple TV. The last special, Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical, aired on August 15, 2025.