Franklin met Charlie Brown one day at the beach. He proceeded to explain that his father was a barber and that he had fought in a war, but he wasn't sure which one. Franklin later visited Charlie Brown and thought his friends were strange. Franklin was a controversial character, being introduced during times of segregation in the United States. But Charles Schulz didn't mind. Franklin plays center field on the baseball team. It has been mentioned in the special You're In The Super Bowl, Charlie Brown, that Franklin's last name is Armstrong.
Schroeder loves piano and Beethoven, starting as early as toddlerhood. He doesn't love Lucy, however, no matter how many times she tries to get him to like her. She's even gone so far as to smash his beloved Beethoven busts. He just gets another from his vast collection. No matter how hard she tries to win him over, he keeps brushing her aside. He plays catcher on Charlie's baseball team. He is considered to be one of Charlie Brown's friends, sticking up for him at times. Snoopy is especially fond of Schroeder's piano playing, often dancing on top, much to Schroeder's annoyance. I believe Schroeder came from Schulz' love of classical music that he later developed.
Rerun is Linus and Lucy's younger brother. Rerun is often embarrassed by his older siblings, telling people he has no other brother or sister. Lucy is annoyed by his constant ramblings and throws him outside often. He desperately wants a dog, but his mother tells him no. In I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown, Rerun tries his hand at taking care of Spike, Snoopy's brother. He finds it's more than he can handle. He also hates going with his mother on the back of her bike, as she is a terrible driver and crashes into things all the time.
Violet is somewhat snobby and thinks she's better than others, especially Charlie Brown. She constantly belittles him, along with Lucy and others. She was based on Schulz' girlfriend at the time, Judy Halverson, who, coincidentally, was Joyce Halverson's sister. At one time, when Violet first appeared, Charlie Brown took a liking to her, and she liked him as well, but due to his occasional rudeness, that feeling was short-lived. (See Peanuts History section on this site for more.) Once, Pig Pen became enamored with her because he saw her making mud pies. He soon found that their love was not to be. In the comic strip, she was friends with a girl named Patty, not to be confused with Peppermint Patty. She was semi-nice once to Charlie Brown, giving him a used valentine card in Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. Schroeder thought that this was rude and stuck up for him, but Charlie decided he'd take a valentine anyway he could get one. Her trademark is her ponytailed hair.
Patty is an early character in the Peanuts strip, and one of the more domineering girls of the strip. She was based on Schulz' cousin, Patricia Swanson. Violent towards Charlie Brown due to his insensitive ways and insulting towards Pig-Pen for his uncleanliness, she set the tone for many of the other females to come. She was the oldest child in the strip. She dated Shermy and Charlie Brown at different times (again, see Peanuts History section of this site). She made her last appearance in the strip in 1976. She appeared in some of the animated television specials and played a big part in the stage musical You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. She plays outfield in the baseball team, and it was she that first introduced Charlie Brown to Schroeder, indicating that she lived next door to him.
Freida was also based on someone that Schulz knew at Art Instruction called Freida Mae Rich. Yes, she had naturally curly hair. Frieda has one love in life: her naturally curly hair. In fact, she is the only one who does not wear a cap on the baseball team, because she says it will cover her hair. However, she was nicer to Charlie Brown than the others. Some characters were jealous of her because she got lots of valentines from her friends. She was the only one who didn't feel that Linus was weird for dragging a security blanket around. She has a male cat named Faron. She finds Snoopy to be far too lazy for a beagle, saying he should be out hunting and working. She made numerous appearances on The Charlie Brown And Snoopy Show.
Frieda's first appearance in the strip.