Sony is making a big play for one of the safest brands on the planet. The company has agreed to pay about $460 million to buy WildBrain’s 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings, pushing Sony’s ownership up to 80%. The Schulz family keeps the remaining 20%. The deal still needs regulatory approval, but if it closes, Sony will effectively be in charge of the business behind Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang.
What Sony Actually Bought
This isn’t just a headline about nostalgia. Peanuts is a global licensing machine with decades of proof that it can sell basically anything, while still feeling “classic.” The purchase gives Sony majority control of Peanuts Holdings, with the day-to-day management of the brand continuing through Peanuts Worldwide, the entity that handles licensing and brand operations.
Sony is also not walking into this cold. It already owned about 39% of Peanuts from a previous investment, so this is less “new purchase” and more “now we want the steering wheel.”
Why a 75-Year-Old Brand Is Still a Big Deal
Peanuts is one of those rare properties that works across generations without constant reinvention. It started as a newspaper strip in 1950, became a TV staple through holiday specials, and has stayed relevant through merch, short-form content, and new projects that keep the vibe intact. That’s the kind of IP that big entertainment companies love right now because it is dependable.
For Sony, it also fits the way they’ve been building out entertainment across different divisions. Peanuts can live in animation, streaming, consumer products, and even gaming tie-ins without needing to “reboot” what people already love about it.
What Happens to WildBrain’s Role
Even though WildBrain is selling its ownership stake, it isn’t disappearing from the picture. The companies have outlined a continuing relationship where WildBrain stays involved as a service partner in key areas, including licensing representation in certain territories and producing Peanuts content tied to existing arrangements.
In other words, Sony gets control, but the pipeline and expertise that have been keeping Peanuts active do not get ripped out overnight.
Will Fans Notice Anything Right Away
Probably not. In the short term, most people will experience this as “business adults trading paperwork,” not a sudden shift in what Peanuts feels like. The bigger changes, if any, would show up over time in how aggressively the brand expands.
The safest bet is more Peanuts in more places, but done carefully. Sony will have every incentive to protect the tone and consistency of the brand because that’s the whole point of paying this much for something that already works.
The Real Question: How Sony Uses It
This is where it gets interesting. Sony can now coordinate Peanuts across its wider ecosystem. That could mean more animated projects, more international pushes, more consumer product collaborations, and potentially new types of experiences that Sony is good at developing.
My expectation is that Sony treats Peanuts the way you treat a classic character brand: keep the core recognizable, then expand the edges in ways that feel safe and premium. If they get impatient and overproduce, people will feel it fast. If they play it smart, Peanuts becomes an evergreen anchor that just keeps printing money quietly.
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