99 Crappy Things About "Peanuts" TV Specials

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1. Nose-in-the-air attitude

― sexyDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:14 (nineteen years ago)

2. Only black character not given lines or personality

― sexyDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:15 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lyaWRzCxY8

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:16 (nineteen years ago)

3. THAT FUCKING SAX AS ADULT VOICE SOUND

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:19 (nineteen years ago)

4. Hovercraft used in "Au Revior, Charlie Brown" did not have classic BR logo

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:20 (nineteen years ago)

5. Vince Girauldi only did the music for a few of them before his heart attack

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:24 (nineteen years ago)

can we cover the feature-length movies, too?

6. the complete downer section in all the movies, especially traumatic for 6-year-old-and-Snoopy-loving me. e.g. No Dogs Allowed, snoopy loses his best friend while rafting, etc

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

What? NOOOOO DOOOOOOGS ALLOOOOOOOWED is classic, son.

7. Peppermint Patty & Marcie furthering militant lesbian agenda

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

bbbut the dancing!!

― Ms Misery (MsMisery), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

8. It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

what the fuck is wrong with you people??!?!?! you probably hate christmas, too.

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

I gotta go with Stencil here.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

9. Linus' completely overrated Christ-o-centric speech. (I love just about everything else though.)

― Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:32 (nineteen years ago)

Note that I love the specials(i make my family watch the Christmas one every year), but the movies were disappointments.

Also, "What have we learned, Charlie Brown?" (the one where they visit Normandy where Charles Schultz himself served) not shown nearly often enough.

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:35 (nineteen years ago)

10. I don't think proto neo-con Linus gave an Arbor Day speech to balance that out

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:36 (nineteen years ago)

11. Linus is a little shit in the Xmas one. He's only redeemed by his turn in "Great Pumpkin"

― sexyDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

9. Linus' completely overrated Christ-o-centric speech. (I love just about everything else though.)

-- Matt Cibula (expresso222...), December 20th, 2006. (later)

ITS A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, DUH

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

also linus is the "philosophical" one, of course he's gonna talk about jesus!

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

O RAELLY I DID NOT KNOW THAT THANK YUO FOR THIS INFORMATION

― Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:39 (nineteen years ago)

I MUST NOW REFLECT ON THE THINGS YOU HAVE TOLD ME

― Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:39 (nineteen years ago)

ALSO, SKY IS BLUE.

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:40 (nineteen years ago)

so many things wrong with this thread.

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

this thread is an abomination before the lord

― violent j (sandboxhulkington), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

okay reflection over, I still think it's overrated

maybe you would feel more comfortable on a thread entitled "Everything in Peanuts TV Specials Is Perfect"

― Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

Stence, many xmas specials have avoided such angles. See Rudloph.

― Ms Misery (MsMisery), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:42 (nineteen years ago)

I'm reading half the posts in this thread in "adult voice".

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:43 (nineteen years ago)

I got 99 problems but the Peanuts ain't one.

― whoop de doodle (kenan), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:44 (nineteen years ago)

oh wow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Peanuts_television_specials

This thread has been brought to you by Dolly Madison(TM) Zingers.

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:45 (nineteen years ago)

12. Emboldens crap Bell and Sebastian fans to embrace their inner reactionary, hoever gilded by fat childhood nostalgia

― sexyDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:45 (nineteen years ago)

o man dolly madison zingers were no joke

and i got no problem with popcorn and toast

― Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

I always ALWAYS waited for that 'CBS HOLIDAY SPECIAL' logo to come arcing around the screen...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

dudes i'm an atheist but i still don't see any point to an xmas special that doesn't at least mention jesus h., even in passin'!

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

13. Easy target for boilerplate ILX Christ hate

14. Not enough baseball content

― Dr M (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

Dolly Madison cakes unavailable in Northern states when I was small so when driving to Florida once, and upon finding them in Kentucky, I was all WANT ONE.

I love 'adult voice' and used to do it to my mom whenever she started talking total shit. She talks *more* total shit now (today's one is 'Stephen Colbert and GWB: BUDDIES!') so perhaps time to take out of mothballs?

Hey Stence!

― suzy artskooldisko (suzy artskooldisko), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

stence otm, what the fuck?

3. THAT FUCKING SAX AS ADULT VOICE SOUND
-- editio princeps (pato.g2...), December 20th, 2006.

WELCOME TO FUNNY

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

If Rankin/Bass can slide it over sticking with weird pagan "Myths of Thule" nazi shit, there's no reason to bring The Lord unto Television

― sexyDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

hi suzy!

srsly even the new school peanuts special that was on last night was worth it, if only for spike, snoopy's brother.

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

WELCOME TO FUNNY

Oh, get a fucking grip.

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

ooh, memey.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

Spike is the Bukowski of beagles

― Dr M (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:53 (nineteen years ago)

It was a weird day when I discovered that "Peanuts" was actually a respected, seminal work of art and not the unfunny scribblings of a senile crank, as I'd dismissed it for much of my life.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:53 (nineteen years ago)

I always ALWAYS waited for that 'CBS HOLIDAY SPECIAL' logo to come arcing around the screen...

YES! with the big drums and brassy flares!

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

I bought 1961-62 Peanuts volume for friend's 10-yo son, hope someone explains Willie McCovey and Biblical references to him.

― Dr M (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

15. Peppermint Patty never grabbed Marcy's ass.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

my daughter finds Charlie Brown incredibly creepy, I've been trying to work with her on this and explain historical context and all that shit but she's still like AAAAAAAAA and runs out of the room

― Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:56 (nineteen years ago)

It was a weird day when I discovered that "Peanuts" was actually a respected, seminal work of art and not the unfunny scribblings of a senile crank, as I'd dismissed it for much of my life.

Alien.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

(Okay, that was a bit abrupt, but this might help explain my feelings on the matter more.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:58 (nineteen years ago)

I never trusted Charlie Brown because he seemed to have as much hair as I did at age eight.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 16:59 (nineteen years ago)

If anything sums up the 20th century, it's Linus explaining to Charlie Brown that The Great Pumpkin perfers homely, backyard pumpkin patches to the giant corporation-owned pumpkin farms.

― editio princeps (pato.g27), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

When I was 8 or 9 my favourite film of all time was 'Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back)', but I never saw the last twenty minutes because it had been recorded over. I need to find somewhere that vends pristine copies of that film.

Ah, Snoopy's tennis match... :-D

― I am the best lyrocost since Dylan (Scourage), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 96 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I remember my birthday (Dec 15) 1999 wz when the newspapers were all over the place announcing Schulz's retirement. It was a weird birthday.

― step hen faps (Curt1s Stephens), Thursday, 21 December 2006 00:53 (nineteen years ago)

Haha, which only makes me marvel even more at its sacred-cow status.

Sacred cows are one thing, but you called a really beloved, sharp, and warm person a "senile old crank." Do you also believe that Fred Rogers was a sociopath?

― whoop de doodle (kenan), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:01 (nineteen years ago)

>i think that most of us tend to go easy on the frequently lame later years

also, every once in a while, like once or twice a year, he'd do a strip that was more bizarre, non-sequitous and profound than all of the early strips put together

but you'd have to wait for them

― milton parker (milton parker), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:02 (nineteen years ago)

kenan otm

― j.d. (j.d.), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:03 (nineteen years ago)

schulz was by all accounts the nicest man ever. after his death someone published an interview with some off-the-record remarks he'd made about how nauseating he thought "the family circus" was - which he'd asked the interviewer not to print because he didn't want to hurt bil keane's feelings.

― j.d. (j.d.), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:05 (nineteen years ago)

He actually considered himself a secular humanist even though the kiddies talked about the Good Book a lot.

― step hen faps (Curt1s Stephens), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:09 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think I'd care if he believed in Snake Wrangling.

― whoop de doodle (kenan), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:11 (nineteen years ago)

Handling.

Oh, I'm so old that I'm MISquoting The Simpsons.

― whoop de doodle (kenan), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:18 (nineteen years ago)

lesson of thread = every aggro dude is actually corny/twee if you push the right button

― bliss (blass), Thursday, 21 December 2006 03:27 (nineteen years ago)

And vice versa

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 December 2006 03:30 (nineteen years ago)

The guy on the bottom left's name is 555 95472.

― Casuistry (casuistry), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:11 (nineteen years ago)

"Bottom left".

― Casuistry (casuistry), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:14 (nineteen years ago)

I thought 5 didn't appear until later? But you're right, 1963. Rock.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:20 (nineteen years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/5_Peanuts.jpg

― remy bean (bean), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:26 (nineteen years ago)

I'm a british and charlie brown doesn't have the same cultural cache in the UK (at least, not in my house) so I'd never seen this before. Through the magix of Youtube, I can report back the following thoughts:

- The music does indeed rock. In fact, all the music scenes seem like a random slow drop of magic, like the sun rising on teletubbies or something, only happier.
- When all the kids are laughing at charlie brown for buying the wrong xmas tree, that shit's ice cold.
- The God speech is a bit odd, but I think it sets up CB walking off with his tree and making it cool. This bit made me happycry.
- Why have I not seen this before? I'm adding this cartoon to the list of things sent to us from aliens to make us happy.

― Johnney B has zeros off the line (stigoftdumpilx), Thursday, 21 December 2006 10:49 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, and snoopy's little dance on top of the piano cracked me up, which is unusual cos I usually can't stand the fucker.

― Johnney B has zeros off the line (stigoftdumpilx), Thursday, 21 December 2006 10:59 (nineteen years ago)

i wish i'd saved the text from my post of yesterday, which has either been deleted or just didn't show up...in short, anyway:

"oh, this thread."

― Ray Cummings (skateboardr), Thursday, 21 December 2006 12:54 (nineteen years ago)

I loved Peanuts as a kid. Now I find it annoying. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

― sede vacante (blueski), Thursday, 21 December 2006 12:56 (nineteen years ago)

Why Charles Schultz was awesome:

In 2000, it became known that a fan of Peanuts had written Schulz a letter requesting that Charlotte Braun be removed. Schulz wrote back, promising to remove the character but asking the reader if she wanted to be responsible for "the death of an innocent child". The letter included a picture of Charlotte Braun with an ax in her head.

― Jesus Dan (dan perry), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:24 (nineteen years ago)

Rod McKuen's bloody songs.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:30 (nineteen years ago)

That Narrator Who Stole Xmas is some funny shit.

― Mr. Que (Party with me Punker), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

in fairness re Franklin's blandness, Sherman was quite dull, and Violet was nothing more than a less memorably mean Lucy.

― Dr M (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:48 (nineteen years ago)

Anyway, let's hear it for Jose Peterson!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:58 (nineteen years ago)

http://img124.exs.cx/img124/6521/pogo_enemy.jpg

― sexyDancer (sexyDancer), Thursday, 21 December 2006 15:36 (nineteen years ago)

Charlotte Braun letter: http://www.cagle.com/hogan/webextras13/charlotte/home.html

― Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Thursday, 21 December 2006 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

- When all the kids are laughing at charlie brown for buying the wrong xmas tree, that shit's ice cold.

The early years of the strip are FULL of that. Really, really vicious. Now that we know how neurotic Sparky was, it was like watching someone cut himself a little every day, or self-flagellation with barbed chains.

― I Am Curious (George) (Slight Return) (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 December 2006 15:54 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, the early strips were great. Dark as fuck for a ha-ha comic featuring children in Eisenhower-era funny pages.

A nice bit about the darker side

http://img.citypages.com/imagebank/articles/25_1229/25_1229a12244_m.gif

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

That one on the bottom is the first strip ever, yeah?

― Dr M (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

Yep, the bottom of those two strips is the very first daily...really set the tone. (xpost!)

― I Am Curious (George) (Slight Return) (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

That bottom one could be an inner self-dialogue.

― Ms Misery (MsMisery), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:33 (nineteen years ago)

All OTM here. Schulz himself once pointed out how the dynamics of the strip were based on how cruel children could be to each other, which from my own experiences is extremely accurate.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, the design of the fantagraphics books hints at the tone quite well:

http://boingboing.net/Images/peanuts.jpg

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:36 (nineteen years ago)

jaymc check out some of the current fantagraphics reprints, which are just getting into the prime '60s era stuff. you'll get a pretty good idea of why it's so highly regarded.

Like I said, I read some of the very early stuff when I was a kid, and I remember finding it elegant, but it didn't leave much of an impression. It's partially because of the Fantagraphics reprints, which I haven't read but have read about (dozens of paeans from respected comics artists and folks like Jonathan Franzen), that I've begun to see why "Peanuts" was supposed to be so great.

Sacred cows are one thing, but you called a really beloved, sharp, and warm person a "senile old crank." Do you also believe that Fred Rogers was a sociopath?

He didn't seem all that sharp to me when I was reading him in the '90s. "Crank" certainly wasn't accurate, though. I should have said "doddering old man."

Also, I'm just telling you what my impression of him was when I was a teenager, when I probably preferred "FoxTrot" or some shit that I'd have a hard time defending now (one thing I did like about "FoxTrot," though, was that there was always a bonus joke after the main punchline in the third panel). I thought that Schulz was out of touch, but in retrospect, the fact that he didn't update the strip to make pop-culture jokes was probably what contributed to its simple, timeless appeal.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:44 (nineteen years ago)

the fact that he didn't update the strip to make pop-culture jokes

He had those plenty of times, but they didn't become the mainstay of the humor, wisely.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

jaymc, you are ice cold!

http://www.cagle.com/hogan/webextras13/charlotte/charlotte-braun.gif

― bohren un der club of gear (bohren un der club of gear), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, see the ill-advised "Spuds Mackenzie" strip

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

i remember one peanuts strip from the mid-'90s where snoopy keeps trying to get a license of some sort (it was a series over several days). the last one has charlie brown talking to some unseen woman, then turning to snoopy and saying, "no, she says you don't need a license for that. . ."

then charlie brown walks out, followed by snoopy, who is carrying an assault weapon!

― bohren un der club of gear (bohren un der club of gear), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

jonathan franzen is respected? by who, exactly/

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

They sacrifice ironic people to him daily at the Church of Our Lord Eggers.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:59 (nineteen years ago)

I didn't say Franzen was respected. "Respected comics artists" was one group; "folks like Jonathan Franzen" was another.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:20 (nineteen years ago)

oh so you mean "total douchebags" as the second group?

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:22 (nineteen years ago)

Fantagraphics reprints are SO SO GREAT. With any luck I'll be getting the 59-60 and 61-62 collections for Chrismahannukwanza

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:26 (nineteen years ago)

I keep trying to figure out how much shelf estate, and how awesome they will look, when I have all, what, 25 volumes.

― Casuistry (casuistry), Thursday, 21 December 2006 18:51 (nineteen years ago)

courtesy boing boing and fanpop

― remy bean (bean), Sunday, 24 December 2006 03:09 (nineteen years ago)

i hate that they combine classic 65 charlie brown christmas special with shitty, computer-animated, sub-par unfunny 80's charlie brown christmas special when they broadcast it every year.

― akm (akmonday), Sunday, 24 December 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)

ICP vs. A Charlie Brown Christmas - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLIWt4taJIU

I've only seen one CB special, where they're in a river-rafting race.

― milo (milo), Sunday, 24 December 2006 16:53 (nineteen years ago)

Christmastime is here.

― Casuistry (casuistry), Monday, 25 December 2006 10:14 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Let us never forget

― kingfish in absentia (kingfish), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 05:02 (nineteen years ago)

17. Set up the "adult-talkin' kids" meme that has turned 99% of children's entertainment into nerd smarm.

― sexyDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 15:51 (nineteen years ago)

18. No Vince Guaraldi vocals except for "Joe Cool" and "Little Birdie"

― Ruud Haarvest (KenL), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 15:55 (nineteen years ago)

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