Good Grief! Rights to Peanuts Characters Are Changing Hands

Mere minutes after purchasing a whimsical Mother’s Day card featuring Woodstock (Snoopy’s avian sidekick, not the music festival), we learned that licensing rights to the Peanuts characters are being sold to Iconix Brand Group. The New York-based licensing company has reached a deal with United Features Syndicate and the E.W. Scripps Company to acquire the Peanuts brand and related assets in partnership with the family of the late Charles M. Schulz. The purchase price will be approximately $175 million, of which Iconix will pay 80% and the Schulz family 20%.