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| Lee Mendelson, Charles M. Schulz and Bill Melendez celebrate their Emmy Award victory for A Charlie Brown Christmas. |
While researching the liner notes written for Lee Mendelson Film Productions’ March 2026 debut release of Vince Guaraldi’s score for 1966’s Charlie Brown’s All Stars! — paired with his score for It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown — Ye Humble Blog Authors were reminded that both All Stars! and 1966’s It’s the Great Pumpkin had shared nominations for an Emmy Award in that same category. Alas, that likely split the vote, because when the awards were presented on June 4, 1967, both Peanuts specials lost to Hanna/Barbera’s live action/animated production of Jack and the Beanstalk, starring and directed by Gene Kelly.
That loss aside, our curiosity was piqued: How long did the Peanuts TV specials’ run of consecutive Emmy nominations continue, during those early days?
Sure enough, both 1967’s You’re in Love, Charlie Brown and 1968’s He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown also received Emmy nominations in that same category, once again vying against each other (because both debuted during the 1967/68 television season).
But then an odd thing happened.
As reported the following day by longtime Cincinnati Post & Times-Star entertainment journalist Mary Wood, the award for Outstanding Children’s Program wasn’t announced during the ceremony televised on May 19, 1968.
Worse yet, as further research revealed — baffling as it seems — nothing won in that category!
A visit to the Television Academy’s Emmy Award archive verifies that You’re in Love and He’s Your Dog competed for the award, alongside Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood ... and no winner is shown.
We have a friend who works for Variety. He has access to that publication’s archives, so we briefed him about the situation. He got back to us the following day, with information and charts from the Daily Variety issue of May 20, 1968.
He verified that no winner had been presented in our desired category. Perhaps worse, six musicians competed for the category of Individual Achievement in Music ... and no winner was announced there either! The Daily Variety article confirmed this: “No awards were given in musical competition and children program categories.”
“This kind of thing ticked off members during the 1960s,” our friend reported. “It was so bad that nearly every composer in the music branch resigned a year or two before, because this was happening regularly: multiple nominees but no winners chosen. The governors fixed it somehow, and by the late 1960s, someone won something in virtually every category.
“At least you can say that Peanuts dominated the category, with two out of three nominations!”
True ... but Lee Mendelson must’ve felt cheated, having lost the opportunity to have picked up another Emmy.
Another friend and mutual Guaraldi fan summed up the situation with deliciously scathing humor.
“A national television awards ceremony with nominees, no winner, scattered records, and just enough confusion to keep people annoyed 58 years later, feels entirely appropriate for American television. [It was] one of those charming Academy practices where the nominees were invited to the party, and the award stayed home!”
