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!)

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 .

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.

Warner adds "Peanuts Holiday Classics" in high-definition to iTunes offerings

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment announced that they are now offering a package of six Peanuts television specials in HD (high definition) video on iTunes. Titled "Peanuts Holiday Classic," the six shows are: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965); It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966); A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973); It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown (1974); Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (1986); and This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers (1988).

The six shows can only be purchased together $29.99; or $24.99 for the six in standard definition (SD) video. They can be found using this link.

The high definition versions cannot be purchased individually, they are only available when you buy the "Peanuts Holiday Classics" bundle; however, most of the shows are available separately in standard definition. For a complete list of Peanuts releases on iTunes, see the iTunes releases section of the Peanuts Animation & Video Page.

A Charlie Brown Christmas; It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving; and This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers have been previously released in high-definition on Blu-ray discs (and those discs remain available), and air in high-definition on television. It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown and Happy New Year, Charlie Brown are not available on Blu-ray, so this is the first high-definition release of them. (Conversely, the Blu-ray discs include two shows that are not available in HD on iTunes.)

New blog from the Peanuts Studio

Peanuts fans looking for a glimpse into the world of Peanuts licensing and art should check out the Peanuts Studio blog, brought to you by the folks responsible for overseeing the art and content of licensed Peanuts products worldwide. They're also the driving force behind, and frequent contributors to, the successful Peanuts comic book from Boom! Studios, among other things. They're hoping the Peanuts Studio blog "will give an insider’s view of the ongoing work in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts Studio."

Currently at the month-old site, you can see a video of Peanuts Studio cartoonist Paige Braddock drawing Charlie Brown with one of Charles Schulz’s pen nibs (as the video explains, they still have a supply of them); an amusing photo of illustrator Vicki Scott's office, and examples of Peanuts artwork and current products. No doubt there will be more nifty stuff to see in the months to come!

Visit the Peanuts Studio blog

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown to air Thursday, October 31, 2013 on ABC

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will make its annual visit to television screens on Halloween night, Thursday, October 31, 2013 from 8-9 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on ABC.

Happily, unlike last year, ABC is giving the classic Peanuts special an hour-long time slot, so it will air unedited together with a shortened version of You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown.

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

Put a beagle on your car!

California Peanuts fans have waited a long time for this moment, and it finally has arrived; they'll soon be able to travel in the company of the World-Famous Driving Ace.

The World-Famous Beagle sits at the California State Capitol, holding a prototype of
his very own specialized license plate; the text along the bottom reads "Museums are
for everyone." (Photo by Steven Hoffman/California Association of Museums)

On October 5, Golden State Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation — carried by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego — to launch a specialized license plate that features Charlie Brown's favorite companion, Snoopy.

You can read additional details here. Information on ordering the plate can be found at snoopyplate.com, linked below.

Alas, this wonderful news applies only to California; Peanuts fans in the other 49 states will need to mobilize their efforts!

The campaign to add Snoopy to California's roster of special-interest license plates officially kicked off in the spring of 2010, with the debut of the web site snoopyplate.com ... but those of us living close to Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz Museum know that plans were afoot quite a bit earlier. We sat (im)patiently as California drivers expressed interest by signing up for the program, and then watched as that number slowly approached the 7,500 threshold demanded by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

At that point, the politicians got involved. The California State Assembly passed a bill to established the Snoopy license plate — AB 482 — this past spring, on May 30. The bill then went to the State Senate, which passed it on September 11, sending it to Gov. Brown's desk.

Dog-lovers up and down the state felt pretty secure at that point, knowing full well that Jerry Brown often can be seen at the Capitol with his beloved corgi, Sutter.

Now that the plate has become an official option, California's Peanuts fans will be scrambling to dream up a 6-character phrase that characterizes their devotion to Charles M. Schulz and his classic newspaper strip. (And yes, folks: six characters. Although other California plates have room for up to seven characters, with a space, the placement of Snoopy limits your options a bit.)

The Snoopy license plate will generate funding to help support California's many diverse museums. The California Cultural and Historical Endowment, a state entity, will administer the California Museum Grant Program with these funds.

Recent Peanuts DVD releases and announcements: "new" DVDs with nothing new on them

During the past couple of weeks, Warner Home Video has released two "new" Peanuts DVDs, and announced a third for January 2014. Unfortunately, there's nothing actually new about the DVDs other than their titles; all the shows on all the discs have already been released on other, still available Warner DVDs.

First up, on October 1, Warner Home Video released a 3-disc DVD collection titled Snoopy's Holiday Collection, which is a repackaging of previously released DVDs. The DVDs included are:

I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition DVD
Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales DVD
Happiness Is Peanuts: Snow Days DVD

If you have all those previous DVD releases, you don't need this repackaging.

Each of those DVDs included two shows each; so the complete list of shows on Snoopy's Holiday Collection are:

I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales
Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?
She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show Episode 18: Sally's Sweet Babboo

It also includes the bonus feature "Sibling Rivalry: Growing Up Van Pelt" that originally appeared on the I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition DVD.

The best thing that can be said about this repackaging is that at a list price of $19.98, it's cheaper than buying the three DVDs separately.

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Also on October 1, 2013, Warner Home Video released a DVD titled A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD. Don't be fooled: this is just a renaming of the previously released A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Deluxe Edition DVD. There's absolutely nothing new other than the title.

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Finally, Warner has announced a "new" Peanuts DVD release titled Touchdown, Charlie Brown!, due out January 21, 2014.

The shows on the Touchdown, Charlie Brown! DVD are:

It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, Episode 1: Snoopy's Cat Fight
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, Episode 4: Lucy vs. The World
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, Episode 11: Chaos in the Classroom

(The DVD itself lists incorrect episode numbers for The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show episodes; the above list is correct.)

It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown was previously released on the Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition DVD; the three episodes of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show were previously released on The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show: The Complete Series DVD set.

And while Warner has labelled Touchdown, Charlie Brown! a "Peanuts Deluxe Edition DVD," unlike all previous Peanuts Deluxe Edition DVDs, there apparently aren't any special or bonus features on this disc. Together with the fact that there aren't even any new-to-DVD shows on the DVD, calling it a deluxe edition is a serious case of title inflation.

The Touchdown, Charlie Brown! DVD will have a list price of $19.98. But really, if you're interested in any of the shows on this DVD collection, I recommend that you avoid this disc and get one of the other, earlier, more complete DVD releases containing the shows instead.

It continues to be disappointing that instead of releasing the several Peanuts specials that have never been released on DVD in the US, Warner Home Video is recycling previously released shows under new titles that seem designed to confuse the customer.

The Complete Peanuts 1989-1990 (Volume 20) now shipping

The Complete Peanuts 1989-1990, volume 20 of Fantagraphics' ongoing reprint series of every Peanuts comic strip, is now available. It arrived in comic books stores this week, is shipping if you order directly from Fantagraphics, and Amazon orders should start going out very soon.

The book includes all the daily and Sunday Peanuts strips from 1989 and 1990, with an introduction by Lemony Snicket. Here's Fantagraphics' PR blurb for the book:

This 20th volume is particularly dense with romantic intrigue, as Marcie and Charlie Brown end up at camp together, sending Peppermint Patty into mad jealousy (especially since Marcie can't resist teasing her)... and an old friend of Charlie Brown's attempts to look him up again but confuses him with Snoopy and goes on a date with him instead. 

But the most crucial event in romance is Charlie Brown's romance with Peggy Jean — even though he's so flustered in his first conversation with her that he ends up stuck with the name "Brownie Charles" for the duration of her relationship ("I kind of like it..."). 

This volume also introduces yet another Snoopy sibling, Olaf, who is humiliatingly invited to enter an ugly-dog contest (and, even more humiliatingly, wins). Plus lots of Zen-like Spike-and-cactus strips, Sally Brown non sequiturs, D-minuses for Peppermint Patty, and wise thoughts from Franklin's grandpa... Snoopy treks through the wilderness as the Beagle Scoutmaster and through the desert as the World Famous Sergeant of the Foreign Legion, Woodstock takes a whack at being the King of the Jungle, Lucy enjoys Michael Jackson on her boom box, Marcie's perfectionism leads to a crack-up, Pigpen runs for class president, Snoopy gets called to jury duty... and for a change, Lucy pulls the football out from under Charlie Brown.

You can see a 15-page PDF preview and more images of the book at Fantagraphics' website.

The latest two-volume box set, The Complete Peanuts 1987-1990 Gift Box Set, containing The Complete Peanuts 1987-1988 (released spring 2013) and the just-released The Complete Peanuts 1989-1990 together in a thick cardboard slipcase, is also out and likewise can be ordered directly from Fantagraphics or Amazon.  You can see an extensive preview of the box set at the Fantagraphics link.

New It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown limited edition prints for 2013 from Dark Hall Mansion

All Peanuts fans know the arrival of fall means it's time for the Great Pumpkin... and the Great Pumpkin will surely bring something good to our friends at Dark Hall Mansion, who have crafted another splendid limited edition print.

This is the third year in a row Dark Hall Mansion has released an art print celebrating It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and each year they've brought us something different.  The 2013 print by artist Dave Perillo is taller and thinner than previous prints, and is made up of 12 panels illustrating well-remembered scenes from the classic Peanuts Halloween television special as your eye travels from top to bottom.

As usual, there will be two versions of the print - a standard version and a variant version with brighter, more saturated colors.

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

(In the following months, there will be new "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" prints in also by Dave Perillo, in the same size and style, if you want to plan on getting a matching set.)

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 12″ x 36″ panels of wood.

The prices will be as follows:

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

The prints go on sale Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at a random time between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM Pacific time at Dark Hall Mansion's webstore.  Limited edition Peanuts prints from Dark Hall Mansion have been quick sellers, so don't hesitate with your order if you're interested.

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

Peanuts #12 available Wednesday, September 25

Peanuts #12, the latest issue of Boom! Studios' comic book, arrives in comic book stores on Wednesday, September 25, 2013.  The new stories this month are titled "Movie Time," "Tutor Trouble," and "When You Wish Upon a Pumpkin," and as always, they're accompanied by a handful of classic Sunday Peanuts comic strips.

You can see a 5-page preview at Comic Vine, and the issue can also be ordered directly from Boom! Studio's website.

The Peanuts comic book will be on hiatus in October - no doubt it'll be busy getting its pumpkin patch in order - but will be back with a new installment in November.

(And yes, there was a Peanuts #11 released last month, in August - sorry for not getting a blog entry up about that.  You can still order it from Boom! Studio's website, too.)

Peanuts #10 in stores Wednesday, July 24

The comic book Peanuts #10 goes on sale Wednesday, July 24, 2013.  There's no advance word on the story titles in this issue, but you can find it at your local comic book shop or order it directly from Boom! Studio's website.

(Note that while many sites show Snoopy in an spacesuit on the cover, that appears to have been preliminary art that was changed.  Tip of the hat to Previewsworld for the updated cover.  Since Boom! Studios is publishing The Beagle Has Landed, a new Peanuts graphic novel with an space theme in October, no doubt they decided to save Snoopy as an astronaut for that book's cover.)