Marcie Always Calls Peppermint Patty "Sir" in 'Peanuts' Cartoons — Why Is That?

The Peanuts gang consists of many beloved characters, but today, we're focusing only on two: Peppermint Patty and Marcie. The two girls are best friends, but they're complete opposites. While Marcie is a bookworm and an exceptional student, Patty frequently falls asleep in class and struggles with her work. Patty is an athletic tomboy who loves to skate, while Marcie doesn't participate in physical activities. Peppermint Patty is also more sincere and cheery, and Marcie is more serious.

Initially, it seems like their differences will bring them closer. But unlike other friendships in the Peanuts universe, Patty and Marcie often annoy one another and call each other strange names. For instance, Marcie repeatedly refers to Peppermint Patty as "sir," and Patty always grows angry at her friend. Why is that?

Peppermint Patty and Marcie are best friends, but Marcie irritates Patty whenever she calls her "sir." Every time, Patty snaps at Marcie, "Stop calling me Sir!" but Marcie never listens. Eventually, Patty gets used to it, though she still prefers her friend to accept her wishes.

Per SheKnows, it remains unclear why Marcie calls Peppermint Patty "sir." However, "It may have started as a reaction to Peppermint Patty’s strong, sometimes bossy personality or due to Marcie’s poor eyesight," the publication wrote.

The question is a topic of discussion in the Peanuts subreddit, with various individuals weighing in their opinions on why Marcie calls Peppermint Patty "sir."

"Peppermint Patty is just a tomboy, so Marcie would say it out of habit and to annoy her," one user wrote. "It could also be that when Marcie and Patty met, I believe Patty was a camp counselor for Marcie, and so out of respect, she started calling her sir."

"At first, 'sir' was a genuine accident, but then Marcie kept doing it to get under Patty’s skin," another user wrote.

We can continue coming up with theories as to why Marcie calls her best friend Peppermint Patty "sir," but we will never know if they're correct. But, what we do know is that the pair gets on each other's nerves for several additional reasons.

Yes, Patty gets annoyed when Marcie calls her "sir," but she gets even more aggravated when Marcie repeatedly bothers her to do her schoolwork. Also, Patty is annoyed that Marcie knows very little about sports — it keeps Patty from having a friend who is just as athletic and interested in sports as her.

As for Marcie, Patty does get on her nerves as well. Marcie gets annoyed with how careless Patty is about school. Patty rarely completes her work, and that is why she does so poorly in class.

Also, we all know that Patty has a crush on Charlie Brown. She's very bad at hiding her feelings, yet she refuses to tell him, which annoys Marcie the most.