Sony to acquire 'Peanuts' for $457 million.

*ranger_scout* · 12-19-2025, 09:19 AM

Charlie Brown and all of the characters you know and love have been acquired by Sony for $457 million. I hope Sony does great things with them because this is a franchise I've loved since I was 3 years old.

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/s...al-1236612363/

*neatoman* · 12-19-2025, 09:45 AM

*sdp* · 12-19-2025, 10:04 AM

When was the las time Peanuts was relevant?
At this point it's just a character you license to put on merchandise like cups and whatnot. It has 0 cultural impact and no one under 30 cares about the characters. Even for 90s kids the franchise was only relevant for its holiday specials.

*Andrew NDB* · 12-19-2025, 10:50 AM

Peanuts for 457 million... yet TMNT sold to Viacom for 62 million. That's crazy.

*sdp* · 12-19-2025, 11:21 AM

Well we've discussed this before but Laird sold TMNT for way less than he should've. Power Rangers sold for more like 2 years later and that's only because Disney wanted to get rid of it quickly. Also in the current age companies value legacy IP much more than they used to in the 2000s.

With that context licensing gives a lot of money, I think garfield makes around a billion dollars a year through licensing. So rights holders likely get around 3% so Garfield would make around 30 million per year to its rights owners. I would guess Peanuts is doing around those same numbers but don't know perhaps they do much more Snoopy is everywhere in merchandise. It still feels like they overpaid but those numbers don't come out of thin air, maybe they're making double of what garfield does.

*frank_one* · 12-19-2025, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Peanuts for 457 million... yet TMNT sold to Viacom for 62 million. That's crazy.

It's even more crazy: Sony paid 457 million for only 41% of Peanuts.

*Andrew NDB* · 12-19-2025, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank_one

It's even more crazy: Sony paid 457 million for only 41% of Peanuts.

I guess never underestimate Sony's never-ending series of stupid choices.

*Prowler* · 12-19-2025, 03:05 PM

This is so random. And 457 million, really? Are Peanuts really worth that much in 2025/2026?

I'm surprised Disney didn't get their filthy hands on Peanuts, anyway.

*Coola Yagami* · 12-19-2025, 04:14 PM

I know nowadays nothing is a just a character or a story. It's either an all-out franchise or it isn't.

I never thought I'd see the day where Peanuts was considered a franchise, and worth 457 million no less.

*Andrew NDB* · 12-19-2025, 04:25 PM

I would've thought, if anything, it would be worth pennies on the dollar at this point.

*Coola Yagami* · 12-19-2025, 05:19 PM

eh, I'm guessing it's because even now the characters, especially Snoopy, are still super marketable when it comes to merch, especially in other countries. Snoopy is so big in Japan some people don't even know he's an American creation. So I guess it's more about the merch than actual shows or cartoons or whatever.

*CyberCubed* · 12-19-2025, 05:20 PM

Even when I was a kid I thought Peanuts was old as hell or lame, and this was the early 90's. I can't imagine what kids in the 2020's care about Peanuts, they probably have no idea it exists.

*Andrew NDB* · 12-19-2025, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Even when I was a kid I thought Peanuts was old as hell or lame, and this was the early 90's.

Right? I had this same feeling. I wouldn't mind watching it much because back then there wasn't like tons of options to watch at certain times, but it DID feel very dated and old even then.

*Prowler* · 12-19-2025, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

I know nowadays nothing is a just a character or a story. It's either an all-out franchise or it isn't.

I never thought I'd see the day where Peanuts was considered a franchise, and worth 457 million no less.

I mean, it has/had a comic strip and had a cartoon series at least and lots of merchandise. So it's not like it's just a mere popular newspaper comic strip like Zits or Foxtrot are/were.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Even when I was a kid I thought Peanuts was old as hell or lame, and this was the early 90's. I can't imagine what kids in the 2020's care about Peanuts, they probably have no idea it exists.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Right? I had this same feeling. I wouldn't mind watching it much because back then there wasn't like tons of options to watch at certain times, but it DID feel very dated and old even then.

Yeah I did have on VHS tape that episode where they have student council elections, though lol. That one was fun. But I remember watching reruns of the cartoon series on cable when I was an older kid and it was fine for what it was but it wasn't a personal favourite of mine.

My mother used to tell me that Peanuts actually clicked more with adults than it did with kids, which I always found it hard to believe. I think this is one of those cases of a generational disconnect.

*TheSkeletonMan939* · 12-20-2025, 05:30 AM

Peanuts isn't so big here in the U.S. anymore, but selling Snoopy's face on lunchboxes and toys takes in a billion dollars annually from international sales. The company calls itself Peanuts Worldwide in acknowledgement of this. An equivalent might be Hello Kitty, a brand which Japan tired of long ago but is still very popular across the world.

My favorite Peanuts years are the early ones, 1950-55. I've never found the running gags Schulz began using afterwards to be very funny.

12-19-2025, 09:19 AM	#1
ranger_scout Foot Elite Join Date: May 2014 Location: Texas Posts: 3,776	Sony to acquire 'Peanuts' for $457 million. Charlie Brown and all of the characters you know and love have been acquired by Sony for $457 million. I hope Sony does great things with them because this is a franchise I've loved since I was 3 years old. https://variety.com/2025/film/news/s...al-1236612363/

12-19-2025, 10:04 AM	#3
sdp Detoxed Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Tokio, Italy Posts: 11,222	When was the las time Peanuts was relevant? At this point it's just a character you license to put on merchandise like cups and whatnot. It has 0 cultural impact and no one under 30 cares about the characters. Even for 90s kids the franchise was only relevant for its holiday specials. __________________ *Trapt* *urself Page MiscRave!!!* Click to join The Drome Discord server

12-19-2025, 11:21 AM	#5
sdp Detoxed Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Tokio, Italy Posts: 11,222	Well we've discussed this before but Laird sold TMNT for way less than he should've. Power Rangers sold for more like 2 years later and that's only because Disney wanted to get rid of it quickly. Also in the current age companies value legacy IP much more than they used to in the 2000s. With that context licensing gives a lot of money, I think garfield makes around a billion dollars a year through licensing. So rights holders likely get around 3% so Garfield would make around 30 million per year to its rights owners. I would guess Peanuts is doing around those same numbers but don't know perhaps they do much more Snoopy is everywhere in merchandise. It still feels like they overpaid but those numbers don't come out of thin air, maybe they're making double of what garfield does. __________________ *Trapt* *urself Page MiscRave!!!* Click to join The Drome Discord server

12-19-2025, 04:14 PM	#9
Coola Yagami Overlord Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 15,715	I know nowadays nothing is a just a character or a story. It's either an all-out franchise or it isn't. I never thought I'd see the day where Peanuts was considered a franchise, and worth 457 million no less. __________________ "I was down with TMNT once, but then they changed what TMNT was. Now what I was down with is no longer TMNT and what TMNT now is seems weird and scary. And it'll happen to YOU." Check out my blog for Comic Reviews and other things. https://markepicblogofrandomness.blogspot.com/ I also started The AEW Crew, the All Elite Wrestling Fan Club! https://www.facebook.com/groups/637508120044168/

12-19-2025, 05:19 PM	#11
Coola Yagami Overlord Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 15,715	eh, I'm guessing it's because even now the characters, especially Snoopy, are still super marketable when it comes to merch, especially in other countries. Snoopy is so big in Japan some people don't even know he's an American creation. So I guess it's more about the merch than actual shows or cartoons or whatever. __________________ "I was down with TMNT once, but then they changed what TMNT was. Now what I was down with is no longer TMNT and what TMNT now is seems weird and scary. And it'll happen to YOU." Check out my blog for Comic Reviews and other things. https://markepicblogofrandomness.blogspot.com/ I also started The AEW Crew, the All Elite Wrestling Fan Club! https://www.facebook.com/groups/637508120044168/

12-19-2025, 10:50 AM	#4
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 34,568	Peanuts for 457 million... yet TMNT sold to Viacom for 62 million. That's crazy.

12-19-2025, 04:25 PM	#10
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 34,568	I would've thought, if anything, it would be worth pennies on the dollar at this point.

12-19-2025, 05:20 PM	#12
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,886	Even when I was a kid I thought Peanuts was old as hell or lame, and this was the early 90's. I can't imagine what kids in the 2020's care about Peanuts, they probably have no idea it exists.