[Ads-l] Thatababy's Guide to Names and Phrases that Originated in Comic Strips (Antedating of "Security Blanket")

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Wonderful citation, Fred.
There are now two crucial citations:

October 24, 1954 appearance of the phrase "'SECURITY AND HAPPINESS'
BLANKET" in the Peanuts comic strip of Charles Schulz

November 6, 1954 reference to Peanuts when using the phrase "security blanket"

These two citations provide evidence that Charles Schulz's comic strip
inspired the creation of the term "security blanket" with the OED
sense of a small blanket carried by a child to afford reassurance.

Garson

On Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 6:51 AM Shapiro, Fred
<00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> security blanket (OED, 2., 1954 [29 Nov.])
>
> 1954 Miami Herald 2 Nov. 6-A/6 (Newspapers.com)
>
> Permit me to express my appreciation for consistently fine entertainment in the form of the comic strip "Peanuts" by Schulz. ... After the "security blanket" episode, I could no longer contain myself.
>
> PERSONAL NOTE: I believe the Peanuts comic strips of the early 1950s were the second-finest strip of all time, surpassed only by Krazy Kat.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Monday, March 2, 2026 5:42 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Thatababy's Guide to Names and Phrases that Originated in Comic Strips
>
> Thanks for pointing to an interesting comic strip, Amy.
> Charles M. Schulz did popularize the notion of a security blanket, but
> the OED's first citation is not from Schulz.
>
> [Begin OED excerpt]
> security blanket noun
> 2. Originally U.S. A small blanket or other soft fabric item held or
> carried by a child to afford reassurance by its familiarity. Also in
> extended use: anything that offers comfort, reassurance, or a sense of
> security.
>
> Widely popularized by the American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz
> (1922–2000) in the comic strip ‘Peanuts’, featuring a boy named Linus
> who carries a cot blanket for comfort.
>
> 1954 Security blanket. My younger child is one year old. When..she
> finds a fuzzy blanket..or a fleecy coat she presses her cheek against
> it and sucks her thumb.
> Daily Review (Hayward, California) 29 November 4
>
> [1956  This is a ‘security and happiness’ blanket...All little kids carry them.
> C. M. Schulz, Good Grief, More Peanuts 25 (caption)]
> [End OED excerpt]
>
> On Sun, Mar 1, 2026 at 9:10 PM Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:
> >
> > Today's Thatababy:
> >
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> >
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