Performer(s) Appeared in Franklin is a character from the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. He is an African-American boy who lives in the same neighborhood as Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Introduced in the comic in 1968, he is good friends with Charlie Brown. Of the five animated Christmas productions based on Peanuts, Franklin appears in It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown and I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.