As a Brit I never really ‘got’ the whole Charlie Brown thing - sure, it was on UK kids tv a LOT growing up in the 70’s & 80’s… yet it was his cool beagle dog with attitude, and his occasional sidekick Woodstock, that hooked me into the program - and also likely into watching other cartoons too 😃
Don’t get me wrong, Charlie and his friends were still sound and somewhat funny (though that Lucy was a little mean with her ball antics - I think this may have given my sister some ideas when we used to sit down and watch it together on how to taunt her brothers). I also had a soft spot for Linus with his blanket… yet it was that dog with the playful, yet stern, demeanour - and neat flying skills & goggles - which stole the show for me.
Anyway… many, many years pass… and I recently got roped (tricked) into babysitting my sister’s young kids for the day - an event I was not looking forward to. I’m only used to giving the bundles of loud endless energy back back to their parents after a 3/4 hours babysitting previously (all sugared up - as favourite Uncle Jason has bribed with them with sweets & biscuits), and pretty much let them run riot - safe in the knowledge their parents can deal with the aftermath…
Unfortunately, this time it was going to be a whole day (well, 8-9 hours)… and quite different and challenging for someone like me who has only changed a nappy once before - and enjoys tranquil peace and quiet. Thankfully, the two kids are at that age where they are just getting into watching tv - and the fortunate opportunity came up to sit down with them and watch some kids tv (aka ‘quiet time’ as I have heard parents call it 😉)
As luck would have it… after a repeated array of ‘No! Don’t like it!!!’ on a long list of children’s films and tv programs to choose from they chose… 2015’s The Peanuts Movie…
Thankfully the kids absolutely loved it; their faces lit up, they were laughing away, transfixed by what was going on in the film - and enjoyed it so much that afterwards the youngest tyke tried to paint my dog white - so it’d be ‘a Snoopy dog’ (my dog declined the invitation to be painted - nonchalantly wishing to remain unbrushed and left alone in her own aloof Snoopy stylee).
The rest of the day was taken up by the kids getting out some some very old Snoopy jigsaws and Snoopy colouring books - the same ones as me and my sister had done when we were kids. Later there was some den/kennel building - just like Snoopy’s red kennel - which’d be soon full of all their toys, crayons and paintbrushes etc. This thankfully all resulted in the 2 tykes getting tired and needing a nap - right up until they were woken and sugared up with goodies - just before their parents came to collect them…
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed The Peanuts Movie too - and will give it a re-watch soon (without those distracting, loud, meddling, pesky lovely kids!) - and may look up some of those older cartoons myself…
So here’s to Snoopy, Peanuts, Charlie Brown, Charles M. Schulz - and spending time & memories with family.
Peanuts Website : Peanuts Twitter : Peanuts Wikipedia : ‘The Complete Peanuts’ - Wikipedia Page : Charles M. Schulz - IMDB Page : The Peanuts Museum : Charles M. Schulz Museum : Woodstock : The Peanuts Movie - IMDB Page - for the 2015 film.
The Complete Peanuts - at FantaGraphics : The Complete Peanuts - at CanonGate : The Complete Peanuts - at ComiXology
The Exemplary Narcissism of Snoopy - decent article on Snoopy - and his knockers who say ‘he ruined Peanuts’…
a few Peanuts / Snoopy / Charlie Brown Preservation Projects on the OT•com - which may be of interest…