The poetry of Schulz’s life began two days after he was born when an uncle nicknamed him “Sparky” after the horse Spark Plug from the Barney Google comic strip. Sparky was fascinated with strips like Skippy, Mickey Mouse, and Popeye.
He took his artistic studies to a new level when, as a senior in high school and with the encouragement of his mother, he completed a correspondence cartoon course with the Federal School of Applied Cartooning (now Art Instruction Schools).
