It's hard to look at Peanuts with fresh eyes from such a distance of time. Halloween specials notwithstanding, I'm not sure I can say that I ever loved Peanuts--certainly not as an adult--but it was absolutely a cultural icon.

I think it was from reading the "Complete Peanuts" collections and seeing how brilliant the strip was in the earlier part of its run (certainly before I was old enough to either read or understand its depth as a child).