Peanuts Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Peanuts Wiki

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a critically-acclaimed animated television special, based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.

It was the third Peanuts special (and first Halloween special) to be produced and animated by Bill Melendez. Its initial broadcast was on October 27, 1966 on the CBS network, before the popular sitcom My Three Sons. CBS re-aired the special annually through 2000, with ABC picking up the rights beginning in 2001. It continued to air annually on American network television until October 2019. It did not air in 2020 after the rights to the Peanuts TV specials were acquired by Apple TV+. In 2021, the special began airing on PBS.

The program was nominated for two Emmy Awards- Outstanding Children's Program (as was Charlie Brown's All-Stars) and Special Classification of Individual Achievement.

It has been issued on home video several times, including a Remastered Deluxe Edition of the special released by Paramount on October 23, 2003 and on September 2, 2008 by Warner Home Video with the 1981 special It's Magic, Charlie Brown as a bonus feature.

To celebrate its 40th Anniversary, a retrospective book was published in 2006 entitled It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Making of a Television Classic, with the entire script, never-before-seen photographs, storyboard excerpts, and interviews with the original child actors who provided the voices of the Peanuts gang.

Plot[]

ā€œ
There are three things I've learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.
ā€ž
~ Linus

Halloween is approaching in the Peanuts gang neighborhood. Linus and Lucy head out to the pumpkin patch to find a pumpkin they can use to make a jack-o-lantern. After rejecting some smaller choices by Linus, Lucy picks a very large pumpkin that she forces Linus to carry. Upon arriving home, Linus is horrified as Lucy begins slicing into it to make the jack-o-lantern, crying "You didn't tell me you were going to kill it!"

Snoopy Helps Charlie Brown the Pile of Leaves

Snoopy helps Charlie Brown pile the leaves.

With autumn already in full swing, Charlie Brown is busy raking leaves with Snoopy's help. Linus sees the pile and jumps right in the middle of it, forgetting that he is holding a wet lollipop he was licking. Moments later Lucy comes with a football for Charlie Brown to kick. He initially refuses, but Lucy shows him a contract which promises that she will not pull the ball away. Charlie Brown relents, but when he is about to kick the ball, she does pull it away, which sends him landing flat on his back, like always. Lucy then points out that the contract had not been notarized.

LinusWritesToPumpkin

Linus writes a letter to the Great Pumpkin.

Later, Linus writes a letter to the Great Pumpkin, to Charlie Brown's disbelief, Snoopy's laughter, Patty's assertion that the Great Pumpkin is a fake, and even to Lucy's violent threats. Only Sally, Charlie Brown's younger sister, who is in love with Linus, supports him before Charlie Brown takes her away. Charlie Brown gleefully announces to Lucy that he received an invitation to Violet's Halloween party. Lucy dampens his mood by claiming Violet had two lists, of people to invite and people not to invite, taunting that Charlie Brown's name must have gotten on the wrong list.

On Halloween night, the gang gets their costumes ready. Touting that a costume should reflect the exact opposite of one's own personality, Lucy dresses as a witch, while the other kids dress up as ghosts. "Pig-Pen" is easily recognized by his trademark cloud of dust, while Charlie Brown has eyeholes cut out all over his sheet, matter-of-factly stating he had a little trouble with the scissors. Sally expresses interest in trick-or-treating, though she is taken aback after hearing Lucy explain how it works, questioning if it is legal.

Dogfight

The World War I Flying Ace engages in a fierce dogfight.

Before going trick-or-treating, the gang stops off at the pumpkin patch to make fun of Linus's missing out on all the fun, just as he did the year before. Linus steadfastly refuses to leave the patch, and even convinces Sally to stay behind. During trick-or-treating, everyone else gets assorted candy, gum, apples, cookies, popcorn balls, and even money; however, at every house, Charlie Brown gets the same thing ā€” a rock. After tricks-or-treats, and another quick stop at the pumpkin patch to rib Linus and Sally again, the gang all go off to Violet's Halloween party.

Meanwhile, Snoopy, wearing his World War I Flying Ace gear, climbs aboard his Sopwith Camel (in reality, his doghouse) to do battle with the Red Baron. After being shot down, Snoopy makes his way across the countryside, before
The-great-pumpkin

Linus mistakes Snoopy for the Great Pumpkin.

briefly crashing the Halloween party. He then makes his way to the pumpkin patch where Linus and Sally are still waiting for the Great Pumpkin to show up. Linus hears Snoopy's rustling, and believes it is the Great Pumpkin. When Snoopy (who is still hidden in the shadows) rises above the pumpkins, Linus promptly faints. When Sally sees it is only Snoopy, she becomes outraged over missing tricks-or-treats and the Halloween party, and tears into Linus as the rest of the gang arrive to witness her tirade. As Linus watches her storm off with the rest of the departing gang, he pleads with them to remain, claiming that "if the Great Pumpkin comes" he will put in a good word. Quickly he realizes he said "if" instead of "when", and believing himself to have jinxed it, despairs its absence.
LucyTakesOffLinusShoes

Lucy takes off Linus' shoes before he passes out.

When 4:00 a.m. rolls around the next morning, Lucy awakens to see the time then gets up to check on Linus. Seeing his bed empty, she dons her coat and heads out to the pumpkin patch to find Linus shivering on the ground with only his blanket to cover him. Without a word, she leads him back home and to his room, removing his shoes and socks and letting him fall asleep in his own bed before grumpily walking back to her room.

Later that day, Linus and Charlie Brown are at the wall commiserating over the previous night's events. When Charlie Brown tries to console Linus by saying "I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, too", Linus blows a fuse and angrily vows to Charlie Brown that the Great Pumpkin will come next year, his ranting continuing as the end credits roll.

Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown DVD

50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD.

Voice cast[]

5 appears but has no lines.

Soundtrack[]

  1. "Linus and Lucy" (flute-led alternate arrangement)
  2. "Graveyard Theme"
  3. "Snoopy and the Leaf" (composed by John Scott Trotter)
  4. "Linus and Sucker" (opens with 6 seconds from "Frieda," then continues with original music)
  5. "Great Pumpkin Waltz"
  6. "Linus and Lucy" (flute-led alternate arrangement)
  7. "Charlie Brown Theme"
  8. "Graveyard Theme"
  9. "Great Pumpkin Waltz"
  10. "Red Baron"
  11. "Military Drum March"
  12. "Great Pumpkin Waltz"
  13. "Great Pumpkin Waltz"
  14. "Trick or Treat" (composed by John Scott Trotter; a variation of "Graveyard Theme")
  15. "Fanfare"
  16. "Breathless" (composed by John Scott Trotter)
  17. "Trick or Treat" (composed by John Scott Trotter; a variation of "Graveyard Theme")
  18. "Charlie Brown Theme"
  19. "Breathless" (composed by John Scott Trotter)
  20. "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" (traditional, arranged by Guaraldi)
  21. "There's a Long, Long Trail A'Winding" (traditional, arranged by Guaraldi)
  22. "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag" (traditional, arranged by Guaraldi)
  23. "Roses of Picardy" (traditional, arranged by Guaraldi)
  24. "Trick or Treat" (composed by John Scott Trotter; a variation of "Graveyard Theme")
  25. "Linus and Lucy" (alarm clock variation)
  26. "Linus and Lucy" (flute-led alternate arrangement)
  27. "Charlie Brown Theme" (trio and flute version)

Comic strips adapted in the special[]

References in other media[]

  • In the Penguins of Madagascar episode "Friend-in-a-box", Skipper and Private look through a View-Master as binoculars and Skipper says, "I see a bald kid and his dog sitting in a pumpkin patch; what a blockhead!" This is most likely Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
  • There is an island on Poptropica[1] called "Great Pumpkin Island", that is based on this TV special. Players have to help Linus wait for the Great Pumpkin, help Charlie Brown play party games, get candy for Sally, and help Snoopy fight the Red Baron.
  • In the South Park episode "Jewpacabra," Cartman is tied to a chain while dressed as a bunny. Kyle wakes up and the following scene is a parody of when Lucy wakes up and drags Linus out of the pumpkin patch.
  • In The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XIX", the third segment, "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse", is a parody of this special.

Notes[]

  • For some unknown reason, many people believe that the first time this special aired on TV, and only the first time, there was an added scene included, in which the Great Pumpkin was actually revealed. However, as the rumor goes, the scene was deleted. There is no truth in the rumor, which appears to be based on a bizarre misremembering of the scene where Linus mistakes Snoopy's silhouette for the Great Pumpkin.[2]
  • Linus laments in his letter that "more people believe in Santa Claus than in you, but let's face it, Santa Claus has had more publicity. But being number two, perhaps you try harder", a tongue-in-cheek reference to Avis Rent-A-Car's popular slogan of the time.
  • When Linus walks into the living room after writing a letter to the Great Pumpkin, Lucy is sitting in front of the TV reading a TV Guide. The picture on the cover of the magazine is a picture of Lucy.
  • In the book adaptation, Lucy asks for an extra apple for Linus, but in the special itself, she asks for an extra piece of candy. Either way, she gets the extra treat.
    • In the read-along book adaptation, she wakes up at 2:00 AM instead of 4:00 AM to go get Linus and bring him home from the pumpkin patch.[3][4]
  • When Snoopy pretends to cross wartime France as a downed pilot, he passes signs pointing to two real places in the Champagne country northeast of Paris: ChĆ¢lons-sur-Marne and Pont-Ć -Mousson.
  • The songs that Schroeder plays on his piano with Snoopy dancing and weeping to the tunes are:
    1. "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"
    2. "There's a Long, Long Trail A-winding"
    3. "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag"
    4. "Roses of Picardy"
  • After this special originally aired, children all over the United States sent candy to Charlie Brown out of sympathy.
  • The special was first released on DVD together with You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, the election-themed special from October 1972. It was later re-released with the 1981 special It's Magic, Charlie Brown.
  • Kathy Steinberg had almost finished recording all her lines of dialogue as Sally when the producers received a phone call from her mother informing them that one of Kathy's teeth was loose. Fearing that a sudden lisp would ruin the continuity of her dialogue, the producers rushed the young actress into the studio to finish recording her lines. Just as Kathy was speaking her last line, the tooth came flying out of her mouth.
  • Charlie Brown's costume has too many holes because he had trouble with the scissors. This is inspired by a 1956 Halloween strip where Linus is the one who cut too many holes in his sheet.
  • Three music cues from this special would be reused in the educational short Clean the Air.
  • The flying doghouse sequence seen during the opening credits of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show is taken from this special.
  • This is the first special to feature the Football gag.
  • Snoopy gives three toothy grins while Schroeder is playing "Pack Up Your Troubles" and sings the lyrics "smile, smile, smile."
  • "Pig-Pen" is wearing glasses in this special, and it is the only one showing him wearing them. They are seen when he is bobbing for apples.
  • In the special, Sally says, "Welcome to the 20th century", but in the strip, she says, "Welcome to 1962."
  • The only child actor who did not return for this special was the actress who voiced Lucy, and her voice is not noticeably different in this special.
  • Charlie Brown is still treated generally well by the others in this special despite his trick-or-treating problems, was asked to "model" for a jack-o-lantern design, and the football gag. The "blockhead" was saved for Linus.
  • Linus ended up with more candy in this special than Charlie Brown due to the fact that Lucy saved a piece of candy for him, even though he did not go trick-or-treating.
  • Apple's arrangement with PBS to air the flagship Peanuts holiday specials in 2020 was reached after October ended, so this special did not air on broadcast television that year. The special had its first airing on PBS in 2021.
  • Writer Ray Bradbury and his daughters tuned into the special in 1966, but they were so disappointed with the special in which there was no Great Pumpkin, his girls got up and kicked their TV set. This inspired him to write The Halloween Tree, a novel about eight children who travel back in time to discover the origins of their Halloween costumes. To his surprise, the book became a children's book, even though he intended it for everyone. The book was eventually adapted into an animated TV special in 1993.
  • Charles Schulz wanted Peppermint Patty, not Sally, with Linus in the pumpkin patch before the special aired in 1966.
  • 555 95472 can briefly be seen next to "Pig-Pen" when they are bobbing for apples.

Edits[]

  • The special was originally jointly sponsored by Coca-Cola and Dolly Madison cakes. Animated segments were originally included that acknowledged the sponsors:
    • Two shots during the opening ā€œGraveyard Themeā€ scene that featured the children in their costumes followed by a ghost as they ran past a scarecrow that read ā€œBrought to you by the people in your town who bottleā€¦ Coca Colaā€. Then, after stopping by another scarecrow that read ā€œā€¦And the folks who bake Dolly Madison Cakesā€, the ghost appeared again on top of a pumpkin, scaring the children away. The ghost then threw off its sheet revealing it to be Snoopy while doing his signature happy dance. Subsequent prints fade out after the approach of an owl.
    • After the ā€œUnited Feature Syndicateā€ screen during the end credits, a screen then appears reading ā€œWith best wishes from the folks who bake Dolly Madison Cakesā€ followed by another screen reading ā€œand from the people who bottle Coca Colaā€. There is also no 1966 copyright on the original version of the credits and the audio including the ā€œCharlie Brown Themeā€ and the rest of Linusā€™ rambling is allowed to play fully instead of fading out in subsequent prints.
    • Both scenes were removed following the original broadcast as a result of subsequent FCC laws precluding sponsor plugs in the context of children's programs.
  • The version of the show broadcast on CBS from the late 1970s to 2000 (before it went to ABC in 2001) shortens most of the trick-or-treat scene. It cuts from the children yelling "Trick or treat, money or eats!" to Lucy saying "Trick or treat" right before the third round of "I got a rock". Some broadcasts of this version (the 1986 broadcast, for example) were also time-compressed.
  • When ABC assumed the rights of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown an edited version was made to fit in a 21-22 minute time show. Two scenes were cut: the football gag between Charlie Brown and Lucy, and the scene with Snoopy dancing to Schroeder's World War I-era piano music.
  • From at least 2007 onwards, ABC also aired the unedited version along with an edited version of You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, only slightly cutting the transition music after Linus sets up shop in the pumpkin patch.
  • The scene of Snoopy and Schroeder was cut when this special aired on NBC.

Goofs[]

  • When the trick-or-treaters are laughing at Linus before they leave for Violet's Halloween party, Lucy's witch mask itself shows a laughing expression.
  • When he and Lucy get past the fence during the intro with the giant pumpkin the latter picked, Linus turns invisible until he manages to get around the fence.
  • This special has numerous quantity problems:
    • When Linus and Lucy first left the house, there were lots of leaves on the ground, but when they returned, a majority of the leaves have disappeared. Unless they were coming in from a different end of the house at the time, this is an error.
    • When Linus is seen on the one side of the gate, the gates have nine planks on the right side on the gap. However, when we see the other side, those same planks are only in a number of seven.
    • Charlie Brown has too many holes in his sheet because he "was having a little trouble with the scissors". However when he holds open the door for Snoopy (or the World War I Flying Ace if you prefer), he only has two eye holes. Luckily, we do not have this problem for any other scenes.
    • Sometimes, the trick-or-treaters say they have less candy than we really see them get.
    • When Lucy decides to bob for apples, there are five of them, but in the close-up, there were only four.
  • When Lucy asks for an extra piece of candy for Linus while she is trick-or-treating, her right hand is a normal human hand with five fingers, but her left hand has four fingers instead.
  • When Linus and Lucy go out into the pumpkin patch at the beginning of the special, they pass by the sun as it is setting. In real life, the sun would move along with you if you are walking or running, or driving a car. Also, another setting sun appears at the end of the same shot, while the siblings turn a corner and walk in a different direction.
  • The moon is behind Linus and Sally while they are in the pumpkin patch, as well as Snoopy. This makes it look like there are two moons when they are facing each other.
  • The table that Linus and Lucy are talking at bounces and rattles several times.
  • Just before Snoopy's shadow rises in the pumpkin patch, Sally is standing there with her arms crossed. You can see that her left hand is painted in the same color as her dress.
  • When Sally decides to join Linus in the pumpkin patch, her ghost costume disappears.
  • When Linus takes his letter to the Great Pumpkin to the mailbox, it disappears from his hand in one frame.
  • During the Halloween party, Violet says "Charlie Brown, you'll have to model for us", and three more fingers appear on her hand totalling five when she says it, but then she has four fingers again shortly after.
  • When Charlie Brown salutes Snoopy, the extra eyeholes in his ghost costume disappear.
  • Modern merchandise designates the character wearing a green mask and a purple hat as Patty, however this retroactively creates an error due to the character asking ā€œPatty is that you?ā€ during the costume dressing scene.
    • A character wearing a similar blue mask appears in the extended Coca-Cola/Dolly Madison opening and a cel of the scene that circulated online shows the character having hair very similar to Pattyā€™s.

Gallery[]

References[]

External links[]

Peanuts Animated Features
TV Specials Released 1960s A Charlie Brown Christmas ā€¢ Charlie Brown's All-Stars ā€¢ It's the Great Pumpkin... ā€¢ You're in Love... ā€¢ He's Your Dog... ā€¢ It Was a Short Summer...
1970s Play It Again... ā€¢ You're Not Elected... ā€¢ There's No Time for Love... ā€¢ A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ā€¢ It's a Mystery... ā€¢ It's the Easter Beagle... ā€¢ Be My Valentine... ā€¢ You're a Good Sport... ā€¢ It's Arbor Day... ā€¢ It's Your First Kiss... ā€¢ What a Nightmare... ā€¢ You're the Greatest...
1980s She's a Good Skate... ā€¢ Life Is a Circus... ā€¢ It's Magic... ā€¢ Someday You'll Find Her... ā€¢ A Charlie Brown Celebration ā€¢ Is This Goodbye...? ā€¢ It's an Adventure... ā€¢ What Have We Learned...? ā€¢ It's Flashbeagle... ā€¢ Snoopy's Getting Married... ā€¢ You're a Good Man... ā€¢ Happy New Year...! ā€¢ Snoopy!!! The Musical ā€¢ It's the Girl in the Red Truck...
1990s Why, Charlie Brown, Why? ā€¢ Snoopy's Reunion ā€¢ It's Spring Training... ā€¢ It's Christmastime Again... ā€¢ You're in the Super Bowl... ā€¢ It Was My Best Birthday Ever...
2000s It's the Pied Piper... ā€¢ A Charlie Brown Valentine ā€¢ Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales ā€¢ Lucy Must Be Traded... ā€¢ I Want a Dog for Christmas... ā€¢ He's a Bully...
2010s Happiness Is a Warm Blanket...
2020s For Auld Lang Syne ā€¢ It's The Small Things... ā€¢ To Mom (and Dad), With Love ā€¢ Lucy's School ā€¢ One-of-a-Kind Marcie ā€¢ Welcome Home, Franklin
Movies A Boy Named Charlie Brown ā€¢ Snoopy, Come Home ā€¢ Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown ā€¢ Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) ā€¢ The Peanuts Movie
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show Season 1 "Snoopy's Cat Fight" ā€¢ "Snoopy: Team Manager" ā€¢ "Linus and Lucy" ā€¢ "Lucy vs. the World" ā€¢ "Linus' Security Blanket" ā€¢ "Snoopy: Man's Best Friend" ā€¢ "Snoopy the Psychiatrist" ā€¢ "You Can't Win, Charlie Brown" ā€¢ "The Lost Ballpark" ā€¢ "Snoopy's Football Career" ā€¢ "Chaos in the Classroom" ā€¢ "It's That Team Spirit, Charlie Brown" ā€¢ "Lucy Loves Schroeder"
Season 2 "Snoopy and the Giant" ā€¢ "Snoopy's Brother Spike" ā€¢ "Snoopy's Robot" ā€¢ "Peppermint Patty's School Days" ā€¢ "Sally's Sweet Babboo"
This Is America, Charlie Brown "The Mayflower Voyagers" ā€¢ "The Birth of the Constitution" ā€¢ "The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk" ā€¢ "The NASA Space Station" ā€¢ "The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad" ā€¢ "The Great Inventors" ā€¢ "The Smithsonian and the Presidency" ā€¢ "The Music and Heroes of America"
Snoopy in Space "The Application" ā€¢ "Training" ā€¢ "The Graduation" ā€¢ "Welcome to the ISS" ā€¢ "I Never Promised You a Space Garden" ā€¢ "Space Sleepwalking" ā€¢ "The Journey on Orion" ā€¢ "Crater Crash" ā€¢ "Searching for Moon Rocks" ā€¢ "You're a Good Moon, Charlie Brown" ā€¢ "The Next Mission" ā€¢ "Mars or Bust"
Others Peanuts (2014 TV series) ā€¢ Peanuts Motion Comics ā€¢ The Snoopy Show
Advertisement