For the first time since 1965, the Peanuts holiday specials are not scheduled to air on broadcast TV

Good grief! A 55-year streak has been broken.

The first time It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown aired on television, it preempted My Three Sons. As in, an original episode of My Three Sons. The date was October 27, 1966, and Douglas family fans had just seen Yvonne Craig play a meter maid the previous week. Instead, CBS viewers got the Peanuts crew. 

The idea of a Peanuts holiday special, and a Peanuts cartoon in general, was still relatively novel. Great Pumpkin was just the third animated special from the mind of Charles Schulz. A Charlie Brown Christmas has premiered one year earlier. The Christmas special was so popular, it revitalized the live tree industry and decimated the plastic Christmas tree trend.

The overlooked baseball-themed Charlie Brown's All Stars! aired between Charlie Brown Christmas and Great Pumpkin in the summer of 1966. Since 1966, 42 additional Peanuts animated specials have been produced for broadcast television. More importantly, the two most popular ones, the Xmas and Halloween gems, have been reaired every year as well. Until now.

In 2020, Apple TV+ procured the rights to the Peanuts holiday specials and will offer them on the streaming service. As of now, ABC, the most recent home of Snoopy and his gang, has no plans to show Great Pumpkin over broadcast television, according to People.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) and A Charlie Brown Christmas are slated for a similar fate. 

Itching for more Snoopy in your life? Our most recent episode of Collector's Call featured perhaps the largest Peanuts collection on the planet. We had to go all the way to Australia to find it. Check out a few of the 15,384 Peanuts collectibles in the home of Lisa Ridey.

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78 Comments

BugsBunny1 23 months ago
thanks i have the 3 holidays specials on blu ray as part of peanuts 70th anniversary holiday colletion on blu ray comes in a snoopy dog house box set i found on ebay this month
Yuuji 43 months ago
Instead of PBS, let's make them move to MeTV
moax429 47 months ago
Thank the Lord I have *all* the Peanuts holiday specials on DVD!

I started buying the DVDs after I saw how ABC was butchering the specials beyond belief. But, it's no great loss for me - I can watch the Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, etc. specials again *uncut,* and at my convenience. So I *won't* miss any of them - it's just a matter of *when* I can fit them into my schedule!
Hogansucks1 48 months ago
Charles Schulz- We got your back !! 😊
Hogansucks1 Hogansucks1 48 months ago
A LOT of work involved doing frame by frame drawings- C.G.I. has got its perks-but nothing on old school techniques that made it to be ! 🧐 😊
retired2019 48 months ago
I hope APPLE 🍎 gets fruit flies.
cperrynaples 48 months ago
What is wrong with you posters? You turn a neutral discussion into a political battle! Yes I did comment on CelticTwilight, but he DID quote one of the debates! Please people we don't need another troll board!
Hogansucks1 cperrynaples 48 months ago
Nothing is wrong- it’s called the 1st Amendment- besides, troll’s dwell under bridges! So I’ve heard ? And, They do have neutral discussions in politics too ! 😚 🤪. Just having fun like everyone else. .🎻
Robert 48 months ago
Too bad, I guess all I can say is, to quote, "We Got A Rock"...
hermanstein2015 48 months ago
What about all us people who don't use streaming services.... Leave the stuff alone people!!!
Krn 48 months ago
It’s not Halloween without It’s the Great Pumpkin! I have it on DVD fortunately. I remember watching it as a kid when it was sponsored by Dolly Madison.
moax429 Krn 47 months ago
And also Coke.
Krn moax429 47 months ago
All the healthy stuff 😉
Stoney 48 months ago
Unbelievable. Yet another bad thing in 2020.
JanieceBernardini 48 months ago
Peanuts not showing on broadcast TV is appalling. They should be ashamed of depriving everyone of such a treasure. It makes me very angry and extremely sad.
Poor Linus- “disappointed Again Charlie Brown”. 😕
raustin2008 48 months ago
May all who have a hand in this rot in Hell!!!!
JHP 48 months ago
I hope apple gets full of worms
TVShari 48 months ago
No words are enough to say how sad I am for the children who dont have the option of paying for these two traditional specials--SHAME ON ABC FOR ITS GREED AND NOT BEING A GOOD STEWARD FO THIS TREASURE!
LittleMissNoName 48 months ago
[image=https://weigel-comments.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/qXKmE-1603302424-4jbowy_92e7da404171a1c941d2c8336c867024de25473e.jpg]
Good one ☺️. $ + 🍎 = 🥴
moax429 Hogansucks1 47 months ago
Perfect analogy!
BobD 48 months ago
I'm sure today's PC culture has something to do with it!
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Are you VP Pense? Those are his exact words! Don't get me started on Kellyanne's "alternative facts"...LOL!
Hogansucks1 CelticTwilight 48 months ago
One of the first things we are taught-‘Treat people the way you would want to be treated! And- If its NOT yours, don’t touch it ! Ofcource, some were never taught the basics- guess it’s not their fault ? 🤪
Hogansucks1 Hogansucks1 48 months ago
“TUTTLE did it” 😂
moax429 CelticTwilight 47 months ago
Possibly because of the part where Linus tells the story of Jesus' birth to Charlie Brown. That's where BobD got the PC idea.

Linus' retelling of that story is *also* protected by the First Amendment.
nancy 48 months ago
I love me.tv. I watch it everyday. All day if I could. I love watching the show's that are good and bring back good memories of watching these shows with old family members. Thank you me.tv for bringing back such good times!
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