It's the Great Pumpkin will stream free on Apple TV+ on Oct 21 & 22, 2023; no TV broadcast for Peanuts holiday specials again this year

First, the bad news: once again this year, the three classic Peanuts holiday specials - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas - will not be shown on over-the-air broadcast television.

Instead they remain available only through the Apple TV+ subscription streaming service (or via DVD and Blu-ray).

However, the good news is that Apple has announced that also like last year, the three specials will be available for everyone to stream for free, without a subscription, for a short period before each holiday.

The less good news is that while last year Apple offered the free streams for 4 days each, this year, the free streaming window is down to just 2 days for each special.

But, it's better than no free streaming window at all...

The free streaming dates are:

• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Saturday, October 21 & Sunday, October 22, 2023
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - Saturday, November 18 & Sunday November 19, 2023
• A Charlie Brown Christmas - Saturday, December 16 & Sunday, December 17 2023

To stream the specials for free, you don't need an Apple device. The Apple TV+ app is also available for a variety of streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire, and on several different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any computer by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

You won't need to subscribe to Apple TV+, but you will need to either have or create an Apple ID to sign in and watch.  After you sign in, search for the name of the special if you don't see it right away.

(Of course, if you are an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can watch the specials at any time, on any day.)

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In addition, Apple announced another new Christmas episode of The Snoopy Show for 2023. Titled "Happiness is Holiday Traditions," the special episode will premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1. In this year's outing, according to Apple, Snoopy searches for the perfect tree topper, Woodstock gets trapped in a window display, and Snoopy and Woodstock visit Spike for Christmas.

For more information about Apple TV+, including how to watch and subscribe, visit tv.apple.com and this Apple support page.

Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie premieres August 18, 2023 on Apple TV+

The new Peanuts animated special, Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, premieres Friday, August 18, 2023 on the streaming service Apple TV+.

As you might guess from the title, the show focuses on the character Marcie; you can watch the trailer on YouTube.

Apple's description of the show:

Sometimes, the people who make the biggest difference aren’t the ones who grab the spotlight. In Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, we get to see firsthand how our lovable introvert, Marcie, makes a monumental difference from behind the scenes for both her friends and her community. To train for the school golf championship, Marcie assists Peppermint Patty as her caddie, offering thoughtful and deliberate advice to help her win. Meanwhile, after coming up with brilliant solutions to her classmates’ problems – from hallway traffic jams to lunchtime pizza shortages – Marcie is unexpectedly elected as class president … a role she never wanted. 

Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Marcie struggles to cope with the expectations of her new job and retreats as far from the public eye as possible. As the golf championship begins, Marcie is still in hiding and Peppermint Patty is forced to tee off with Charlie Brown filling in as her caddie. But after some wise advice and a little introspection, Marcie realizes she can still make a difference for her friends and the school – she’ll just have to buck other people’s expectations and do it her own unique way.

For more information about Apple TV+, including how to watch and subscribe, visit tv.apple.com and this Apple support page.

Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving soundtrack to be released October 20, 2023

Break out the jelly beans and popcorn! The complete original soundtrack for the 1973 special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, composed by Vince Guaraldi, will be released by Lee Mendelson Film Productions on October 20, 2023, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the classic Peanuts holiday special.

In the show, Charlie Brown's plans for Thanksgiving go awry when Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends to join him for dinner... and he has to come up with a meal for them, even though he doesn't know how to cook (and he is "helped" by Snoopy and Woodstock, of course). Almost every scene in the show is accompanied by Vince Guaraldi's music, and famously includes the song "Little Birdie," sung by Guaraldi himself.

While a few cues from the special have been released on previous Vince Guaraldi compilations (for example, "Thanksgiving Theme" on Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits), most of the tracks have never been available before.

This new album will feature the entire soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in terrific stereo sound that showcases the music and instrumentation far better than in the broadcast show. And rest assured, the tracks - transferred in high resolution from the original studio session tapes - will all be sound-effects free.

Coming on CD, LP, and digitally, the 13 tracks of show score will be accompanied by 9 never-before-heard bonus and alternative tracks. The liner notes for the physical releases will have a track-by-track analysis by Sean Mendelson, musician, record producer and son of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson.

After last year's release of the complete original soundtrack for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, it's exciting to get another high-quality album for another beloved Guaraldi score.

Currently you can pre-order the CD and regular black vinyl versions from the MVD Entertainment shop  (the album's publisher) or from Amazon; they should eventually be available from other retailers as well.

The LP will also be released in two color variants, "Jelly Bean Green" for Record Store Day and "Cranberry Sauce Red" from Target - you've got to love the color names!

You can see the official press release and additional details on the Mendelson Productions website, and preview the alternate track "Is It James or Charlie? (Bonus Mix With Whistling)" on YouTube.

Plus, be sure to check out Guaraldi historian (and FiveCentsPlease.org co-host) Derrick Bang's description of the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving soundtrack at his Impressions of Vince blog.

The track list of the release will be as follows:

Show score

1.Charlie Brown Blues

2. Thanksgiving Theme
3. Thanksgiving Theme (Reprise)
4. Peppermint Patty
5. Little Birdie
6. Thanksgiving Interlude
7. Is It James or Charlie?
8. Linus and Lucy
9. Fife & Drums Theme
10. Charlie Brown Blues (Reprise)
11. Thanksgiving Interlude (Reprise)
12. Thanksgiving Theme (2nd Reprise)
13. Thanksgiving Theme (3rd Reprise)

Bonus/Alternate tracks
14. Thanksgiving Theme (Alternate)
15. Peppermint Patty (Bonus Mix)
16. Linus and Lucy (Bonus Mix)
17. Thanksgiving Interlude (Alternate take 2, 4, and 6)
18. Thanksgiving Interlude (Alternate take 10)
19. Thanksgiving Interlude (Alternate take 14)
20. Is It James or Charlie? (Bonus mix with Whistling)
21. Clark and Guaraldi

The Snoopy Show Season 3 arrives on Apple TV+, new Peanuts specials announced for 2023 and 2024

The subscription streaming service Apple TV+ and Wildbrain have extended their partnership and announced several new Peanuts shows coming this year and next.

First, The Snoopy Show is back for a third season, with 12 new episodes available starting June 9, 2023 . As with previous seasons, each episode is about 22 minutes long, with three different story segments. You can watch the Season 3 trailer on YouTube.

Next, a new special titled Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie will premiere August 18, 2023.  You can watch the trailer on YouTube.  Apple's synopsis:

“One-of-a-Kind Marcie” follows Marcie, an introvert who loves her solitude but also enjoys helping her friends. As they train for the school golf championship, Marcie assists Peppermint Patty as her caddie, offering thoughtful and deliberate advice to help her win. Meanwhile, after coming up with brilliant solutions to her classmates’ problems — from hallway traffic jams to lunchtime pizza shortages — Marcie is unexpectedly elected as class president … a role she never wanted. Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Marcie struggles to cope with the expectations of her new job and retreats as far from the public eye as possible. As the golf championship begins, Marcie is still in hiding and Peppermint Patty is forced to tee off with Charlie Brown filling in as her caddie. But after some wise advice and a little introspection, Marcie realizes she can still make a difference for her friends and the school — she’ll just have to buck other people’s expectations and do it her own unique way.

Looking forward to 2024, we can expect a new series titled Camp Snoopy, which Apple describes as:

After discovering their troop is in danger of disbanding, Snoopy and the Beagle Scouts set off to the Great Outdoors to earn their performance badges, with the Beagle Scout Manual as their guide. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and friends enjoy their summer at Camp Spring Lake, crossing paths with Snoopy as they experience everything camp and the outdoors have to offer. 

Finally, another new special, Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin, is also due sometime in 2024:

The origin story for one of Peanuts’ most beloved characters, Franklin, follows how he approaches making new friends. Franklin’s family is always on the move with his dad’s military job, and everywhere he goes Franklin finds support in a notebook filled with his grandfather’s advice on friendship. But when Franklin tries his usual strategies with the Peanuts gang, he has trouble fitting in. That’s until he learns about the neighborhood Soap Box Derby race — according to his grandfather, everyone loves a winner! He’s sure that winning the race will also mean winning over some new friends. All he needs is a partner, which he finds in Charlie Brown. Franklin and Charlie Brown work together to build a car and in the process become good buddies. But as the race nears, the pressure mounts — can their car and their newfound friendship make it to the finish line?

And for those who enjoy the classic Peanuts specials, Apple will be adding over a dozen more to the service on September 28, 2023. (Hopefully! I note that some of these were originally announced as coming on May 5, but have now apparently been delayed to September.) The list for September is:

A Charlie Brown Celebration

Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown

Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?

It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown

It's Magic, Charlie Brown

It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown

It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown

Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown

Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown

Play it Again, Charlie Brown

Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown

Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown

What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (animated adaptation)

You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown

A Charlie Brown Christmas streams for free from December 22 - 25, 2022 on Apple TV

Bah, humbug!  For the first time in 57 years, A Charlie Brown Christmas will not be shown on broadcast television.

Instead, in 2022, the beloved Christmas special will only be available to stream for free - without a subscription - via the Apple TV app from Thursday, December 22 through Sunday, December 25, 2022. (Lumps of coals to all the Apple executives, please.)

You do not need an Apple device to use the Apple TV app. It's also available on a variety of streaming devices, including Rokus and Amazon Fires, and on many different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any device by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

While you won't have to subscribe to Apple TV+, you will need to either have, or create, an Apple ID to sign in and watch. After you sign in, search for A Charlie Brown Christmas.

(Subscribers can stream the show at any time, of course.)

The special remains available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray as an alternative to streaming from Apple TV+.

Christmas-themed episode of The Snoopy Show now available on Apple TV+

A new episode of The Snoopy Show celebrating the holidays is now available on the subscription streaming service Apple TV+. With the overall title of "Happiness is the Gift of Giving" (season 2, episode 13), the episode premiered December 2, 2022.

Like previous episodes, the 23 minute show consists of three different segments, described as follows by Apple:

• 'Twas the Nest Before Christmas - Snoopy adapts a Christmas poem to help Sally sleep
• Happiness is the Gift of Giving - Charlie Brown makes gifts for his pals
• Do Not Open Until - Snoopy can’t wait to open his presents

In addition to the new episode of the modern The Snoopy Show, Apple TV+ has added two more classic Peanuts specials to the service - Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales (2002) and I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003) . They join A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, meaning that all four classic Peanuts Christmas specials are now available on Apple TV+.

And if you're not an Apple TV+ subscriber, don't forget that A Charlie Brown Christmas will be available to stream for free from Thursday, December 22 through Sunday, December 25, 2022.

Cartoonists honor Charles Schulz's 100th birthday with comic strip tributes

Saturday, November 26, 2022, is the 100th anniversary of Charles Schulz's birth.  To celebrate, Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell has organized a tribute with help from his fellow cartoonists - on November 26, more than 75 comic strips will feature tributes, Easter eggs and references to "Peanuts."  For more information and background, see this Associated Press article.

So be sure to buy a copy of your local newspaper and check out their comics page!  But of course, no one paper will carry all the strips.  Fortunately, the Schulz Museum has set up a webpage that will showcase the entire collection of strips.

Needless to say, there have been quite a few news articles and other items on the subject of Charles Schulz's 100th birthday.  Here's a sampling of them:

• A nice article from Sonoma Magazine about Charles Schulz's contributions and legacy in his home county of Sonoma, California.
• The Washington Post ran an article titled Schulz at 100: How ‘Peanuts’ lifts those on stage, on ice and in space .
• The Santa Rosa Press Democrat - the local newspaper of the town where Schulz lived, and where the Charles Schulz Museum is located - had a special section celebrating Charles Schulz; see this post from The Daily Cartoonist for the links.
• A short video tour of the Charles M. Schulz Museum in honor of Schulz's 100th birthday, hosted by curator Benjamin Clark, courtesy of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
• As part of their celebration, the Schulz Museum has published a new book titled Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects.  "This heavily illustrated volume reveals the art and life of Charles M. Schulz through 100 objects from the Schulz Museum's expansive collection—from Schulz's childhood drawings to NASA's Silver Snoopy Award that is still used today.  Alongside commentary by Curator Benjamin L. Clark and Peanuts historian Nat Gertler, Schulz's family, friends, and colleagues share their favorite objects and provide an intimate look at the cartoonist's creative legacy."  For a limited time, if you order the book directly from the Schulz Museum, you'll get a copy signed by Jean Schulz, widow of Charles M. Schulz and also president of the museum's board of directors.
• Check out this BBC article about the recent Artemis I spacecraft, which features a video titled, "Can you see Snoopy moving around inside the Orion capsule?" - a brief look at the Astronaut Snoopy zero-g indicator in action.  Also see this NASA Photo of the Day,  this CollectSpace article with more info about Snoopy's mission.

A classic Peanuts Christmas countdown on FiveCentsPlease.org for 2022

Christmas is coming, and so is FiveCentsPlease.org's tradition of counting down to the Big Day with the Peanuts gang. Starting Friday, November 25 and continuing every day through December 25, our home page will feature a different, seasonally themed single panel.

As long-time readers will know, new Christmas countdown panels are no longer being made, but once again we have reached into our recently expanded archives to bring you panels from 1988, unseen (as far as we know) since their original run over 30 years ago.

(A couple of years ago, research efforts by FiveCentsPlease.org co-host Derrick Bang uncovered 12 years of previously lost countdown panels... 1988 being one of them. You can read all about his hunt in his blog post.)

Unfortunately, the sources for these panels were not high quality and they required a fair bit of cleanup, so they aren't as crisp or detailed as the panels from the late 1990's and 2000's.

But we hope you'll enjoy visiting our home page each day for the latest panel... and don't put off your holiday preparations until too late!

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving streams free on Apple TV+ from November 23 - 27, 2022

As previously announced, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will not be shown on broadcast television in 2022.

Instead the classic Thanksgiving special will be streaming for free - without a subscription - via the Apple TV app from Wednesday, November 23 through Sunday, November 27, 2022.  (Yes, it's even worse than a Thanksgiving dinner of jelly beans and toast, but it's the best on offer this year.)

You do not need an Apple device to use the Apple TV app. It's also available on a variety of streaming devices, including Rokus and Amazon Fires, and on many different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any device by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

While you won't have to subscribe to Apple TV+, you will need to either have, or create, an Apple ID to sign in and watch. After you sign in, search for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

The special also remains available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray as an alternative.

And don't forget that the Astronaut Snoopy balloon, and a Snoopy's Doghouse float, will be in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 24 from 9 AM to noon on NBC in all time zones, and streaming on Peacock.

MeTV celebrates Charles Schulz's 100th birthday with the first two Peanuts feature films on November 20 & 27, 2022

MeTV, an over-the-air broadcast channel specializing in classic television, is honoring the 100th birthday of Charles Schulz by showing the first two Peanuts feature films, A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) and Snoopy Come Home (1972), on Sunday, November 20 and Sunday, November 27, 2022 respectively, at 8 PM Eastern/Pacific time each day.

It's been some years since the two movies were last shown on broadcast television, plus it's nice to see some Peanuts animation available over-the-air, given that the usual Peanuts holiday specials are only available via streaming this year.

You can read MeTV's full announcement here, and watch their trailer for the films here.

To find out if MeTV is available in your area, and how to watch, visit their website. (The channel is available over-the-air in most major markets, although it isn't carried by all cable companies.)

In addition to showing the two Peanuts movies, MeTV is also marking the Schulz centennial on their website with a variety of amusing and interesting trivia articles and quizzes about Charles Schulz, Peanuts, and the two films.

Quiz yourself on How well do you actually remember A Boy Named Charlie Brown? or Who said it: A Boy Named Charlie Brown edition; and learn 8 interesting and surprising facts about Charles M. Schulz or Charles Schulz thought his appearance was forgettable, so he gave Charlie Brown a blank face - plus there are several more related quizzes and articles, all of which you can find here.

Kudos to MeTV for making a big deal about the 100th anniversary of Charles Schulz!

Snoopy returns to the Macy's 96th annual Thanksgiving Parade

(This special post is by 5CP Associate Editor Gayna Lamb-Bang.)

The Thanksgiving Parade will be televised on NBC-TV from 9 a.m. to noon November 24th, all time zones, and also streaming via Peacock.

 

The orange-suited Astronaut Snoopy balloon returns to the festivities for the fourth consecutive year, making the World-Famous Beagle the parade’s longest-running balloon character. Also be on the lookout for the Snoopy's Doghouse Float, which represents Mission Control for the launch of Astronaut Snoopy!

 

NASA's "zero-gravity indicator"

Snoopy’s flight along the parade route of downtown New York’s streets will take place shortly after NASA’s November 14th launch of the giant Artemis I rocket.  It will be the first of three uncrewed Artemis I flights designed to circle the moon and return to Earth. The subsequent Artemis II flights, a few years later, will include a crew.  Astronaut Snoopy — in a much smaller form than his balloon persona — will be onboard as a zero-gravity indicator alerting Mission Control of the moment each flight achieves weightlessness.

Snoopy’s involvement with NASA hearkens back to 1969’s Apollo 10 mission, when the command module was named Charlie Brown, and the lunar module was named Snoopy.

Not bad for a World War I Flying Ace!

 

Reminder: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown streams for free on Apple TV, October 28 - 31, 2022

As we learned a couple of weeks ago, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will not be shown on broadcast television this year.

While Apple still deserves a rock for this move, they are offering the classic Halloween special via streaming for free - without a subscription - via the Apple TV app from Friday October 28 through Monday October 31, 2022. It's not as widely accessible as a free TV broadcast, but it's the best on offer this year.

You do not need an Apple device to use the Apple TV app. It is also available on a variety of streaming devices, including Rokus and Amazon Fires, and on many different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any device by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

You do not need to subscribe to Apple TV+, but you will need to either have, or create, an Apple ID to sign in and watch.  (Apple fails to mention this in their instructions, below.)

Apple's instructions for streaming Great Pumpkin for free are:

1. Go to tv.apple.com or download the Apple TV app from the app store wherever you watch (streaming) shows and movies.
2. Search for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and hit Play to stream for free from October 28-31.

The special also remains available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray as an alternative.

Also, don't forget that a few months ago, Craft Recordings released a new, improved version of the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown soundtrack - free of special effects, with much better sound quality, and several bonus tracks.  Well worth getting if you haven't already!  (Just be sure to get the 2022 version.)

It's the Great Pumpkin and other Peanuts holiday specials won't air on PBS in 2022, will be free on Apple TV+ for a limited time

Bad news for traditionalists: Apple TV+ and PBS have confirmed that  It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and the other Peanuts holiday specials will not be airing on PBS or another over-the-air broadcast television station this year.

Instead, in 2022, the Apple TV+ streaming service will make the three big Peanuts holiday specials available to view for free without a subscription for a limited period around each holiday, as follows:

• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - October 28 - 31, 2022 (Friday - Monday)
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - November 23 - 27, 2022 (Wednesday - Sunday)
• A Charlie Brown Christmas - December 22 - 25, 2022 (Thursday - Sunday)

To stream the specials for free, you don't need an Apple device. The Apple TV+ app is also available for a variety of streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire, and on a variety of different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any device by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

You will not need to subscribe to Apple TV+, but you will need to either have or create an Apple ID to sign in and watch.  (Apple fails to mention this in their instructions, below.)

(If you're already an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can watch the specials at any time, on any day.)

In addition to the links above, Apple provided this graphic (click to show larger):

This is not the first time that It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving haven't been seen on broadcast TV - Great Pumpkin didn't air in 2020, and Thanksgiving failed to make it to TV screens a few times over the past decades.

But unless something changes - and right now there's no indication that it will - this will be the first time since its original broadcast in 1965 that A Charlie Brown Christmas will not have an over-the-air television broadcast.

The three holiday specials remain available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray as an alternative.

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Meanwhile, Apple TV+ also announced additional Peanuts content that's coming to the subscription streaming service in December.

First, two additional classic Peanuts holiday specials will finally be available on Apple TV+: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales will be added to the service on December 2, 2022.

They will be joining A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, meaning that all four classic Peanuts Christmas specials will be available on Apple TV+.

Also on December 2, 2022, Apple TV+ will premiere a new Christmas-themed episode of The Snoopy Show. According to Apple TV+: In “Happiness Is the Gift of Giving,” Snoopy adapts a Christmas poem to help Sally sleep, Charlie Brown makes gifts for his pals and Snoopy finds waiting to open his presents a challenge.

For more information about Apple TV+, including how to watch and subscribe, visit tv.apple.com and this Apple support page.

Beaglefest: A history

(This special post is by 5CP Associate Editor Gayna Lamb-Bang and her roommate, Derrick)

The Peanuts Collector Club was founded in mid-1983 by Andrea Podley, who until summer 2008 managed the ever-increasing duties with the sole assistance of her husband, Phil. She published quarterly newsletters, each of which seemed to be larger than its predecessor, every one filled with articles about various aspects of Peanuts-dom: bios of individual members and descriptions of their collections; news on just-released merchandise; collectibles; and definitive lists of particular items (refrigerator magnets, for instance). The most popular newsletter feature, during its early years, was the all-important Buy/Sell/Swap pages in the back (which gradually shrank, as the Internet became more important, and eBay consumed everybody's attention!). At its peak, the Club had close to 2,500 international members.

Beginning in the summer of 2008, Kathy Magrane took over the position of Club president. Bowing to the digital age, the printed newsletters ceased shortly thereafter; since then, most business and news has been conducted via the club's Facebook page.

But stepping back in time...

Within two years of the Club's founding, the growing cadre of members decided to celebrate their organization with a festival of convention of some sort. Member Marian Wolff gets credit for coining the term "Beaglefest": selected out of an abundance of caution, lest "Snoopyfest," or some derivation thereof, might be forbidden due to licensing rights.

Beaglefest I was scheduled for July 5-7, 1985, at the Los Robles Lodge in Santa Rosa, California; it was chaired by Andrea Podley. This was a modest affair, and attendance was small: just 40 brave and enthusiastic souls, all a little crazy about Peanuts collectibles, many of them meeting each other for the first time during an introductory wine and cheese party held in the Lodge ballroom. The excitement and high spirits continued during the next day's Collectors' Market, when Club members brought hundreds of items to sell or trade. Many sellers immediately spent their profits on more goodies for their own collections. Later that evening, members gathered for dinner and then sat in the bar and talked the night away.

Beaglefest was declared a success, and so...

A happy group of Beaglefest II attendees

Beaglefest II took place June 30-July 3, 1989, again at Santa Rosa's Los Robles Lodge; attendance was much larger, with slightly more than 100 members arriving from across the United States and Canada, with a few flying in from overseas. Bruce Carlson chaired the event, which adopted the slogan "40 Years of Happiness." Swap meets were held on both Saturday and Sunday, with a stunning display of collectibles for sale. A costume parade was modest enough to permit all participants to win a prize, and — best of all — Charles and Jeannie Schulz were guests of honor.       

Beaglefest III brought roughly 300 people to the Los Robles Lodge from July 2-5, 1993; members came from all over the United States and Canada, and four additional foreign countries. Bruce Carlson once again chaired the event, and Charles and Jeannie Schulz once again were guests of honor. The Club completely filled the hotel, which was convenient; the often late-night room sales didn't bother any other guests!

US Postal Service to issue new Peanuts stamps on September 30, 2022

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Charles Schulz's birth, on Friday, September 30, 2022 the United States Postal Service will be issuing a new set of first class stamps featuring the Peanuts characters.

The stamps will feature 10 different Peanuts character designs, and each sheet will have 20 stamps (two sets of the 10 designs).  Like all first class US stamps released in recent years, they will be "forever" stamps, always good for mailing a first class letter regardless of future price increases.

This is the third time the USPS has issued stamps celebrating Peanuts - the first was a Snoopy "flying ace" stamp in 2001, and the second was a set of stamps celebrating "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 2015.

The official release and first day ceremony for the new Schulz centennial Peanuts stamps will take place at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California on Friday September 30. The event is free; for details see the Museum website and this USPS announcement.

You should be able to buy the new stamps at your local post office, or they can also be ordered online from the USPS website.

In addition to the stamps themselves, you can also order a variety of related merchandise at the USPS website - such as first day covers, a stamp pin, collectible stamp stationery sets and portfolios, "field notes" notebooks, and a 48-page book reprinting a variety of mail-themed Peanuts strips.