Charlie Brown and Snoopy on TV: Peanuts Animation and Video List
The Peanuts Animation and Video Page
A Comprehensive Guide to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts Gang on TV, Film, and Video
Compiled by
Last Updated: November 24, 2017
A Charlie Brown Christmas airs Thursday, November 30, 2017 and Thursday, December 21, 2017 on ABC from 8-9 PM (Eastern/Pacific) both nights.
Also airing in December 2017 on ABC: I Want A Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown on Saturday, December 16 and Happy New Year, Charlie Brown on Tuesday, December 26, both from 8-9 PM (Eastern/Pacific) each night.
Peanuts by Schulz: School Days, a third 2-DVD set containing 29 of the Boomerang Peanuts shorts, now available.
Peanuts Holiday Collection Deluxe Edition 4K Ultra HD, a
6-DVD set containing 9 specials on Ultra HD Blu-ray, now available.
See full article for imporant notes.
If you're having difficulty finding the show you're thinking of, use your browser's &Find& command and search for a word or two relating to the show (such as &spelling bee&, &flashbeagle&, etc.)!
Table of Contents
Who wrote the music for the television specials?
What's the name of the Peanuts theme?
Where can I get Peanuts music on CD?
Which specials did the music on those CDs come from?
Where can I get sheet music of Peanuts music?
What is the classical music played during the MetLife Peanuts promos at the beginning and end of &Live from Lincoln Center&?
Where else have animated Peanuts characters appeared?
How were the adults' (teachers') &mwa-mwa-mwa& voices made?
What is the name of Charlie Brown's teacher?
What are the names of Snoopy's brothers and sisters?
Who are those twin girls in &A Charlie Brown Christmas&?
What special did Snoopy fight the Red Baron in?
What specials did Joe Cool appear in?
What special did Snoopy play the Jaw Harp in?
What was the name given to Snoopy by his previous owner in &Snoopy Come Home&?
What was Linus's speech in &A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving&?
What other countries have the TV specials been shown in?
Introduction
Welcome to the most comprehensive guide to the Peanuts television specials on the web! This page has detailed information about all the television shows, series, and movies starring Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang that have ever been made.
There's also sections covering the latest news, video releases, where you can see the shows on TV now, the music from the shows, awards the shows have won, other web sites of interest, and miscellaneous questions and answers.
The Peanuts characters have also appeared animated in many commercials, but I haven't tried to list all of these. (See
for some more details, though.)
I hope you enjoy the page and that it answers any questions you have! I continue to update and add to this page as time permits. Additional information, corrections, and suggestions for this list are always welcome! Please send them to
The latest copy of this guide can be found on the World Wide Web at:
Please use the above URL when linking to this website.
Latest News
Visit or subscribe to the
to keep up with the latest TV and DVD news, as well as other events in the Peanuts world: CD releases, book news, museum exhibits, interesting articles and more.
(We'll continue to post the latest TV and DVD news here as well, but you may find that the blog makes it easier to keep up with the latest updates.)
Latest updates are marked in red text.
Peanuts Shorts on Boomerang
From May 9, 2016 through March 3, 2017, the US cable channel Boomerang aired a series of 104 animated shorts starring Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang are airing on the US cable channel Boomerang. The show was titled simply &Peanuts.& The episodes are still shown from time to time on Boomerang.
shorts, created by French animation studio Normaal Animation, first aired in France in 2014 and 2015. Each short is based on a comic strip by Charles Schulz, and are drawn in a traditional 2D animation style, unlike the recent theatrical &Peanuts& movie. According to the PR, the shorts were designed to feel like the comic strips they are based on, with &watercolor art style, textured backgrounds and framing.& Normaal created 500 of these shorts (!!), each about 1-2 minutes long.
(Back in December 2014, the Los Angeles Times ran a nice article about the shorts, which you can .)
For the United States broadcast, the shorts were
re-dubbed in English by child actors who auditioned for parts in 2015's "Peanuts" movie and who were rated highly, but didn't quite make the cut for the movie.
Having watched the shorts, I can say they were up to the task! The shorts were
grouped together into 104 different approximately 7-minute && all 104 aired at least once on Boomerang.
section for a list of all 104 episodes with their US titles and broadcast dates.
The broadcast history through March 2017:
May 9, 2016- May 13: Two episodes, both new, aired each weekday from 11:30 - 11:45 AM (Eastern)
May 16 - June 24: One new episode, and one repeat, aired each weekday from 11:30 - 11:45 AM (Eastern)
June 27 - July 15: Six episodes, all repeats, air each day from 11 AM - 12 noon and again from 4 - 5 PM (Eastern)
July 18 - Sep 2: Six episodes, one new and the rest repeats, air each day from 11 AM - 12 noon and again from 4 - 5 PM (Eastern)
Sep 5 - Sep 30: Six episodes, all repeats, air each day from 11 AM - 12 noon and
from 4 - 5 PM (Eastern)
Oct 3 - Nov 4: Six episodes, one new and the rest repeats, air each day (including weekends) from 11 AM - 12 noon (Eastern); six repeat episodes also air Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM - 12 noon
Nov 5 - Jan 1, 2017: At least six episodes, all repeats, air each Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM - 12 noon (Eastern); on some days, more episodes air, starting earlier than 11 AM, but the schedule is irregular.
Jan 2, 2017 - Mar 3, 2017: Three episodes, all repeats, air each weekday (Mondays through Friday) from 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM (Eastern)
While the shorts are still occasionally shown on Boomerang, I am no longer keeping a history of the broadcast times.
For the first week only - Monday May 9 through Friday May 15, 2016- the shorts aired as a &preview& on the more widely available Cartoon Network channel, from 10:00 - 10:15 AM Eastern (7:00 - 7:15 AM Pacific). But other than that first week, the shorts are
aired only on Boomerang.
On YouTube, you can see Boomerang's
for the new Peanuts shorts,, and you can find several samples of the shorts themselves on .
Warner Home Video has started releasing DVDs of them.
So far three sets have been released: &Peanuts by Schulz: Snoopy Tales& (with 32 shorts), &Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go& (with 19 shorts), and &Peanuts by Schulz: School Days& (with 29 shorts). (November 21, 2017)
Current TV Broadcast Information
(November 21, 2017)
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Aired November 22, 2017 on ABC
ABC broadcast A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, together with This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers, from 8-9 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on Wednesday, November 22, 2017.
And on Thanksgiving Day itself (November 23), the &Charlie Brown and his kite& balloon flew inthe Macys' Thanksgiving Day Parade from 9 AM - noon (all time zones) on NBC. (November 4, 2017)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Aired October 19 and 29, 2017 on ABC
ABC broadcast&It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown&twice in October 2017: &first in an edited version on Thursday, October 19 from 8:00 - 8:30 PM, and then the full, unedited special together with You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown on Sunday, October 29 from 8:00 - 9:00 PM (all times Eastern/Pacific). (October 10, 2017)
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown & A Charlie Brown Valentine Aired February 10, 2017 on ABC
It's the annual hour of love and heartbreak for the Peanuts gang: ABC showed Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown together with A Charlie Brown Valentine from 8 - 9 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on Friday, February 10, 2017. (February 7, 2017)
Other Broadcast Info
Currently there is no channel broadcasting the many other Peanuts TV shows that are not broadcast on ABC. (October 1, 2017)
DVD & Video Releases
Warner Releases 4K Ultra HD Version of the Peanuts Holiday Collection Video Box Set
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing a new version of the Peanuts Holiday Collection video box set, titled Peanuts Holiday Collection Deluxe Edition 4K Ultra HD.
This latest incarnation of the set includes 9 animated Peanuts TV specials, supposedly on regular Blu-ray discs, Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, and digital copies. However, not all 9 specials are on all formats - see more below. (DVDs are not included, but a DVD version of the set - albeit with fewer specials - has been previously released and remains available.)
If you're wondering what the heck 4K Ultra HD discs are and whether you need them, also see further below.
The 9 specials advertised as being in the set are as follows (each group appears together on one disc):
A Charlie Brown Christmas
It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown
It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
It's Magic, Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown's All-Stars
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers
Play It Again, Charlie Brown
This is the first time 3 of these specials have been released in high definition - although, again, see important warning below. The new-to-HD specials are It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown; Charlie Brown's All-Stars; and Play It Again, Charlie Brown.
Warning: despite the PR and the back box cover implying that all 9 shows - including the 3 that are new to high definition - are on both the Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs in the set, that is not the case. Only the Charlie Brown Christmas Blu-ray disc includes 3 the Great Pumpkin and Thanksgiving Blu-ray discs are the copies of the old Blu-ray discs, with only 2 shows each.
Which means that the only way to see 2 of the 3 new-to-HD shows is if you have an Ultra HD disc player.
This apparently is the case will all set I do not know if this is intended, or a mistake.
And even if it is a mistake, the chances of Warner Home Video fixed it are very small.&If I find out more, I will update this blog post
The Blu-ray discs also include the &behind-the-scenes& featurettes that were created when Warner Bros. first released the specials on DVD in 2008.
(They have appeared previously on all other Warner DVD and Blu-ray releases as well.)
There are no new behind-the-scenes features.
The box set retails for $44.98 SRP.
Given the fact that the new-to-HD specials do not appear on the Blu-ray discs of this set, you should buy it only if you want the Ultra HD discs.
The three Ultra HD Blu-ray discs mark the first time that the Peanuts specials have been released in 4K Ultra HD with HDR, which theoretically has four times the resolution and better colors than regular HD and Blu-ray.
However, you need a 4K-enabled Ultra HD Blu-ray player and a 4K TV to take advantage of this. The Ultra HD discs will not play in regular, older Blu-ray players.
If you don't have a 4K Blu-ray player and/or TV, you could still use the three Blu-ray discs that are also included - but will
not get to enjoy the 3 new-to-HD specials this way (see warning above).
You might be wondering, can the Peanuts specials actually look better when viewed in 4K Ultra HD than in just regular high definition? It seems doubtful - the regular 1080p high definition picture on the Blu-rays already reveal pretty much all the details available in the source material.
Most of these shows were created on a budget in the 1960's and 1970's... so it is unlikely that, beloved as they are, they will be the best material to showcase the extra details of 4K resolution.
Each holiday special will also be released individually as separate releases containing an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc, a regular Blu-ray disc, and digital copy. Although again, likely only the Ultra HD disc inclu the Blu-ray discs may only include 1 bonus show. The individual releases have a retail price of $29.98, so getting the set with all 9 shows is a much better deal. The individual releases dates are September 26 for It's the Great Pumpkin, October 24 for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and October 31 for A Charlie Brown Christmas. (Oct 10, 2017)
Peanuts By Schulz: School Days DVD Featuring 29 more of the Boomerang Peanuts Shorts Now Available
Warner Home Video has now released a third DVD containing Peanuts shorts that aired on the cable channel Boomerang last year. Titled Peanuts by Schulz: School Days, the 2-disc set includes 29 more of the shorts, with a total runtime of 3 hours 27 minutes.
(The initial press release for this DVD incorrectly said it only included 19 shorts.
However, the front and back cover confirm that the actual number included is 29 shorts.)
The shorts were created by French animation studio Normaal Animation and first aired in France in 2014, and then in the United States in 2016; there are 104 in all. Each short is 6-7 minutes long, and is based directly on the comic strips by Charles Schulz. Drawn in a traditional 2D animation style, they were designed to be reminiscent of the printed comic page. The shorts were newly dubbed into English for the United States broadcast and DVD releases.
The 29 shorts included on the DVD set are as follows (note that the order of the shorts on the DVD is not the same as the Boomerang broadcast order):
Miss Othmar
Novel Idea
Have a Nice Day, Linus
Technical Difficulties
The Eye of the Beholder
A Friend Indeed
It's Raining, It's Pouring
The School of Hard Knocks
A Little Nap
On the Campaign Trail
Leave Me in Peace
The Last of the Bunch
True or False
Beauty Contest
Best Friend
School Chums
Back to School
Go to School!
It's Just No Good
School Anxiety
Keep Your Chin Up, Charlie Brown
School Tomorrow
Between this and the previous two DVD sets (Peanuts by Schulz: Snoopy Tales and Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go), 80 of the 104 Boomerang shorts are now available on DVD.
Peanuts By Schulz: School Days was released on August 29, 2017, has a suggested retail price of $18.94 . (Oct 1, 2017)
Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go! DVD Featuring 19 more of the Boomerang Peanuts Shorts Now Available
Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go!, a
2-disc DVD set containing 19 more of the new Peanuts shorts that aired on the cable channel Boomerang, is now available from Warner Home Video. This is the second set of the shorts Warner has released.
The shorts were created by French animation studio Normaal Animation and first aired in France in 2014, and then aired in the United States in 2016; there are 104 in all. Each short is 6-7 minutes long, and is based directly on the comic strips by Charles Schulz. Drawn in a traditional 2D animation style, they were designed to be reminiscent of the printed comic page. The shorts were newly dubbed into English for the United States broadcast.
section for some additional information.)
The 19 shorts included on the DVD set are as follows (note that the order of the shorts on the DVD is not the same as the Boomerang broadcast order):
No Strings Attached
Snoopy the Superstar
Don't Worry, Charlie Brown
Good Sports
Doing It Right
Like Skates on Ice
Even-ing the Score
School Is Out
Black and White
The Great Outdoors
Strike Out
Autumn Is Here
A Bad Mood
Team Spirit
Creepy Crawlies
Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go! was released on April 25, 2017, and has a suggested retail price of $18.99. (April 25, 2016)
Peanuts By Schulz: Snoopy Tales DVD Featuring 32 of the Boomerang Peanuts Shorts Now Available
Peanuts By Schulz: Snoopy Tales, a new 2-disc DVD set containing 32 of the new Peanuts shorts that aired on the cable channel Boomerang, is now available from Warner Home Video..
The shorts were created by French animation studio Normaal Animation and first aired in France in 2014, and then aired in the United States in 2016; there are 104 in all. Each short is 6-7 minutes long, and is based directly on the comic strips by Charles Schulz. Drawn in a traditional 2D animation style, they were designed to be reminiscent of the printed comic page. The shorts were newly dubbed into English for the United States broadcast.
section for some additional information.) They are
well done and fun to watch, although perhaps best enjoyed in small doses (your kids may disagree!)
The 32 shorts included on the DVD set are as follows (note that the order of the shorts on the DVD is not the same as the Boomerang broadcast order):
Come on Snoopy!
A Day with Snoopy
My Blanket
Crazy Mutt
Sound & Sensibility
Train Your Dog
Going My Way
The Call of the Wild
A Pretty Picture
Beware of the Dog
Winter Wonderland
A Hard Winter
Word of Mouth
Christmas is Coming
Telling Stories
Man's Best Friend
Not My Day
A Little Love
Good for Nothing
Let It Snow
Nice Doggy
Reach for the Stars
Feeling Insecure
Always Right
Even the Score
Peanuts By Schulz: Snoopy Tales was released on January 24, 2017, and has a suggested retail price of $18.94. (January 23, 2016)
A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy Come Home Blu-rays Released September 6, 2016; Double-Feature Set Released November 1, 2016
Want to enjoy &I Before E Except After C& and &Fundamental-Friend-Dependability& in high definition? Soon you'll be able to, because the first two Peanuts theatrical films, A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy Come Home, were released by CBS/Paramount on separate Blu-ray discs on September 6, 2016.
A double-feature set, with both films on two discs in one case, was released on November 1. This release is much cheaper than buying the two films separately, so if you're interested in both films, get
the double-feature set. (Releasing a cheaper, double-feature set less than two months after the first release is quite the insult to those of us who supported CBS/Paramount by buying the films in September.)
Unlike the DVD releases, on the Blu-rays the films are presented in the 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio. This is how the movies were the widescreen aspect ratio used on the DVDs cut off the top and bottom of the picture, and resulted in a very cramped look. So this is a welcome change. Audio options on each disc are 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo mixes. Alas, no bonus features are included on the discs.
Even though the back covers of the disc say that the "music has been changed for home video," there is no evidence of any music changes - probably this is just boilerplate text that someone forgot to remove.
Also worth noting
is that the A Boy Named Charlie Brown Blu-ray includes the full 86-minute version of the film (as was the case with the DVD).
A shortened 79-minute version had been released on VHS, Laserdisc, and was used for TV broadcasts. It's good to know that when CBS went back to master the film in high definition and 4:3, they also used the unedited version of the movie.
Both films were released on Blu-ray disc in A the Australian A Boy Named Charlie Brown was incorrectly stretched out and distorted. Fortunately this is not the case with the US release.
The list price for each disc separately is $24.99; the double feature disc lists for just $29.99. For reviews of the Blu-rays, visit , written by entertainment critic and fellow Peanuts fan Andre Dursin. (Spoiler: he says they look good and he recommends them.)
And no, there's no word on when or if the other two classic animated Peanuts movies will be released on Blu-ray - they were only recently finally released on DVD! - but we'll keep our fingers crossed, and in the meantime, we'll be able to enjoy seeing every little detail of the first two. (September 26, 2016)
Music Releases
Complete Original Soundtrack for the 1969 Movie A Boy Named Charlie Brown Released on CD
On March 17, 2017, specialty soundtrack label Kritzerland
announced the release of the complete Academy Award-nominated score from the 1969 animated film A Boy Named Charlie Brown - all of Guaraldi's tracks, all of McKuen's songs exactly as heard in the film. Unfortunately, the CD was limited to just 1000 copies, and is now sold out. See this
for all the details. (March 24, 2017)
Other News
Original Coca-Cola Sponsorship Spots for A Charlie Brown Christmas on YouTube
An enterprising Peanuts fan has found copies of the original Coca-Cola sponsorship spots that aired as part of A Charlie Brown Christmas when it first aired in 1965, but that were edited out from subsequent broadcasts and home video releases. You can see both the , and the
(while I have not verified the source of these, they appear authentic). For more information and background about these brief sponsorship bits, see the FiveCentsPlease blog post, . (December 27, 2012)
Vince Guaraldi at the Piano:
Book About the Jazz Musician and Peanuts Music Composer
One of the key ingredients of the original Peanuts TV specials' success was their jazzy soundtrack music, written by Vince Guaraldi.
Now fans can learn much more about the composer and his work - both Peanuts and non-Peanuts - from the
book-length career study , by Guaraldi historian and expert Derrick Bang.
(Note that Derrick is the co-proprietor of FiveCentsPlease.org.)
Vince Guaraldi at the Piano gives Guaraldi the long-overdue recognition that he deserves.
In its 390 pages, the book chronicles hi his attraction to the emerging bossa nova sound of the late 1950s; his collaboration with Brazilian guitarist Bola S his development of the Grace Cathedral Jazz M his selection as the composer for the Peanu and his emergence as a respected veteran in the Northern California jazz club scene of the 1970s.
The book also includes an extensive discography and index.
We think all aficionados of the original Peanuts music sound and jazz music will appreciate this in-depth look at Vince Guaraldi. Vince Guaraldi at the Piano is available now from the publisher, ; visit
to see the book's table of contents, read an excerpt, and to place an order.
The book can also be ordered from Amazon, but their stocking you may get quicker service by ordering it directly from McFarland.
A Kindle version of the book is also available at Amazon.
You can also get a taste of Derrick's knowledge and research on Vince Guaraldi by visiting his
here at FiveCentsPlease.org . (May 4, 2012)
For older news items, see the .
Recent Updates to This Page
January 22, 2017
Added a section listing the
that aired in the United States in 2016.
Still keeping news, broadcast information, and disc release information up-to-date!
You can also follow
to keep up with the latest TV and DVD news, as well as other events in the Peanuts world: CD releases, book news, museum exhibits, interesting articles and more.
(I'll continue to post the latest TV and DVD news here as well, but you may find that the blog makes it easier to keep up with the latest updates.)
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the following people for additional information, suggestions, and corrections:
Mark Astolfi, Derrick Bang, Jason Breslin, John Cassidy, Eugene Chan, Tim Chow, Jon Cooke, Andy Dursin, Craig Davis, Liz Fox, Nat Gertler, Ron Gomes, Michael Hagerty, Ray Hamel, Paul Hiscock, Mike Koegel, Cail Judy, Victor Lee, Jennifer Liao, Maureen McCarty, Ryan Mead, Lisa Monhoff, Leonardo Mor&n, Ted Nesi, Kaori Nishikida, Beth Prescott, Elisia Saam, Steve Swenson, Basil Wilson, Brian Young
Special thanks to the staff of Lee Mendelson Productions, Bill Melendez Productions, and the Charles M. Schulz Museum for additional material and answering numerous pesky questions.
The book Happy Birthday, Charlie Brown by Lee Mendelson (published by Random House, 1979) has been an invaluable source of numerous trivia bits that I've included.
Current DVD/Video Availability Notes
Warner Home Video has an exclusive contract to distribute the animated Peanuts TV specials on DVD, Blu-ray, and as digital downloads (starting in October 2007). Some of their DVD releases feature remastered video and sound and new behind-the-scenes documentaries (previous DVD releases did not include any behind-the-scenes material). As of June 2014, the video distribution rights remain with Warner Home Video - contrary to some claims, the rights for the television specials are not changing to 20th Century Fox Home Video in 2015, and the DVDs and Blu-rays are not going out of print.
While some of the shows are currently not available on home video, Warner initially stated they planned to release all the shows on DVD.
for a list of currently available US Peanuts DVDs (and Blu-ray Discs).
All four classic theatrical movies, , ,
are available on DVD from Paramount.
The 2015 The Peanuts Movie is
out on DVD and Blu-ray.
Some shows are
available as digital downloads from the iTunes Store and Amazon Instant Video, including shows that have not been released on DVD yet.
While nearly all of the animated TV specials and movies were released on VHS in the US by Paramount, these VHS releases are now out of print. Used copies can sometimes be found on eBay .
Outside of the US, after many years of being unavailable, the a variety of shows were released on DVD and VHS in the UK, although those releases seem to have stopped and are now out of print. There was an extensive set of releases on DVD and VHS in Germany (also now out of print). Some shows, and a couple of the movies, are have been released on DVD in Australia.
A company named Pony Canyon had released 11 Japanese language videos and DVDs in Japan, but it appears these may be out of print. You may still be able to order them from
by searching for &Snoopy& in the DVD section. (Note that being able to read Japanese is useful.) Also, Paramount has released
on DVD in Japan and several other countries.
WARNING: Pretty much all &Asian& DVD box sets of the Peanuts specials being sold on eBay are illegal bootlegs, especially the ones that claim to be &50th Anniversary collections& (there was never a legitimate such collection) and the ones that cannot spell &Snoopy& correctly. There are even bootleg box sets that claim to come from legitimate companies, such as Pony Canyon, above - but they never released their DVDs in a box set. The video quality may be questionable and the original makers of the TV specials do not receive any money from bootleg sales. You should not purchasing any Japanese, Chinese, or other Asian DVDs of the Peanuts specials from eBay or other auction sites. You should purchase the properly licensed US or European DVDs, or as noted above, the authentic Japanese DVD releases are available from .
Which Shows Aren't Available on DVD/Video?
Warner Home Video has released
the majority of the Peanuts TV shows on DVD (although irritatingly, one may have to buy overlapping releases to get them all), but unfortunately a select few shows are still not available in the United States. See the
list to see which shows are available on DVD and Blu-ray.
DVDs of all four classic theatrical movies are available, and the 2015 The Peanuts Movie is
out on DVD and Blu-ray.
Almost all of the TV shows and movies were released on VHS in the US, although they are long out of print. You may be able to find used or remaindered copies of the VHS tapes on eBay or from third-party sellers .
Many of the shows listed under
have never been available on video. One exception is the unaired 1963 documentary, , which is available on DVD from the .
History of US Video Releases
Warner Home Video is the current home video rights holder in the US as of October 2007. As of June 2014, they continue to hold the contract to release the Peanuts TV specials on DVD, Blu-ray, and as digital downloads. Contrary to some claims, the rights for the television specials are not changing to 20th Century Fox Home Video in 2015, and the DVDs and Blu-rays are not going out of print.
Warner took over from Paramount Home Entertainment, who held the home video rights from 1994 through early 2007. When they held the home video license, Paramount released 12 DVDs containing a variety of new and old Peanuts TV specials. They released the first two Peanuts theatrical movies on DVD in March 2006, and DVDs of
were released in June 2006. See the
for a complete list of Paramount's North American Peanuts DVD releases.
Paramount also issued the Peanuts TV shows on VHS home video in the United States and Canada, from 1994 to 2000. (See .) Unfortunately, all of the VHS titles are now out of print, even though a few of the specials still have not been released on DVD.
The VHS titles were marketed under five banners: &Peanuts Classics& and &A Peanuts Special& (one episode per tape), &This Is America, Charlie Brown& (one episode per tape), &The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show& (two episodes per tape), and &Snoopy Double Features& (two episodes per tape), although some of those banners were dropped as the tapes have been reissued. The prices varied from $7 to $15, depending on the tape.
Paramount also issued two direct-to- the first of these, , was released in August, 1997. The second, , was released in September, 2000. Both of these are now out of print.
Many, but not all, of the titles that were released on VHS were also released on laserdisc by Paramount, but these are now out of print. See
for a list.
Before Paramount, the home video license was held by Media Home Entertainment, and released under the brands Hi Topps and KVC. They released most of the prime-time specials and some compilations from The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show on VHS; however the Paramount releases were of superior quality with better video. Any tapes from Hi Topps or KVS are from 1993 or before.
The very first release of a Peanuts show on home video was in June 1984, when Media Home Entertainment (Hi Topps) released You're The Greatest, Charlie Brown and Life Is A Circus, Charlie Brown.
The first two theatrical movies,
were originally available from CBS FOX video, but are now distributed by Paramount Home Video, and remain available on DVD. The latter two movies,
and , are distributed by Paramount Home Video as well, and were finally released on DVD for the first time in 2015.
You're In the SuperBowl, Charlie Brown, was originally available on video from Shell gas stations, was not part of the Paramount reissue series and is currently not available on video. (You may be able to find copies on eBay or other auction sites, however.) It seems unlikely that Warner Home Video has the rights to release this special.
Where Can I Buy Peanuts DVDs and Videos?
The on-line book, music, and video ,
has all the DVDs available, and you may be able to find used copies of the VHS tapes there. If you're having trouble finding the title you're looking for on Amazon, try searching for &Charlie Brown&, &Peanuts&, or &Snoopy& and look at the pictures of the boxes - sometimes Amazon doesn't list them by the proper titles. The DVDs are also available at other on-line retailers such
carries some of the videos and DVDs (and much more!). You can also phone them at 800-959-3385 to place an order.
Locally, your video store (if you still have one!) may be able to special order the DVDs for you. See the
section for a complete list of titles.
Where Can I See Peanuts on TV Now?
ABC has the rights to show , , and , and they air them regularly in the fall. (This was a change in 2001 after 35 years on CBS!) ABC is also home to the new specials , , and .
ABC has occasionally shown other classic specials as well, such as It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown's All-Stars.
In the United States, the last channel to have broadcast rights for the rest of the shows was the cable channel Nickelodeon, but those rights expired in May 2004. There has been no news of the rights being awarded to a new broadcaster.
Every once in a rare while, the theatrical movies are shown on a cable TV station.
Current TV Schedule
Here's the schedule for upcoming classic Peanuts specials or movies on TV in the United States. All times Eastern/Pacific.
Thu Nov 30
8:00 - 9:00
A Charlie Brown Christmas + Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales (ABC)
Sat Dec 16
8:00 - 9:00
I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (ABC)
Thu Dec 21
8:00 - 9:00
A Charlie Brown Christmas + Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales (ABC)
Tue Dec 26
8:00 - 9:00
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown + She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown (ABC)
Complete List of Shows and Movies
The list is divided into five categories:
, the animated shows that started with &A Charlie Brown Christmas&;
, an eight-
, the Saturday morning cartoon that aired from ;
, the comic strip-based shorts that aired on Boomerang in 2016;
, shows that are either non-fiction, retrospectives,
, the four feature-length theatrical releases.
In each of the sections, I've listed the original broadcast date, a synopsis, a list of characters appearing in the show (if applicable), any interesting trivia or important notes, and amusing things to note about the episode.
If you are interested in just a list of the shows' titles, for example, to use as a checklist, see the .
A &(b)& notation next to a character means the character appears briefly - in the background or
&(os)& means the character is only heard off-screen.
All shows are 30 minutes long unless otherwise noted. Original broadcast times are for the Eastern Time Zone.
Special thanks to Kaori Nishikida for providing the classical music information throughout the list.
Prime-Time Specials
These are shows that were originally broadcast during prime-time as specials and were predominantly new animation. (A few exceptions, &It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown& and the two direct-to-video specials, were never broadcast, but it made sense to put it here with the others).
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Broadcast Date: December 9, 1965 (Thursday), 7:30 - 8:00 PM (CBS)
Charlie Brown, depressed by the commercialism of Christmas and because he doesn't get any Christmas cards, becomes the director of the gang's Christmas pageant. Can he overcome his gang's preference for dancing instead of acting, find a good Christmas tree, and the true meaning of Christmas?
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Frieda, Linus, Lucy, Patty, Pig-Pen, Sally, Schroeder, Shermy, Snoopy, Violet, 5, 3 & 4 (b).
Trivia & Notes:
First animated Peanuts special.
Linus's &the true meaning of Christmas& quote is Luke 2:8-14 from the King James translation of the Bible.
Original cast voices:
Charlie Brown -- Peter Robbins
Lucy Van Pelt -- Tracy Stratford
Linus Van Pelt -- Christopher Shea
Schroeder/Shermy -- Chris Doran
Pig-pen -- Geoffrey Ornstein
Patty -- Karen Mendelson
Sally Brown -- Cathy Steinberg
Frieda -- Ann Altieri
Violet -- Sally Dryer
Snoopy -- Bill Melendez
This special is the longest running animated cartoon special in TV history - having been repeated on TV every year since it first aired!
(It is, not, however, the longest running Christmas special. That honor belogns to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which premiered in 1964 and has also been broadcast every year since. But while Rudolph is animated, it is not a cartoon.)Since 1997, the TV broadcast of the special has been complete and unedited. (Some years, ABC broadcasts both edited and unedited versions - sometimes showing the edited version first, causing veiwer confuion and irritation.) Versions of the show broadcast on TV prior to1997, and older video
they left out a scene where the gang throws snowballs at a can on a fence. The Warner and Paramount DVD releases are thankfully complete and unedited.
The original broadcast
included two brief sections which highlighted Coca-Cola, the show's original sponsor. These have been edited out of subsequent broadcasts (and the video release). According to the original storyboards, right after the opening title, Linus crashed into a sign advertising Coca-Cola after being tossed by Snoopy. (Look at current versions and you'll notice that we never see where Linus lands!) The closing carol originally included the complete verse (instead of fading out) with a final on-screen "Merry Christmas from your local bottler of Coca-Cola" right after the United Feature Syndicate credit at the end.
(Many Internet sources say there was just a voiceover at the end - perhaps it was changed to a voiceover in some years or in some markets, but the original broadcast displayed the words and logo on-screen without a voiceover.)
These very short segments have been removed because understandably, later sponsors -- and the companies releasing the videos -- probably don't want to advertise someone else's product!
The two spots can be seen on YouTube - see the , and the
(while I have not verified the source of these, they appear authentic).However, claims found on the Internet that in the scene where the gang throws snowballs at a can on the fence that the can was a Coca-Cola can in the original broadcast, but has since been replaced by a generic can, are false. The can has always been a generic can, even in the original broadcast.
(Source: personal interview with Lee Mendelson.)
The initial US broadcast of this special preempted &The Munsters.& (You may still find some sites saying &Gilligan's Island& was the preempted show, but with assistance from the Schulz Museum and based on information from a variety of TV listings from a variety of newspapers on that day, we've determined that it was almost certainly &The Munsters,& not &Gilligan's Island.&)
While many Peanuts specials are based in part on comic strips that appeared before the shows were created, Linus's &true meaning of Christmas& speech actually makes its first appearance in the television special, and then only in the comic strip a year later. It's in a Sunday strip dated 12/18/66. The text is slightly different, since the strip quotes from the Revised Standard Version Bible translation, whereas the show quotes from the King James Version. Unlike the TV special, the strip ends with Linus saying, &So who needs Santa Claus?& (This strip can be found in The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 7:, as well as Robert Short's book The Parables of Peanuts and the religious-themed strip collection And the Beagle and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together.)
Won an Emmy Award for &Outstanding Children's Program,& and a Peabody Award for excellence in programming.
See also the behind-the-scenes featurette on the 2008 Warner Home Video DVD release of A Charlie Brown Christmas (and the 2001 TV documentary, , although the DVD containing it is now out of print), and the book A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition by Lee Mendelson.
Score Composed & Conducted by Vince Guaraldi
Christmastime is Here
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Classical Music Sources:
When Schroeder plays &Beethoven Christmas music&: Beethoven, Bagatelle for piano in A minor, WoO 59, &F&r Elise&.
CD/Albums:
The original 1965 soundtrack for this special is available on A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (Fantasy Records #8431). This contains essentially all the music from the special, although most of the performances on the CD are slightly different from the ones in the TV show - the soundtrack was re-recorded for the album, as was customary at the time. One popular cue - the music while Snoopy decorates his doghouse - is not on the original album, but is available as &Surfing Snoopy& on the CHARLIE BROWN'S HOLIDAY HITS CD (Fantasy Records #9682). A remastered version of the soundtrack (Fantasy FCD-30066-2), that includes some alternate takes of the original tunes, was released in 2006; another remastered version was released in 2012, this time using the same takes as on the original album. For an extensive look at the various releases and history of the soundtrack see Derrick Bang's article .
Several artists have released &cover& versions of the A Charlie Brown Christmas score - see this , also from Derrick Bang, for a roundup.
CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL-STARS
Broadcast Date: June 8, 1966 (Wednesday), 8:30 - 9:00 PM (CBS)
After losing 999 games in a row, Charlie Brown's baseball team threatens to quit and spend the summer like normal kids (swimming, skateboarding, and jumping rope) until he announces that Hennessey's Hardware store will sponsor them, meaning they can get uniforms and play in a real league - but only if he'll take the girls and Snoopy off the team.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Frieda, Linus, Lucy, Patty, Pig-Pen, Sally, Schroeder, Shermy, Snoopy, Violet, 5 (b).
Did You Notice?
Early in the show, Charlie Brown says &we have 5 boys, 3 girls, and 1 dog on the team& - but all 4 of the girls are shown playing along with Snoopy and the 5 boys.
Score Composed & Conducted by Vince Guaraldi
IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: October 27, 1966 (Thursday), 8:30 - 9:00 PM (CBS)
While the gang goes trick-or-treating, Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin, and Snoopy imagines the World War I Flying Ace is shot down over &no man's land.&
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Patty, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy, Violet, Pig-Pen, Frieda (b)
Trivia & Notes:
According to what we see on screen, and the show's original script, the characters who go trick-or-treating and their costumes are:
Charlie Brown - ghost with a lot of holes
Lucy - green witch mask
Violet - plain ghost
Pig-Pen - dirty ghost
Shermy - ghost with coonskin cap
Schroeder - wearing fright mask and top hat
Since 2006, ABC has been airing the special uncut. Earlier broadcst on ABC and CBS were edited to fit in more commercials. In fact, in the initial ABC broadcasts (2001 & 2002), they removed 3 minutes of material: the scene near the beginning where Lucy tries to get Charlie Brown to kick the football (1 min, 15 secs); the scene Snoopy dances to music Schroeder plays on the piano at the Halloween party (1 min, 45 secs); the final title card saying &The End& and one repetition of Linus's outraged statements about &next year& were lopped off (1-2 seconds). This is more than CBS ever edited out from the show!
The version of the show broadcast on CBS and older video
they left out a several of the &I got a rock!& scenes. (Some older video releases also cut the scene where Snoopy dances along to Schroeder's piano music.)
The Warner and Paramount DVDs are thankfully complete and unedited!
Did You Notice?
At one point, Lucy is sitting by the TV holding a copy of TV Guide, and the picture on front of it is of her!
In the shot of the gang just before they bob for apples at the Halloween party, Pig-Pen is wearing glasses.
Score Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Arranged & Conducted by John Scott Trotter
YOU'RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: June 12, 1967 (Monday), 8:30 - 9:00 PM (CBS)
On the last two days of the school year, Charlie Brown tries a variety of schemes to meet the Little Red-Haired Girl.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy, Violet, Pig-Pen (b), Patty (b), 5 (b), 3 & 4 (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Animated debut of Peppermint Patty.
This is the first special where the adult (teacher) speaking with the &mwa-mwa-mwa& (or &wah-wah-wah&) voice was heard.
Did You Notice?
While the 1977 &It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown& is generally credited as the first time &the Little Red Haired Girl& is seen, Charlie Brown says he sees her on a school bus that passes - and in fact two girls with red hair on the bus are shown (although neither resembles the girl seen in &It's Your First Kiss&).
Score Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Arranged & Conducted by John Scott Trotter
&You're In Love& sung by West Hillsborough School Choir
HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: February 14, 1968 (Wednesday), 8:30 - 9:00 PM (CBS)
Charlie Brown sends a disobedient Snoopy to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for an obedience refresher course, but on the way across town Snoopy decides to hide out at Peppermint Patty's house. Initially it's a vacation for him, but eventually she puts him to work cleaning house, and Snoopy must choose between it and Charlie Brown's leash.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Patty, Peppermint Patty, Roy, Schroeder, Snoopy, Violet, 5.
Trivia & Notes:
Last show using same character voices as in &Charlie Brown Christmas.&
Did You Notice?
Peppermint Patty is reading a Peanuts book (with Lucy and Charlie Brown on the cover) while Snoopy works.
Classical Music Sources:
Snoopy listens and snaps his fingers as Schroeder plays a jazzy piece:
despite the jazzy, Guaraldi sound, the music is an arrangement of the first movement of Mozart&s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550. (This music appears on Guaraldi's &From All Sides& album as &Choro.&)
Score Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Arranged & Conducted by John Scott Trotter
IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: September 27, 1969 (Saturday), 8:30 - 9:00 PM (CBS)
Returning to school, the gang has to write a 500-word essay about their summer vacation. They recall going to summer camp, where the &boys camp& and &girls camp& compete against each other in swimming, softball, and other events. After several poor showings, the boys get out their secret weapon - the &Masked Marvel,& champion arm-wrestler.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Frieda, Linus, Lucy, Patty, Peppermint Patty, Pig-Pen, Sally, Schroeder, Shermy, Snoopy, Violet, Roy (b), Clara (b), Shirley (b), unnamed boy (might be 5) (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Linus's teacher in this show is named as Miss Halverson, even though in later shows his teacher is Miss Othmar.
According to the book HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLIE BROWN, Charles Schulz thinks the arm-wrestling showdown between Lucy and the Masked Marvel in this show is &the best animated scene of all the shows.&
Lucy's wrist-wrestling match with the Masked Marvel, and its finale, come from newspaper strips dated 2/6/67 - 2/15/67; these were reprinted in the book &You'll Flip, Charlie Brown.&
Did You Notice?
Although Woodstock isn't in this show, Snoopy arm-wrestles with a yellow bird (a sort of &proto-Woodstock&).
When Snoopy pretends to drive the bus, all the towns on the map in the background are named after people involved in the production. There's Schulz City (Charles M. Schulz - author), Cuidad de Melendez (Bill Melendez - director), Leesville (Lee Mendelson - producer), Gruyerberg (Bernard Gruyer - graphic blandishment), and Levittown (Ed Levitt - graphic blandishment).
Also in the background while Snoopy pretends to drive the bus, all the figures, including a milk truck driver, motorcyclist, a goat, and an eagle, have heads like Snoopy!
Score Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Arranged & Conducted by John Scott Trotter
PLAY IT AGAIN, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: March 28, 1971 (Sunday), 7:00 - 7:30 PM (CBS)
Schroeder practices piano despite the distraction of Lucy, who tries to get his attention. Finally Lucy arranges a gig for him, playing in the PTA program at school. But Beethoven is too old-fashioned, they want rock and roll. Will Schroeder sell out?
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Frieda, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Pig-Pen, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy
The combo Schroeder is supposed to play with is: Charlie Brown on banjo, Snoopy on bass, and Pig-Pen on drums.
Beethoven and PTA programs come in spray cans.
Music Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven & Vince Guaraldi
Music Conducted by John Scott Trotter
Performed by:
Lillian Steuber (Beethoven Sonatas)
The Vince Guaraldi Trio (rest)
Classical Music Sources:
(In order of per all composed by Beethoven.)
Beginning of the show w with Lucy leaning against the piano (after Snoopy and Linus dance): Piano sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No.3; 1st movement.
The music that comes out of a spray can is: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67; 1st movement.
With Frieda at the piano, joined by Lucy: Piano sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7; 3rd movement.
With Lucy leaning against the piano: Piano sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14 No.2; 1st movement.
Lucy comes in with a feather duster in her hand: Piano sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor (&Moonlight Sonata&), Op. 27 No. 2; 3rd movement.
Lucy kisses Schroeder on the nose: Piano sonata No. 21 in C major (&Waldstein&), Op. 53, 3rd movement.
Lucy tells Schroeder she arranged a recital for him: Piano sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49 No.2; 1st movement.
Schroeder says &Thank you& to Lucy: Piano sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79; 1st movement.
With Lucy leaning against the piano, telling Schroeder that Beethoven wouldn't have made it in Nashville: Piano sonata No. 29 in B flat major (&Hammerklavier&), Op. 106; 1st movement.
YOU'RE NOT ELECTED, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: October 29, 1972 (Sunday), 7:30 - 8:00 PM (CBS)
Linus runs for election as school body president, and is on his way to victory until he makes a speech about the Great Pumpkin.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Russell Anderson (Linus's opponent), Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock, Frieda (b), Patty (b), Pig-pen (b), Shermy (b), Violet (b), 5 (b), various kids at school.
Trivia & Notes:
The gang's school is named &Birchwood School.&
Vince Guaraldi sang the song &Joe Cool&, as well as writing and playing the music!
This special was originally titled &You're Elected, Charlie Brown&. It was changed at the very last minute after someone objected because not only is Charlie Brown not elected, he doesn't even run! That's why in the title sequence, the chorus still sings &You're elected, Charlie Brown& and the title written on the chalkboard has &Not& inserted with a caret (there wasn't time to redo the whole cel). The show was even advertised in TV Guide with the original title!
The primary storyline for this special comes from newspaper strips dated 10/5/64 - 10/27/64; these are reprinted in the book &You Need Help, Charlie Brown&.
Television debut of
Woodstock, although his animated debut is the movie &Snoopy Come Home,& which came out several months before this television special.
Did You Notice?
When Linus goes to the studio for his call-in show, a camera is labeled &CBTV.&
Charlie Brown and Sally's house appears to have two levels in this show (most of the time it seems to be one level).
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Supervision by John Scott Trotter
Joe Cool (sung by Vince Guaraldi)
THERE'S NO TIME FOR LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: March 11, 1973 (Sunday), 7:30 - 8:00 PM
The gang's schools plan a field trip to an art museum, and Charlie Brown must get an &A& on his field trip report to pass his class. Unfortunately, he, Peppermint Patty and Marcie mistake a supermarket for the art museum!
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Franklin, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Snoopy, Frieda (b), Violet (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Animated debut of Marcie.
Did You Notice?
The gang's school is up on the educational trends of the 70's: Linus is studying &new math& and Peppermint Patty says &by the time we grow up the Metric system will probably be official!&
Peppermint Patty has UCLA and Stanford banners in her bedroom.
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Supervision by John Scott Trotter
Joe Cool (additional lyrics)
A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING
Broadcast Date: November 20, 1973 (Tuesday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Peppermint Patty invites herself and friends to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving dinner, even though he's going over to his grandmother's for dinner. So with Snoopy and Linus's help, he decides to cook his own version of a Thanksgiving meal!
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Franklin, Linus, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Vince Guaraldi sang the song &Little Birdie&, as well as writing and playing the music!
Won an Emmy Award for &Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming& for Charles M. Schulz, writer.
See also the &What was Linus's speech in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?& in the
In its first couple of broadcasts of the show, ABC edited out 3 minutes and 40 seconds: the scene where Snoopy and Woodstock don pilgrim costumes and walk to Charlie Brown's door, and the final scene where Snoopy and Woodstock make and eat a real turkey dinner. In 2005, however, ABC aired the entire special unedited.
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Supervision by John Scott Trotter
Little Birdie (sung by Vince Guaraldi)
IT'S A MYSTERY, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: February 1, 1974 (Friday), 7:30 - 8:00 PM (CBS)
Woodstock's newly-built nest disappears, so Snoopy puts on his Sherlock Holmes outfit and investigates. Meanwhile, Sally worries about a science exhibit for school. Could these two events be connected? Lucy's court of law will have to decide.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Snoopy, Woodstock, Pig-pen (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Legal advice from Lucy is more expensive than psychiatric advice: 7 cents.
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Supervision by John Scott Trotter
IT'S THE EASTER BEAGLE, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: April 9, 1974 (Tuesday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Peppermint Patty tries to teach Marcie how to decorate eggs, Snoopy gets a birdhouse for Woodstock, and Linus convinces Sally that she doesn't need to color eggs because the Easter Beagle will bring them.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock.
Trivia & Notes:
Charles Schulz says the bunnies Snoopy dances with are the famed Bunny-Wunnies, stars of Snoopy's favorite books as mentioned in the comic strip.
Marcie's unsuccessful attempts to make eggs for coloring are frying, waffle-ironing, toasting, roasting (in the oven), and finally making soup out of them.
This special takes place 246 days before Christmas (according to a banner in the department store).
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Supervision by John Scott Trotter
Classical Music Sources:
The music boxes when Snoopy dances with Peppermint Patty and Marcie: J.S. Bach, minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 116.
Schroeder plays the piano: Beethoven, piano sonata No. 3, 1st movement.
While the kids wait for the Easter Beagle: Beethoven, 7th Symphony in A major, Op. 92; 2nd Movement.
When the Easter Beagle arrives: Beethoven, 7th Symphony in A major, Op. 92; 1st Movement.
BE MY VALENTINE, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: January 28, 1975 (CBS)
Charlie Brown hopes for Valentines cards in his mailbox and at the school Valentine's Day party, Linus buys a present for Miss Othmar, and Sally hopes Linus will notice her.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy, Violet, Woodstock, Franklin (b), Frieda (b), Marcie (b), Patty (b), Peppermint Patty (b), Pig-pen (b), Shermy (b), Miss Othmar (os).
Trivia & Notes:
When Schroeder calls out the names of Charles Schulz's children and Joanne Lansing (one of the show's painting supervisors), among others, when handing out the Valentine's cards. (In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that all of the extra names have some significance.)
When the show was first broadcast, viewers sent hundreds of Valentines for poor Charlie Brown to Charles's Schulz studio!
In this episode, the gang's school is named &Birchwood School& (as it was in &You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown&).
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Supervision by John Scott Trotter
Classical Music Sources:
Schroeder plays piano while Lucy discusses the origin of Valentine cards and Valentine's Day: Beethoven, piano sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49 No. 2; 1st movement.
Background music used in Snoopy's paw-pet show: an arrangement of Nocturne in B-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 by Chopin.
The music Snoopy's fancy cut-out valentine plays: J.S. Bach, &Minuet in G Major&, BWV Anh. 116.
YOU'RE A GOOD SPORT, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: October 28, 1975 (Tuesday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Snoopy plays tennis against an automatic ball machine and then Woodstock. Peppermint Patty convinces Charlie Brown (with Linus as his pit crew) to compete in a charity motocross race. Can they overcome the challenge of crashes, mud, and the strangely familiar Masked Marvel?
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Franklin, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Snoopy, Woodstock, referee kid (b), Schroeder (b), Roy (b), 5 (b), Patty (b), Violet (b), other racers (b), Motocross Queen Loretta (b)
Trivia & Notes:
This show was inspired by Charles Schulz's son Craig's interest in motorcycles.
Won an Emmy Award for &Outstanding Children's Special&.
Did You Notice?
Charlie Brown is racer #13 in the race, of course!
On the contestant board, several of the names of the other racers are members of the production staff: P. Roman (director), J. Lansing (painting supervisor), S. Jaimes (animator), and S. Claxton (production assistant). D. Smith and J. Jones are also listed, but if they're staff they're not in the credits.
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
Music Supervision by John Scott Trotter
IT'S ARBOR DAY, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: March 16, 1976 (Tuesday) 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
While researching a report on Arbor Day, Sally enlists the gang to turn Charlie Brown's ball field into a garden and orchard, complete with a tree on the pitcher's mound and scarecrow in the outfield. During the first game of the season against Peppermint Patty's team, the plants turn out to be an unexpected advantage.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Franklin, Frieda, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Rerun, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock, Jose Peterson (b), Patty (b), Violet (b), 5 (b), unknown kid on Peppermint Patty's team (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Animated debut of Rerun Van Pelt.
Last show with music by Vince Guaraldi.
It's unknown why Lucy and Frieda's voices are &mumbled& in the scene when a ball comes to them in the outfield.
Music Composed & Performed by Vince Guaraldi
IT'S YOUR FIRST KISS, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: October 24, 1977 (Monday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Charlie Brown must escort the Little Red-Haired Girl to the homecoming dance, even though he has trouble kicking the ball during the homecoming football game.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Franklin, Heather, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Pig-Pen, Schroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock, other football players, homecoming princesses, Frieda (b).
Trivia & Notes:
This is the first time the Little Red-Haired Girl is given a name (Heather) and actually seen. While Charles Schulz has later said he regretted making this decision, he did approve doing it at the time. But the show's animators, not Charles Schulz, decided how the Little Red-Haired Girl would look.
In the original broadcast, several times after Charlie Brown misses his kick because Lucy (of course) pulls away the football, Peppermint Patty berates him. However, viewers protested, because Charlie Brown was so obviously not at fault. So in subsequent showings the producers decided to dub out two of these incidents. The Paramount and Warner home video releases retain these edits, although the Warner DVD release does include the missing quotes... in the Spanish audio!
The two removed quotes are: at about 7 1/2 minutes in, &Okay, Chuck, you really goofed up on that play!&, and at around 15 1/2 minutes in, &Chuck, you can't do anything right!!& (The dialog was dubbed out by reversing the original audio, and reducing it in volume, so if you record the audio and play it backwards, you can her Peppermint Patty's original exclamations.)
Did You Notice?
Before treating Charlie Brown for hyponatremia with salt water, Snoopy pulls a pepper grinder out of his doctor's bag.
Even though all we see is Charlie Brown missing his kicks, he must have succeeded with two of them, because his team gets 7 points for its second and third touchdowns!
WHAT A NIGHTMARE, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: February 23, 1978 (Thursday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Accused by Charlie Brown of being &overcivilized& and after eating too much pizza, Snoopy dreams of being a sled dog in the Alaskan frontier (including a side trip to a saloon).
Trivia & Notes:
In reality, while modern sled dogs are always eager to run and competitive, most are also quite friendly, unlike the sled dogs depicted in this special. However they do howl in the middle of the night! (From I stayed at a bed and breakfast in Alaska next to a sled dog kennel.)
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Arctic sled driver, sled dogs (huskies).
Music by Ed Bogas and Vince Guaraldi (&Linus & Lucy&)
Music Supervision by Judy Munsen
Song Vocals by Larry Finalyson
Overlycivilized, Underlydogified Dog
YOU'RE THE GREATEST, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: March 19, 1979 (Monday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Charlie Brown competes against Freddy Fabulous from Fremont, the &Masked Marvel,& and Marcie in the ten events of the Junior Olympics Decathlon.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy, Freddy Fabulous from Fremont, 5 (b), Pig-Pen (b), Sally (b), Schroeder (b), Woodstock (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Freddy Fabulous calls Charlie Brown &pumpkinhead.& This isn't the first time Charlie Brown's head is compared to a pumpkin. In &It's the Great Pumpkin,& Lucy uses it to model her jack-o- lantern face. In &You're a Good Sport,& he wears a pumpkin on his head as a helmet.
The &Masked Marvel& is from the &Ace Obedience School.&
A rare adult's voice announces the decathlon events.
Music by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen
The traditional Olympic fanfare (&Bugler's Dream& by Leo Arnaud) occasionally plays as part of the background music.
SHE'S A GOOD SKATE, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: February 25, 1980 (Monday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Snoopy coaches Peppermint Patty for a skating competition, Marcie sews her dress.
Trivia & Notes:
The first time an off-screen adult actually speaks English to the characters. (Although adult voices speaking English are heard from the &PTA meetings in a spray can& in .)
Based on one of the longest sequences of connected strips from the comic, which ran for five weeks from 11/4/74 - 12/7/74; these are reprinted in the Peanuts Parade book &Speak Softly and Carry a Beagle.&
Working title: &She's a Winner, Charlie Brown&
Music by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen
Classical Music Sources:
The music the thre skaters before Peppermint Patty skate to is, in order:
The Nutcracker: Dance of the Reed Pipes (Tchaikovsky)
Fifth Symphony, 1st Movement (Beethoven)
Lohegrin: Prelude to Act III (Richard Wagner)
The music Woodstock whistles when Peppermint Patty skates is &O mio babbino caro,& from Puccini's opera &Gianni Schicchi.& The whistling is performed by Jason Serinus, a musician and professional whistler. He has a
where you can order a tape of his music, including the Woodstock piece.
LIFE IS A CIRCUS, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: October 24, 1980 (Friday) 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
The circus comes to town and Snoopy falls for Fifi, one of the poodles in an acrobatic act. Following her, he is accidentally whisked away with the circus when it leaves. While Charlie Brown worries about him, Snoopy becomes &Hugo the Great& and performs highwire and trapeze stunts. When the carnival owner decides his color scheme is wrong and orders him dyed pink, Snoopy faces the difficult choice of continuing or returning home.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Snoopy, Fifi the Poodle, Miss Polly, other poodles (b).
Trivia & Notes:
Won an Emmy Award for &Outstanding Animated Program&.
Music by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen
IT'S MAGIC, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: April 28, 1981 (Tuesday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Snoopy puts on a magic show. Although most of his tricks are failures, he successfully makes Charlie Brown invisible. While Snoopy works to make him visible again, Charlie Brown realizes this may be his golden opportunity to kick Lucy's football.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Franklin, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Sally, Snoopy, Woodstock, heckler in audience, Schroeder (b), Patty (b)
Did You Notice?
We actually get to see the inside of Snoopy's doghouse, which as is established in the strip, is much larger on the inside than the outside. Inside are sports and exercise equipment, lockers, and a laboratory.
Music by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen
SOMEDAY YOU'LL FIND HER, CHARLIE BROWN
Broadcast Date: October 30, 1981 (Friday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Charlie Brown falls for a girl he sees in the audience of televised football game, and he and Linus go across town on a door-to-door search for her.
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, Woodstock, Mary Jo (girl with blanket), Wrong Girl #1, Wrong Girl #2, Evil Cat.
Trivia & Notes:
Charlie Brown says 13 is &his lucky number.&
Music by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen
(When I Feel Most) Alone - performed by Becky Reardon
A CHARLIE BROWN CELEBRATION
Broadcast Date: May 24, 1982 (Monday), 8:00 - 9:00 PM (CBS)
Charles Schulz talks about Peanuts and introduces animations based on newspaper strips, including:
Peppermint Patty accidentally enrolls in dog-
Charlie Brown goes to the hospital, and Lucy promises not to pull away the footba
While on a field trip, Linus meets a new paramour &Truffles,& gets trapped on top of a barn and must be rescued by helicopter (aka Snoopy);
and others.
Trivia & Notes:
When shown on Nickelodeon in , was split into two half-hour parts.
Music by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen
IS THIS GOODBYE, CHARLIE BROWN?
Broadcast Date: February 21, 1983 (Monday), 8:00 - 8:30 PM (CBS)
Linus and Lucy move away from the neighborhood when their Dad is transferred to a new job. Once they're gone, Sally wonders why her &Sweet Babboo& stood her up, Snoopy enjoys Linus's blanket, Peppermint Patty tries to cheer up a depressed Charlie Brown, and even Schroeder misses Lucy. Can the gang cope if their friends have really gone forever?
Characters:
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy, Franklin (b), Pa