What color is Charlie Brown’s Shirt? If you answered yellow, you’d only be partially right. The classic black zig-zag has been set against red, orange, green, blue and yellow. Red and yellow seem to be the most prominent shirt color through the years. Red was definitely the go-to through 1960’s and into the 1970’s. Blue and green show up from time to time, with orange making the occasional appearance.
Why the many colors of Charlie Brown’s shirt? Sometimes, it seems to be the best design option. If Charlie Brown is the prominent figure, perhaps his shirt is made red so he’ll stand out in the design. Another option is the cost of the colors. If the manufacturer is looking to keep their printing costs down, perhaps using red is preferable to yellow. Backgrounds are another consideration. Light backgrounds lend themselves better to the darker hues of red, blue and green, while dark backgrounds work great with yellow. There are many stand-alone pieces, like figurines, where Charlie Brown’s shirt color doesn’t matter and yellow isn’t used.
Based on my research, a new revelation has arisen. There are a couple times when Charlie Brown’s black zigzag is recolored. A lunchbox shows a purple zigzag on a yellow shirt. The strip turns green on a yellow shirt for a Fawcett Crest book. If you find other examples, let me know.
The real question now is – how did Charlie Brown’s iconic shirt become known as yellow? If you have any thoughts or history, let us know!
