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.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving interactive storybook app from Loud Crow Interactive

In time for Thanksgiving 2013, Loud Crow Interactive has released another interactive storybook app based on a classic Peanuts television special. Not surprisingly, that new title is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, which retells the story of and recreates scenes from the 1973 show on tablets and smartphones.

The read-along app features narration by Stephen Shea (who performed the voice of Linus in animated specials from 1971-1975, including A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving) together with dialog and music from the show. In each scene, the characters are animated and readers can poke, prod, and pull objects to make different things happen.

The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving app currently sells for $5.99 and is available for iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches from the Apple App Store, for Android devices from the Google Play store, and for Kindle Fires from the Amazon Appstore.  For more information, visit one of the store links, or Loud Crow's website.

This is Loud Crow Interactive's fourth app based on the Peanuts TV shows; the previous interactive storybooks are A Charlie Brown Christmas; It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; and Charlie Brown's All-Stars. The Thanksgiving app seems to be aimed at younger readers than the earlier ones; previously, you had to experiment to find the hidden actions in a scene, but for the most part, the new app shows you exactly where to tap and drag. (There are still a few hidden bits, but not many.) This may be good for younger kids, but in my opinion, it makes the app less entertaining for older readers.

The good news is the Thanksgiving app is free of in-app purchases, which blighted Loud Crow Interactive's original release of the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown app. To their credit, Loud Crow has since released an update to the Great Pumpkin app including all the former in-app purchases for free instead.

Catch a Charlie Brown Christmas concert

Several years ago, concerts featuring Vince Guaraldi's music from A Charlie Brown Christmas started springing up around the country, and it seems they've proved popular, as the number of concerts has continued to grow each subsequent year.

Over at his Impressions of Vince blog, my colleague Derrick Bang has posted his comprehensive list of 2013 concerts. Check it out and see if there's a concert in your vicinity.

Personally, I went to one of the Heather Pierson Quartet's A Charlie Brown Christmas concerts last year and really enjoyed it. I recommend them, if you live near one of the locations of their eight shows in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. But I'm sure the other groups put on good shows, too!

Peanuts Movie Marathon on ABC Family, Wednesday, November 27, 2013

ABC Family has traditionally shown the first two Peanuts films during the week of Thanksgiving. This year, the cable channel's bringing something new to the tradition - they'll be broadcasting all four Peanuts theatrical films in a seven-hour long movie marathon starting at 4 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on Wednesday, November 27, 2013. The broadcast times are (all Eastern/Pacific):

Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Snoopy Come Home 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown 7:30 - 9:00 PM
A Boy Named Charlie Brown 9:00 - 11:00 PM

I believe this is the first time all four movies have been shown back-to-back on television in at least twenty years, and possibly longer.  (It's slightly puzzling why they aren't showing them in chronological order, but nifty nevertheless.)

Dark Hall Mansion's new A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving limited edition prints for 2013

Thanksgiving is approaching and Peanuts fans can celebrate with another helping of lovely limited edition prints from Dark Hall Mansion.

The 2013 print commemorating A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving tells the story of the well-loved 1973 television special in an eye-catching vertical layout of 12 panels. Think of your favorite moment from the show, and it's here in the print!

This is the second in a series of matching prints by Dave Perillo - standard versions of last month's It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown are still available from Dark Hall Mansion, and next month will see the release of a new Charlie Brown Christmas print.

As with previous Dark Hall Mansion releases, there will be two versions of the Thanksgiving print: a standard version and a variant version with more vivid colors.

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

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 Friday, November 15, 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.

New Snoopy and Woodstock balloon to debut in 2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Snoopy balloon will have a new look as it floats down the streets of Manhattan in the 2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year, Snoopy will be soaring together with Woodstock when the famous canine from the Peanuts comic strip makes his 37th parade appearance.

Model of the new Snoopy and Woodstock balloon

The new balloon is the seventh different depiction of Snoopy to take part in the parade; previous balloons have shown Snoopy as an astronaut; an ice skater (with and without Woodstock); "Millennium Snoopy;" and of course the World War I Flying Ace.

In fact, Snoopy now holds two Macy's Parade records: most appearances by the same character (starting with his debut in 1968), and now most balloon versions as well.

The 87th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade airs on Thursday, November 28, 2013 from 9 AM - Noon on NBC. (All time zones; the Macy's Parade broadcast starts at 9 AM, regardless of which time zone you're in.) So tune in and check out the latest in beagle balloon fashion!

UPDATE Nov 13: The news site NorthJersey.com has posted a series of photos showing the new balloon's test flight, giving a better idea of what it looks like.

Enjoy every Peanuts Sunday strip from 1952-1955 in full color in Fantagraphics' new collection

Shipping this week is Peanuts Every Sunday 1952-1955, the first volume in Fantagraphics' new line of Peanuts reprint books. This 224-page volume collects every Peanuts Sunday strip from those four years in full color - unlike in The Complete Peanuts, where they appeared only as black and white. Not only that, but the strips are reprinted at twice the size (13.25" x 9.25") as in The Complete Peanuts, making for a hefty, coffee table-sized book - so now fans can experience the strips much closer to the way they originally appeared.

The reprints in Peanuts Every Sunday 1952-1955 aren't simply scans of old newspaper strips; Fantagraphics has used the original high-resolution black and white line art, and then recolored it using the original strips as a guide. This results in a much higher quality reproduction of the strips - because it eliminates problems such as color registration and the color half-toning used for newspaper printing in the 1950's - while still remaining faithful to their original appearance.

If you're wondering why this series doesn't start in 1950 (like The Complete Peanuts), that's because the Sunday Peanuts comic strip didn't debut until January 6, 1952; prior to that, Peanuts was a daily-only strip.

Fantagraphics says there will be 10 volumes in the Peanuts Every Sunday series, released once a year. Every two years, there will be a box set containing two volumes of Peanuts Every Sunday in a slipcase (similar to how every two volumes of The Complete Peanuts are also collected together in a box set); so if having a slipcased set is important to you, you'll have to wait until next year.

But otherwise, Peanuts Every Sunday 1952-1955 can be ordered either directly from Fantagraphics or also from Amazon and other online bookstores. Your local bookstore or comic book store can also order a copy for you if they aren't stocking it already! List price is $49.99.

Definitely visit Fantagraphics' website and blog for more details, an 18-page PDF excerpt, and photos of the book to get a better sense of how it all looks:

Main webpage for Peanuts Every Sunday 1952-1955

Blog Post 1

Blog Post 2

(The title Peanuts Every Sunday may sound familiar to folks who've been collecting Peanuts books for a very long time; yes, there was a 1961 collection of Peanuts Sunday strips with the same title, although it did not, in fact, include every Peanuts Sunday comic. Given the appropriateness of the title for Fantagraphics' new series, we can't really blame them for reusing it!)

A Charlie Brown Christmas and other holiday specials 2013 broadcast dates

ABC has announced their December holiday special schedule for 2013, and it includes four Peanuts outings. All times are Eastern/Pacific.

A Charlie Brown Christmas will be shown twice, Monday, December 2 and Thursday, December 19, 2013 from 8-9 PM both nights. It will air unedited, and be accompanied by Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales.  (Note there's been a change from the originally announced dates; initially the second showing was announced for December 5, but showing it a couple weeks later makes a lot more sense!)

You can also watch A Charlie Brown Christmas online at hulu.com.

I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown will air Saturday, December 21, 2013 from 8-9 PM.

Finally, Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, together with She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown, will be broadcast on Monday, December 30, 2013 from 8-9 PM.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving to air Thursday, November 28, 2013 on ABC

Be sure to finish your turkey dinners early, because ABC is showing A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving evening, Thursday November 28, 2013, from 8-9 PM (Eastern/Pacific).

The special will air uncut together with a slightly shortened version of This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving; the special first aired on November 20, 1973.

If you missed the show, you can watch it online at hulu.com for the first couple of weeks of December.

Another year, another A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack release

Fans of Vince Guaraldi and the music of the Peanuts television specials might have thought that after releasing a newly remastered version of the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack in 2012 (which was preceded by a different remaster in 2006, which was preceded by the original CD release in 1988), that Fantasy Records might take a year or two before releasing another edition of the classic holiday soundtrack. They'd have been wrong.

On October 22, 2013, Fantasy released what they are calling A Charlie Brown Christmas (Snoopy Doghouse Edition). The CD contents are exactly the same as the 2012 remaster - the same tracks, the same remastering, the same booklet with liner notes by Vince Guaraldi expert (and my FiveCentsPlease.org colleague) Derrick Bang - but this version comes with special packaging that converts into a doghouse and includes little standup cutouts of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and Lucy (see the picture below).

On YouTube, Concord Records (owner of the Fantasy label) has posted an "unpacking" video that gives a better idea of how the packaging works.

If you already have the 2012 release, there's no need to get this one unless you're a completist. But it might make a nifty gift if you're planning on giving the CD to someone else... which is probably what Fantasy is hoping you'll think! The "plain" 2012 CD release remains available as well, and is slightly cheaper, so you can save a few bucks if you don't want the special doghouse packaging. For more commentary on this new CD release, see Derrick's post at the Impressions of Vince blog.

Meanwhile, the soundtrack isn't the only A Charlie Brown Christmas item to get a re-release this year. Lee Mendelson's book detailing the creation of the 1965 TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, has been reissued with a new cover. The contents are otherwise apparently the same as the previous hardback and paperback editions.