Happy 75th anniversary of Peanuts!

Today marks 75 years since Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip debuted in newspapers on October 2, 1950.

As readers of this blog no doubt know, it debuted as a daily-only strip in just seven newspapers, but within a year and a half added a full-color Sunday strip, and ultimately grew to a distribution of 2,600 newspapers, as well as numerous book collections of the strip, a series of award-winning and beloved television specials, more merchandise than one can count, and a lasting impact on pop culture.

There have been several news articles marking the occasion, including ones from USA Today and Schulz's hometown newspaper, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat:

USA Today - As Peanuts turns 75, Charles Schulz's comic is more poignant than ever

Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Charles M. Schulz Museum, others celebrate ‘Peanuts’ 75th anniversary

The official Peanuts podcast, You Don't Know Peanuts, has returned for a third round of episodes, starting with a complete audio of this year's Comic-Con panel celebrating the 75th anniversary, which featured panelists Damian Holbrook (TV Guide columnist), Benjamin L. Clark (curator, Charles M. Schulz Museum), Paige Braddock (creative director emeritus, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates), Melissa Menta (senior VP, global brand and communications, Peanuts Worldwide), Emma Harmon (assistant art director, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates), and actor Alec Baldwin.

So cozy up with your favorite Peanuts comic collection or television show, and celebrate 75 years of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Charles Schulz, and the rest of the gang!

Apple TV+ announces 2025 free streaming dates for classic Peanuts holiday specials

Subscription service Apple TV+, the only place where you can stream the classic Peanuts television specials, has announced the weekends when you can stream the three best known Peanuts holiday shows for free, without a subscription.

The free streaming window is just 2 days for each special, but it's better than no free option at all.

The free streaming dates for 2025 are:

• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Saturday, October 18 & Sunday, October 19, 2025
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - Saturday, November 15 & Sunday, November 16, 2025
• A Charlie Brown Christmas - Saturday, December 13 & Sunday, December 14, 2025

To watch the specials for free, an Apple device isn't your only option. The Apple TV+ app is also available for a variety of streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire, on several different smart TV brands, and for portable devices running Android. You can also watch using a web browser on any computer by going to tv.apple.com .  

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.

For more information about Apple TV+, visit this information page.

Of course, if you're already a subscriber, you can watch the specials at any time, on any day.

As has been the case since 2022, there will be no over-the-air broadcast of the Peanuts specials this year. The shows remain available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray.

Apple also announced that they've extended their agreement to be the exclusive streaming home for all Peanuts shows - both the classic ones from Lee Mendelson Film Productions, and new ones created for Apple by WildBrain - for another five years, until 2030. The announcement says there are plans for "more new original Peanuts series and specials," without any specifics. You can read the full press release from Apple here.