There's a lot of deep stuff there. 'Peanuts,' like 'Mister Rogers,' presents an empathetic and nuanced, not dumbed-down view of the world, and that is rare for kids programming.
Folds' subsequent work as a solo artist has elevated his status even further; he has since expanded into scoring for film and television, producing for (and collaborating with) other artists, writing an autobiography, doing a bit of acting, and mounting tours that emphasize an interactive quality.