Of Hedge Toads, Queen Snakes, and Gully Cats
A Peanuts strip from 1972 caught my eye, where Snoopy states he never sleeps under trees to avoid being jumped on by a hedge toad. The original art is coming up for auction, so a high-resolution scan is available for viewing at Weiss Auctions.
Lucy Van Pelt and Snoopy have an interesting relationship in the comic strip Peanuts. They torment one another and compete as strong personalities do sometimes. And, as in here, Lucy is never afraid to stick her nose into someone else’s business. However, is she doing that here or, in fact, looking out for Snoopy’s well-being? Or is she genuinely curious?
Knowing Charles Schulz’s devotion to detail, I wondered if a hedge toad was real. Do they live in Sonoma County, California, the place he called home for over 40 years? Being a relative newcomer myself to the North Bay from the midwest, I wondered if hedge toads are native to this beautiful but unfamiliar place. They would be among the host of things here that are different or just unknown to me. Or, maybe, for Schulz, hedge toads were a childhood memory from Minnesota, a local name for something else. I asked Wikipedia.
No. There’s no such thing as a hedge toad.
Well — fine. But, Peanuts is a comic, and in the comics, anything is possible.
