Snoopy is a rare comic-strip character who outgrew the strip itself. Charles M. Schulz had a gift for reinventing the beagle without ever making him feel inconsistent, thanks to Snoopy's boundless imagination. That creativity spawned hilarious personas and storylines that still define Peanuts today.
With decades of material, picking Snoopy's most memorable moments is no easy task. The strip's other characters are fantastic, but something about Snoopy makes him impossible to overshadow. Here are the five best Snoopy comics ever, ranked.
5. Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
Few moments capture Snoopy's imagination better than his endless duel with the Red Baron. In the October 10, 1965, strip, Snoopy climbs onto his doghouse, imagines it's a British Sopwith Camel fighter plane, and becomes the World War I Flying Ace for the first time. His mission: find and shoot down the Red Baron. Of course, nothing goes as planned.
The Red Baron was based on real German pilot Manfred von Richthofen, but Schulz never actually drew him into the strip, making the rivalry even funnier. Readers experience these epic aerial battles only through Snoopy, who sits atop an ordinary doghouse while imagining gunfire, enemy planes, emergency landings, and heroic missions across Europe. The joke works because Snoopy never treats it as make-believe—to him, the danger is real, and the Red Baron must be defeated. What started as a one-off gag became one of Snoopy's defining alter egos, even though the enemy never appeared on the page.
4. Happiness Is a Warm Puppy
Some of the best Peanuts strips aren't the funny ones. The April 25, 1960, strip simply has Lucy walk over to Snoopy, pat him on the head, pull him into a hug, and say, "Happiness is a warm puppy." It's an unusually sweet moment for Lucy, who normally has a complicated relationship with Snoopy—she often gets annoyed by his behavior and is disgusted when he tries to kiss her, while Snoopy seems to enjoy getting under her skin. That makes this rare moment of genuine affection feel even sweeter.
It's also a testament to Schulz's ability to find something surprisingly big in an ordinary childhood moment. Even Snoopy's reaction sells the idea, as his expression goes from pleased to completely content the second Lucy wraps her arms around him. The phrase became so popular that Schulz used it as the basis for the 1962 book Happiness Is a Warm Puppy, which spent 45 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. A simple four-panel interaction between Lucy and Snoopy became one of the defining moments associated with Peanuts.
3. Joe Cool's First Appearance
Snoopy has imagined himself as everything, but none of his alter egos are as effortlessly ridiculous as Joe Cool. The character first appeared in the May 27, 1971, strip, when Snoopy suddenly decided he was a college student hanging around the student union. Linus plays along by asking how he did in chemistry class, but Joe Cool has bigger concerns—he thinks chemistry is a drag, and being seen around campus is clearly more important. That first strip is simple but already contains almost everything that makes Joe Cool work.
All Snoopy needs to become him are his sunglasses and an extremely laid-back attitude. Later strips expanded the joke by turning his doghouse into a dorm room and letting Joe spend more time around the student union while chasing the college experience without showing much interest in actually going to class. The official Peanuts description still calls him the "ultimate big beagle on campus," which is about as accurate as it gets. Joe Cool works because he exaggerates a side of Snoopy that was already there—the character has never lacked confidence, but Joe Cool turns that into an entire personality.
2. Dark and Stormy Night – World's Shortest Novel
Snoopy may be a terrible novelist, but nobody can question his commitment to the craft. His writing career officially began in the July 12, 1965, strip, when he dragged a typewriter onto the roof of his doghouse and began with the immortal words, "It was a dark and stormy night." From there, Snoopy's world-famous author persona became one of Schulz's funniest recurring ideas, as the beagle spent years trying to write the great American novel from the least original opening imaginable.
The joke was even smarter than it first appeared. Of course, Snoopy didn't invent the sentence—it comes from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel Paul Clifford and had already become a famous example of overwrought writing by the time Schulz borrowed it. That was exactly the point, though. Snoopy's literary ambitions were hilariously undermined by his lack of originality, and the strip became a running gag that fans still love. It's a perfect example of how Schulz could take a simple idea and turn it into something timeless.
1. The First Appearance of Snoopy
While many of Snoopy's personas are iconic, the best Snoopy comic of all time is the one that started it all. On October 2, 1950, Snoopy made his debut in the very first Peanuts strip. He appeared as a simple, unnamed puppy, walking on all fours, with no thought bubbles or wild imagination. He was just a dog, but even then, Schulz gave him a spark of personality that would grow over the years.
That first strip is a reminder of Snoopy's humble beginnings. He wasn't always the cool, imaginative beagle we know today. He evolved gradually, gaining his iconic look and personality over time. The strip is a piece of history, showing the birth of a character who would become one of the most beloved in comic history. It's the foundation upon which all other Snoopy comics were built, and for that, it deserves the top spot.
From his early days as a silent pup to his adventures as the Flying Ace, Joe Cool, and the world's worst novelist, Snoopy has captured hearts for over 70 years. These five comics represent the best of his charm, humor, and enduring appeal. For more on the greatest moments in entertainment, check out our list of flawless miniseries or our ranking of funniest sitcom characters.
