Celebrate National Franklin Day With The Peanuts

07/31/2015 01:18 pm EDT

Today is the 47th birthday of Peanuts character Franklin. And in honor of the Charles Schulz creation's historic landmark, Peanuts has declared today National Franklin Day.

First debuting in the classic Peanuts strip way back in 1968, Franklin was the product of school teacher Harriet Glickman, who wished to see greater racial diversity in Peanuts. Glickman wrote a letter to Schulz just days after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, urging the cartoonist to introduce a black character in the strip as a way to teach children about racial integration. The two wrote back-and-forth for several months before Schulz formally introduced the character on this day.

Franklin has since grown to become one of Peanuts' main cast members, appearing alongside Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and more. In fact, he'll have a starring role in this fall's upcoming Peanuts movie from Fox.

In honor of National Franklin Day, check out the character's debut comic strip, along with new Franklin images from The Peanuts Movie, in the gallery below.

The Peanuts Movie opens on November 6.

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