Peanuts postage stamps coming in 2015

The United States Postal Service plans to issue Peanuts postage stamps sometime in 2015, according to this article from the Washington Post from a couple weeks ago.

Assuming the Postal Service doesn't change its mind, this will be the second time Peanuts characters have been featured on a United States stamp.  The first was a 2001 stamp (back when postage stamps were only 34 cents) featuring Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace.

While no details have been announced yet - and probably won't be until 2015, since stamps aren't officially revealed until much closer to their release - I'd guess that this time more of the Peanuts gang will get in on the action.  Maybe if we're lucky, it will be a sheet of stamps with several different designs on it… we'll see next year!

Peanuts #16 arrives Wednesday, February 26

Issue #16 of Peanuts goes on sale Wednesday, February 26.  New stories in this month's installment of Boom! Studio's comic book include "The Artists," "New Shoe Zoom," "The Doctor is Way In," and "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not."  Comic Book Resources has a five-page preview of the issue.

Look for the mag at your local comic book store, but if you can't find it, you can purchase it from Boom! Studio's website.

As it does after every four issues, the monthly Peanuts comic book will be taking a break in March and return in April.

However, early in March will see the release of Peanuts Volume 3, a trade paperback collecting issues #5-8 of the comic (which were published separately last year).

This is America, Charlie Brown returns to DVD on June 17, 2014

On June 17, Warner Home Video will release all eight episodes of This is America, Charlie Brown in a two-disc DVD box set.

Promoted as "the first animated miniseries ever," the specials were broadcast in prime-time on CBS during the 1988-89 television season. Meant as both education and entertainment, the shows find the Peanuts gang witnessing and participating in historic events and discoveries. For more details, visit the Peanuts Animation & Video Page.

The eight episodes are:

• The Mayflower Voyagers
• The Birth of the Constitution
• The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk
• The NASA Space Station
• The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad
• The Great Inventors
• The Smithsonian and the Presidency
• The Music and Heroes of America

This isn't the first time all the episodes of This is America, Charlie Brown have been released on DVD - Paramount released a DVD set with the exact same contents back in 2006 - but that set has been out of print for many years, so this is a welcome reissue. (Given the previous release, Warner's claim on the cover that the specials are "together for the first time" is hogwash.) The Mayflower Voyagers appears as a bonus feature on the A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving DVD and Blu-ray, but otherwise, there is no duplication with other Warner Peanuts DVDs.

The list price for the set is $26.99, and it can be pre-ordered at Amazon and other retailers now.

New limited edition Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown prints for 2014 coming February 5

Dark Hall Mansion kicks off a new year of limited edition prints with two distinctly different Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown designs, going on sale Wednesday, February 5.

Drawn by artist Lorelay Bove (making her first contribution to the line of Peanuts prints), the standard edition evokes the 1975 television special's opening credits and a couple of key scenes with an appropriately pastel palette.  The contrasting variant print has a simplicity similar to Schulz's artwork for the comic strip, while still capturing the essence of the show's (and the strip's) somewhat maudlin take on Valentine's Day.

Standard edition

Variant edition

The officially licensed, numbered editions measure 18" x 24" and are individually screen printed.

The standard edition will be limited to 280 prints, and the variant edition will be limited to 50 prints.  In addition, there will be a special wood edition of 5 each of both the standard and variant artwork.

The prices will be as follows:

Standard: $65
Variant: $100
Wood: $250

The Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown prints go on sale Wednesday, February 5, 2013 at at a random time between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM (Pacific time) at Dark Hall Mansion's webstore. Dark Hall Mansion says they'll be shipping out the prints immediately so they'll arrive in time for Valentine's Day.

Visit Dark Hall Mansion's blog and their Facebook page for more information, larger pictures of the artwork, and behind-the-scenes photos.

You're in a Pre-Superbowl Ad, Charlie Brown

The Peanuts gang's long association with insurance company MetLife continues this Sunday, February 2, when a new television commercial titled "National Anthem with Peanuts" will air during the 2014 Superbowl pre-game show.

But you don't have to wait for the Superbowl to see it - as is increasingly common, MetLife has posted the ad to YouTube in advance of the big game.  A week ago they posted a 30 second version, and today they posted a 60 minute version, which you can view by following this link:

National Anthem with Peanuts

While you're there, you can check out the other YouTube videos from MetLife - quite a few feature the Peanuts characters.

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown + A Charlie Brown Valentine to air February 14 on ABC

ABC is celebrating Valentine's Day 2014 by airing two Peanuts specials that evening - the 1975 special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and the 2002 special A Charlie Brown Valentine. They'll air back-to-back from 8-9 PM on Friday, February 14 (Eastern/Pacific time).

In Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown hopes for Valentine's cards at the school Valentine's Day party while Linus worries about how to show his affection for his teacher, Miss Othmar.  Then in A Charlie Brown Valentine, Charlie Brown tries to impress the little red-haired girl, but instead Peppermint Patty asks him to a Valentine's Day dance.

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And another modest item of Peanuts television news: a signed letter from Charles Schulz with a drawing of Linus will be one of the items featured on the February 10, 2014 episode ("Detroit, Hour 3") of the PBS show Antiques Roadshow.  Typically new episodes air at 8 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on Monday evenings, but check local listings to confirm the time on your PBS station.

Peanuts #15 in stores Wednesday, January 22

The comic book Peanuts #15 arrives Wednesday, January 22, 2014.  In this issue you'll find the new stories "Joe Stockcar," "The Best Defense," "Woodstock's Lonely Day," and "Press Here," along with a few classic Peanuts Sunday strips.  There's a five-page preview at ComicVine.

You can buy Peanuts #15 at your local comic book store, or order it directly from Boom! Studio's website.

Peanuts #14 on sale Wednesday, December 18

Boom! Studios' Peanuts #14 comic book went on sale on Wednesday, December 18, 2013.  In this issue are the seasonally themed new stories "December 16" and "Naughty or Nice," together with "How to Be a World Famous Author" and "Give It a Shot."  See a five-page preview at comicattack.net .

The Peanuts comic book can be purchased at your local comic book store, or ordered directly from Boom! Studio's website.

Reminder: Three Peanuts specials on TV this week

Just in case you haven't marked your calendar yet, three Peanuts specials air on three consecutive days at the end of this week:

A Charlie Brown Christmas + A Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales airs again Thursday, December 19 on ABC from 8 - 9 PM

Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown airs Friday, December 20 on FOX from 9 - 10 PM

I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown airs Saturday, December 21 on ABC from 8 - 9 PM

If you missed either of them, you can watch A Charlie Brown Christmas or I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown at hulu.com .

Enjoy and happy holidays!

Peanuts news tidbits: ABC extends contract for specials; Harris holiday poll; Jeannie Schulz chat at Reddit

Late last week, the ABC network announced they've extended their contract to show the Peanuts holiday shows - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving; and A Charlie Brown Christmas - through 2020. The specials moved to ABC in 2001, and have consistently garnered good ratings; last week, the 48-year old A Charlie Brown Christmas attracted a larger audience than FOX's brand-new show Almost Human. You can read the full press release here.

So it's not surprising to hear that in a new Harris Interactive poll about the holidays, Americans chose A Charlie Brown Christmas as their favorite animated holiday special. You can read the full press release and poll details at Harris Interactive's website.

Finally, on Wednesday, December 11, Jean Schulz participated in an online chat at the popular site Reddit. The chat is quite lengthy; Mrs. Schulz's name is highlighted above her responses.

Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown returns to FOX on Friday, December 20

While it's not a Christmas-themed special, FOX treats it like one: for the third year in a row, the 2011 TV special Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown will air at holiday time.  Look for it on Friday, December 20, 2013 on the FOX Network from 9-10 PM (Eastern/Pacific).

A classic Peanuts Christmas countdown on FiveCentsPlease.org for 2013

Christmas is coming, and so is FiveCentsPlease.org's tradition of counting down to the Big Day with the Peanuts gang. Starting Friday, November 29 and continuing every day through December 25, our home page will feature a different, seasonally themed single panel.

Alas, it appears that new panels from the syndicate are a thing of the past. As we did last year, we've dug into the archives and will present the countdown panels from 2002: another year when Thanksgiving occurred on November 28.

(Note that while GoComics is also running Peanuts countdown panels, they aren't new either. In fact, they're exactly the same panels they ran last year. And the year before that. We thought you might enjoy a little variety and something less recently seen!)

Please join us on our home page each day. We hope the Christmas countdown panels prompt a little smile every 24 hours, as they do for us.

New Dark Hall Mansion A Charlie Brown Christmas 2013 limited edition print

December 3rd will bring us the last - but certainly not least - of Dark Hall Mansion's 2013 limited edition print trilogy depicting the classic Peanuts holiday television specials.

The new artwork by Dave Perillo expertly captures the many memorable moments of A Charlie Brown Christmas as a series of descending panels. While the design and layout compliment Mr. Perillo's previous two prints, he's departed from the scheme just a bit by giving the famous dance scene two panels stretching across the print, allowing plenty of room for great depictions of each character and their distinctive dance moves.  Needless to say, the print ends with very nice renditions of the most famous Peanuts Christmas scenes of all.

Standard versions of the matching prints of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving are still available from Dark Hall Mansion's store, but quantities are increasingly limited.

Standard edition on left, Variant edition on right
(click to enlarge)

As before, there will be two versions of the Christmas print: a standard version and a variant version sporting more intense colors.

Both editions are 12" x 36", individually screen printed, and numbered to reflect their limited quantities. The standard edition is limited to 280 prints, and the variant is limited to 50 prints.

In addition, there will be a special run of 10 of each style printed on 12″ x 36″ panels of wood.

The prices will be as follows:

Standard: $65

Variant: $100
Wood Editions: $250

All editions go on sale Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at a random time between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM Pacific time at Dark Hall Mansion's webstore.

For more information and for larger pictures of each poster, visit Dark Hall Mansion's blog or their Facebook page.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving's anniversary celebrated in the news

The classic Peanuts special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving first aired on November, 20, 1973, making 2013 the show's 40th anniversary. The media has taken note, with several articles published in the past couple of days:

• The Los Angeles Times tells us about The recipe for 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'
• Lee Mendelson himself wrote A 40-Year Thanksgiving Feast, Peanuts-style for the Huffington Post
• And finally, the Chicago Tribune's RedEye has Talking turkey and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" with Lee Mendelson

(Note that while Mr. Mendelson says Charles Schulz drew "over 18,000" Peanuts comic strips, the actual count is 17,897.)

Don't forget that the special itself airs Thursday, November 28 from 8 - 9 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on ABC.

Peanuts #13 out Wednesday, November 27

The Peanuts comic book from Boom! Studios returns to shelves this Wednesday, November 27, with issue #13.  Two of this month's new stories are "Football Basics," "Public Speaking" and "Miss Crabby Pageant." You can read a 5-page preview at Comic Book Resources.

Look for Peanuts #13 at your local comic book store, or you can order it directly from Boom! Studio's website.