The Daily Beast. TreeHugger. Mental_floss magazine - Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix. Mental_floss Blog » 6 Ways Charles Schulz Really Was Charlie Brown. While Charlie Brown and his creator, Charles Schulz, share a first name, the character was actually named after one of Schulz’s art school friends, not after himself. Despite this, the big-headed character shares a lot more with his creator than a name. In honor of what would have been Charles Schulz’s birthday, let’s celebrate the man and his creation by considering how similar Schulz was to good old Chuck.