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CharHeather is the het ship between Charlie Brown and the Little Red-Haired Girl (Heather Wold) from the Peanuts fandom.
Canon[]
Charlie Brown and the Little Red-Haired Girl, later named Heather in the 1977 animated TV special It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown and The Peanuts Movie, are characters in Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts universe, with Charlie debuting in the first strip on October 2, 1950, and Heather first mentioned on November 19, 1961. Charlie Brown first pines for the Little Red-Haired Girl during lunch at school in the latter strip, saying he would "give anything in the world if that little girl with the red hair would come over and sit with me."
Despite Charlie’s mention of her in the comic strip, the Little Red-Haired Girl is never seen, except in the strip from May 25, 1998, in which she is seen in silhouette when dancing with Snoopy. Schulz intentionally kept the Little Red-Haired Girl undrawn in the comic strip to emphasize Charlie Brown’s endless, unattainable yearning for her. He continued loving her until the end of the strip in 2000.
In the animated adaptations, their relationship fleshes out, though Schulz considers the specials non-canonical. In You’re in Love, Charlie Brown, after several failed attempts at traying to talk with her on the last two days of school, Heather slips him a note stating, "I like you, Charlie Brown. Signed, the Little Red-Haired Girl." Her first onscreen appearance comes in the 1977 special It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown, her first onscreen appearance comes in It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977), where Linus reveals her name as Heather, the Homecoming Queen, and informs Charlie that he’ll escort and kiss her during the dance. They share a slow dance, and after Linus’s nudge, Charlie summons the courage to kiss her cheek, sending him into a euphoric blackout, though he blacks out and forgets it, leaving their connection ambiguous.
The Peanuts Movie[]
In the 2015 film, the Little Red-Haired Girl is named Heather Wold, and she moves in across the street from Charlie Brown near the start of the movie. In part, Charlie Brown is excited by the prospect of being able to start fresh with a new acquaintance unaware of his various failings. When Heather joins his class at school, Charlie Brown is soon smitten by both her appearance and apparent intelligence. Moreover, when he picks up a pencil Heather dropped, Charlie Brown is delighted to discover that she shares his habit of chewing on pencils.
However, Heather also proves so intimidating to Charlie Brown that he feels unable to approach her. Though he longs to befriend her, he feels unequal to the prospect. Even when Snoopy attempts to help him visit her at her house, Charlie Brown is overcome with nerves and hides before she can answer her door. In discussing his problem with Lucy, Charlie Brown expresses the belief that Heather is “something”, whereas he is “nothing.”
Acting on advice from Lucy, Charlie Brown sets out to impress Heather. First, he practices a magic act for the school talent show. But he ultimately sacrifices his spotlight to help his sister Sally at the talent show, unknowingly impressing Heather with his kindness. Feeling humiliated, Charlie Brown feels that he’s spoiled his chances with Heather in spite of Linus’ attempts to encourage him. Charlie Brown is further disheartened to see her speaking with several other girls, who he fears will give her an even worse impression of him.
Later, Charlie Brown observes Heather dancing through her window, and resolves to take up dancing herself. His ultimate hope is to dance with her at the Winter Dance at school. Sadly, this is prevented by an accident with the gym sprinkler system, but Heather secretly admires Charlie Brown’s bravery for taking part in a dance contest. Charlie Brown, meanwhile, despairs that his efforts to approach Heather seem to actually be making his task more difficult.
Sometime later, Heather is out of town when the class is supposed to be assigned partners for book reports. Drawing her name by chance, Charlie Brown is so pleased that he gets carried away in a daydream of the two of them. He soon begins to panic, however, inflating the idea of their partnership grossly out of proportion. Still, jumping at the chance to make a good impression, Charlie Brown resolves to complete their book report by himself. Not only that, but he decides-after counseling with his friends Peppermint Patty and Marcie-to write the report about War and Peace.
Charlie Brown uses Heather’s pencil to write the report. Prior to his turning it in, an assembly is held at which Charlie Brown is to be honored for a perfect test score. However, upon recognizing that the test in question has been mislabeled and is not his, Charlie Brown reveals this fact to the audience. While he notices Heather among those watching, Charlie Brown is unaware that his honesty has left an impression on her.
It is only after the assembly that Heather learns of the book report and that Charlie Brown has written it for the both of them. Unfortunately, his hard work is then destroyed by accident, which Heather reacts to with Charlie Brown’s own customary exclamation of “good grief.” She questions whether they might be able to salvage the paper, but the futility of the task leaves Charlie Brown crushed. As such, he is entirely surprised when, on the last day of school, Heather volunteers to be his summer pen pal.
Worrying that Heather may be acting out of pity for him, Charlie Brown finally realizes that he should have approached her directly as Linus had been saying the whole time. He rushes to Heather’s house, only to learn from her mother that Heather’s going away for summer camp and is already headed for her bus. Charlie Brown makes a mad rush across town and manages to catch Heather before she departs. He is surprised yet again when Heather proves to know his name, and questions her willingness to be his pen pal.
Much to Charlie Brown’s surprise, Heather’s view of his actions throughout their acquaintance is entirely different from his. Where Charlie Brown has felt like an awkward disaster, Heather has recognized his good heart and found him both admirable and funny. As she’s about to leave, Charlie Brown delights her by returning her pencil, and she promises that she will indeed be writing him.
Quotes[]
- “I can't help it, Lucy! I just can't face the Little Red-Haired Girl... Pretty faces make me nervous.”
- — Charlie Brown to Lucy van Pelt about the Little Red Haired Girl in You're in Love, Charlie Brown
- Charlie – “Before you leave, there's something I really need to know. Why, out of all the kids in our class, would you want to be partners with me?”
- Heather – “That's easy. It's because I've seen the type of person you are.”
- Charlie – “An insecure, wishy-washy failure?”
- Heather – “That's not who you are at all. I like the compassion you showed for your sister at the talent show. The honesty you had at the assembly. And at the dance, you were brave and funny. And what you did for me, doing the book report while I was away, was so sweet of you. So when I look at you, I don't see a failure at all. You have all the qualities I admire.”
- — Charlie and Heather in The Peanuts Movie
Fanon[]
CharHeather is a flagship ship in the Peanuts fandom, fueled by Charlie’s pining. Fans often reimagine their story with Charlie overcoming his nerves.
On AO3, the "Charlie Brown/Little Red-Haired Girl" tag holds 90 works as of March 2025. They are the fourth most written ship under the Peanuts tag.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Charlie/Little Red-Haired Girl tag on AO3
- Charlie & Little Red-Haired Girl tag on AO3
Trivia[]
- Charlie's unrequited love for Heather is based on Donna Johnson, a redheaded woman who Charles Schulz proposed to but rejected him.
Gallery[]
