THE REAL 'LINUS' LINUS MAURER (SON OF NICK & ELLA) WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SLEEPY EYE, MINNESOTA.  HE SPENT FOUR YEARS IN THE NAVY DURING WORLD WAR 2 AND THEN WENT ON TO STUDY ART AT THE MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOL OF ART.  FOLLOWING GRADUATION HE BECAME A CARTOON INSTRUCTOR AT THE ART INSTRUCTION SCHOOL IN MINNEAPOLIS, WHERE CHARLES SCHULZ WAS TEACHING CARTOONING.  SCHULZ AND MAURER BECAME GOOD FRIENDS AND SCHULZ ADDED THE CHARACTER “LINUS” (NAMED AFTER HIS FRIEND) INTO HIS NEWLY DEVELOPED COMIC STRIP “PEANUTS”.

     MAURER MOVED TO CALIFORNIA AND WENT FROM TEACHING CARTOONING TO CREATING CARTOONS FOR NEWSPAPER SYNDICATION, TELEVISION, AND PUBLISHING.  IN ADDITION HE ALSO CREATED THE INTERNATIONALLY SYNDICATED DAILY NEWSPAPER PUZZLE “CHALLENGER”.

     LINUS MAURER BECAME A PROFESSIONAL SYNDICATED, AWARD-WINNING CARTOONIST, MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATOR, AND WHIMSICAL PAINTER.                                                                                                                                     SEPTEMBER 23, 2003

All About Linus:
-The Real Linus Statue of Sleepy Eye
-Linus Maurer, inspiration behind 'Peanuts' character, dies at 90
-Linus/PEANUTS

The Dyckman Free Library