Charlie Brown now works for Sony

Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Sony Pictures Entertainment now officially own 80% of the Peanuts franchise. The companies closed the deal, which was officially announced in December 2025 while it was still subject to regulatory approvals, for $460 million. Sony Music Japan has owned 39% of Peanuts since 2018, so Sony subsidiaries are essentially buying 41% of the franchise from Canadian company WildBrain with this transaction. Now that the acquisition is complete, Peanuts is officially a consolidated subsidiary of Sony.

The Peanuts universe began as comic strips by Charles M. Schulz in 1950. Its characters, including Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy, have since become household names. You can’t say “Damn!” » without associating him with Charlie Brown. The franchise has grown significantly since Peanut’s inception, spawning numerous animated series, musicals, and films, such as A Charlie Brown Christmas And Snoopy the musical.