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Below you'll find juicy tidbits about the newest Peanuts merchandise releases,
upcoming books, postage stamp and personal checks, and just about anything else deemed
"crucial" to avid Peanuts fans.
If you'd like to know where to buy some of the items mentioned here, check out our
Shop Till You Drop section.
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Get Peanuts by e-mail!
Have your favorite comic delivered daily to your inbox! GoComics offers
free subscriptions to all sorts of comics, including Peanuts.
Check it out here. Once you've arrived, you can either a) click on "subscribe free," beneath the strip, and then the "sign up for free" button in the subsequent pop-up window, or b) click on the "sign up for free" link in the upper-right corner.
You'll then need to set up an account, which is no big deal ... and you'll be all set!
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YouTube fun
Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all their pals now can be found at the official Snoopy YouTube channel. Keep up to date with their newest adventures and breaking information
right here. You can even subscribe, in order to catch all the latest news!
TV alerts!
ABC-TV will give us an hour of Valentine's Day-themed Peanuts specials on Saturday, February 11, from 8 to 9 p.m. (Eastern/Pacific). First up is 1975's Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, followed by 2002's A Charlie Brown Valentine.
Set those DVRs!
Big news in the publishing world!
The comic book company BOOM! is producing a brand-new Peanuts comic book ... the first regular series since the Dell and Gold Key comics, way back in the early 1960s.
The new book follows BOOM!'s Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown, a graphic novel adaptation of the DVD special by the same name. BOOM! kicked off the new series with a $1 "zero" issue that was released November 2, and the regular series begins in 2012, with issue #1 (above).
"It's a daunting task to follow in the footsteps of a master," BOOM! Studios editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon said, in a press release. "But with the team we have assembled and the guidance of the folks at Peanuts Worldwide and Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, we're confident that we'll deliver the best Peanuts monthly comic book series anyone could imagine."
BOOM! gets credit for starting off on the right foot; the cover for the new "zero issue" was a lift of Charles M. Schulz's cover illustration for the final issue (#13) of the Dell comics run, shown here for comparison:
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So ... let's wish the new artist/writer team the best of luck!
And, speaking of warm blankets...
Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown was released on DVD March 29, 2011.
In addition to the special, the DVD includes the following extras:
"Deconstructing Schulz: From Comic Strip to Screenplay" -- How the Peanuts comic Strip Was Made into a Movie;
"Happiness Is... Finding the Right Voice" -- Meet the Stellar Voice Cast;
"24 Frames a Second: Drawing and Animating a Peanuts Movie";
Deleted scene with an introduction by director Andy Beall.
Although Warner is describing Happiness is a Warm Blanket as a "movie," the show is actually only 46 minutes long. It is, however, in widescreen.
A trailer for and behind-the-scenes peek at the new show can now be seen on the official Peanuts YouTube channel (see link above). Don't be put off by the pixelated, digitized look of the trailer on YouTube; the actual special doesn't look like that. The trailer also appears on the Warner Home Video A Charlie Brown Valentine DVD.
The DVD will include English and Spanish audio tracks, and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The list price will be $19.99.
In a surprising development, a Blu-ray release of the show is now (as of March 22) available exclusively at Walmart, both in stores and
online.
The Blu-ray release has the same special features as the DVD, although like the show itself, the special features are in high definition. The package includes a DVD and a digital copy of the show, as well as the Blu-ray disc. The list price of the Blu-ray is $26.98, although Walmart is selling it for less.
A Blu-ray version also was released in Canada on March 29. (Canadian Blu-rays do work in US players, so in theory you could order the Blu-ray from Canada.)
And, finally, the film is available on iTunes for $9.99: the package includes the special and two of the DVD bonus features ("From Comic Book to Screenplay" and "Happiness is... Finding the Right Voice."). Check it out
here.
Are you nuts about Peanuts?
Charlie Brown and Lucy are making the rounds on TV, advertising pistachios in
a cute commercial. Check it out here!
Put a Beagle on your license plate!
Hey, West Coasters!
The California Association of Museums has announced an opportunity
to commemorate a very special California artist: Santa Rosa's own Charles M. Schulz.
Do you live in California? Are you a registered vehicle owner?
Do you love Snoopy? Sign up today for the official California Snoopy license plate.
To make this happen, we need 7,500 owners of registered vehicles in
California to stand up and let us know they want to see Snoopy on a
California license plate. It doesn't cost anything to sign up;
you're just expressing your interest.
When the plate is produced, proceeds will go toward supporting museums
in California communities, and you'll get the chance to show off your
devotion to your favorite beagle.
Each plate will feature Snoopy in his signature happy dance,
drawn in classic Sparky style.
Sticker mania
StickerYou is a cool site where you can custom design your own sticker
and label pages. You can determine the images, size and quantity of high-quality
stickers on your page. You can also order as little as one page, and they'll
do the rest.
Their site includes a good selection of Peanuts images. They'll print,
die-cut the stickers and ship them to you in about a week.
And yet another statue!
This could be the best one yet!
Marcie now is spending time at Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square.
This bronze sculpture of Marcie reading a book on a bench was unveiled
at the outset of the Sonoma County Book Festival. This concludes
the Peanuts on Parade tribute that placed customized polyurethane Peanuts
figures through Santa Rosa and financed several bronzes, including this one.
Book lovers are encouraged to sit beside her and read. How cool is that?
Flying Ace Airlines?
How cool is this!
Germany celebrated the 60th anniversary of Peanuts with a promotion
with Condor Airlines. The promotion featured Peanuts on the entire
fleet of 34 planes, along with Peanuts in-flight entertainment, a Snoopy
Kids Menu, and Peanuts coloring books.
The skies certainly were friendly that year!
Attention numismatists!
The British Virgin Islands has issued a commemorative $1 coin that celebrates
60 years of Peanuts. This is a genuine legal tender -- in the British Virgin
Islands, anyway! -- although I can't imagine anybody ever would spend one of
these. Click on the image above, and you'll be taken to a Web site where you
can order one. The coin comes packaged with a darling miniature plush Snoopy,
all in an attractive gift box. The price is a bit stiff ($39 plus shipping and
handling), but you've got to admit, this is a pretty neat collectible.
While visiting this site, you'll also notice an earlier 2001 $1 Peanuts
commemorative coin issued by the South Pacific island nation of Niue. This one
has the WWI Flying Ace on one side, and Queen Elizabeth II on the other, and is
a much more reasonable $9.95.
CCI needs your help!
The folks at Canine Companions for Independence are seeking volunteer puppy raisers,
to help develop those "super dogs" that become such an important part of an eventual
owner's life. Click on the image above to find out more at CCI's Web site.
George Winston's new album of Vince Guaraldi music
Pianist George Winston recorded a tribute album in 1996 to jazz pianist
Vince Guaraldi (1928-76), a musician beloved by generations for the compositions
he recorded for various Charlie Brown television specials and for his standard,
"Cast Your Fate to the Wind." Winston's album was Linus & Lucy: The Music of
Vince Guaraldi.
This year, Winston has revisited his musical hero a second time with Love Will
Come: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Vol. 2, a new collection of
Guaraldi interpretations. The 16-song album was released in early February.
Many of the songs from Winston's new album are from Peanuts TV episodes.
These include "Time For Love," from There's No Time For Love, Charlie Brown;
"Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," "Love Will Come," "Woodstock," "Little Birdie,"
"It Was a Short Summer Charlie Brown," "Rain, Rain, Go Away," "Air Music" and
"You're Elected Charlie Brown." The album also features other Guaraldi
compositions from his jazz albums.
The full track listing:
1. "Time for Love"
2. "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown"
3. "Macedonia"/"Little David"
4. "Woodstock"
5. "Fenwyck's Farfel"/"Calling Dr. Funk"
6. "Room at the Bottom"
7. "Air Music"
8. "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown"
9. "You're Elected, Charlie Brown"/"Little Birdie"
10. "Brasilia"
11. "Jambos (Casaba)"
12. "Pebble Beach"/"Dolores Park"
13. "Love Will Come"
14. "Rain Rain, Go Away"
15. "Nobody Else"
16. "Love Will Come #2"
Vinyl bonus tracks:
17. "Dilemma"
18. "Seeds for Thought"/"Ballad for Oscar"
19. "Christmas Time Is Here"
The version of the CD available from Barnes & Noble will have yet another,
different bonus track, "Charlie Brown's Baseball Theme."
As a 16-year-old, Winston (not yet playing music, but an avid fan of
instrumental music) became captivated by the Charles Schulz teleplay, A
Charlie Brown Christmas. Immediately after purchasing the soundtrack,
Winston immersed himself in the 16 Peanuts television specials scored by
Guaraldi, becoming captivated by Vince's sounds and compositions.
Many of the songs featured on Linus & Lucy were also from Guaraldi's
soundtracks from the Peanuts series.
"At one time or another, I have tried to play all the songs by three
composers: New Orleans R&B pianist Professor Longhair, The Doors and Vince
Guaraldi," Winston said. "Vince Guaraldi and his music are a vital part
of the deep heart and soul of San Francisco, and for those that know his music,
of the experience of childhood, and people of all ages. I love Vince's melodies
and his chord progressions and his piano playing -- especially his left hand."
George Winston integrates his passion for Vince's music and New Orleans
R&B piano, together with childhood experiences in order to create a sound
inspired by legends such as The Doors, and New Orleans pianists Henry Butler,
James Booker, and Professor Longhair. Winston conveys a sense of life
through his music with a sensibility of the seasons and topographies
of Mother Earth.
On December 1, Winston hit the stage in New York to kick off his 29-city tour.
For more tour and ticket information, visit www.georgewinston.com.
And, speaking of Beethoven's birthday...
You can hear the music of the Peanuts comic strip online for the first time,
in a Web "exhibit" titled Schulz's Beethoven: Schroeder's muse.
Musicians often are surprised to find that they can actually play the
music notes floating above Schroeder's toy piano in the Peanuts comic strip,
and they are even more amazed to learn that it's not just anyone's music
Schroeder is playing; the compositions were created by none other than his
idol, Ludwig van Beethoven!
Check it out here.
Now visitors anywhere in the world can hear the Beethoven excerpts that
Schroeder plays in the Peanuts comic strip, with a new online exhibition
devoted to Schulz's Beethoven, Schroeder's Muse that premiered on Beethoven's
birthday, December 16.
Schulz's Beethoven: Schroeder's Muse features 60 cartoons that
include meticulously drawn music from Beethoven's piano sonatas, complemented
with manuscripts, first editions, and artwork from the rich collections of
the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University.
Visitors to the online exhibition can listen to the music, travel to other
Web sites to enrich their understanding of the strips, and explore cartoon
and music history.
Excerpts from the complete recordings of Beethoven's sonatas are performed
by internationally renowned pianist Craig Sheppard, professor of piano at
the University of Washington in Seattle.
An earlier version of the exhibition was mounted at the Charles M. Schulz
Museum in Santa Rosa from August 16, 2008 through January 26, 2009, and
from May 1 through July 31, 2009, in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Library at San Jose State University. Both the online and the mounted
exhibitions are joint projects of The Charles M. Schulz Museum and
the Center for Beethoven Studies (San Jose).
It would appear, according to Woolite's "For Everyday Colors"
campaign in Puerto Rico, that Charlie Brown uses this laundry product.
Does Lucy know?
Vintage animation
Cartoon Brew TV's "Brew Vaults" has several rare animated spots featuring the
Peanuts gang: the rarely seen theatrical trailer for the initial feature-length Peanuts
movie, 1969's A Boy Named Charlie Brown; then a Ford Falcon commercial; and
finally one of the Peanuts intros to the weekly 1961 TV series that starred
country entertainer Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Check 'em out here.
Volume 16 is here!
Fantagraphics, a company known well by those in the comic book and comic arts community (publisher of
The Comics Journal, among many other books and magazines), continues with its plans
to publish a truly complete series of Peanuts comic strips, starting from the very first and
continuing through to the very last.
Volume 1 arrived in bookstores on Monday, May 3, 2004. Volume 2 shipped to subscribers and bookstores in October 2004.
Volume 3 arrived in April 2005, Volume 4 in October 2005, Volume 5 in April 2006, and Volume 6 in October 2006. Volume 7
debuted in April 2007. Volume 8 debuted in August 2008. Volume 9 debuted in April 2008.
Volume 10 debuted in late September 2008. Volume 11 followed in early March 2009.
Volume 12 hit bookstores in July 2009.
Volume 13 arrived in mid-April 2010, and Volume 14 arrived in September 2010.
Volume 15 reached us in January 2011.
Volume 16, the newest, hit stores in August 2011.
Subsequent books will continue to appear at the rate of two
per year; the series is scheduled to conclude in April 2016. The books will be hardcover only: 7 inches tall, by 8.5 inches wide.
You'll find the original press release below, and you can keep up with the latest news
at the Fantagraphics site here.
The "Complete Peanuts" is here!
50 years of art. 25 books. Two books per year, for 12-1/2 years. Fantagraphics Books is proud
to announce the most eagerly-awaited and ambitious publishing project in the history of the American
comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's classic, Peanuts. Considered to be one
of the most popular comic strips in the history of the world, Peanuts will be, for the first time,
collected in its entirety and published, beginning in April 1, 2004. Fantagraphics will launch
The Complete Peanuts in a series designed by the cartoonist Seth (Palookaville, It's A Good
Life If You Don't Weaken) and produced in full cooperation with United Media, Charles M. Schulz
Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz.
Fantagraphics Books co-publisher Gary Groth said that publishing The Complete Peanuts
represented the apex of the company's 27-year commitment to publishing the best cartooning in the world.
"Peanuts is a towering achievement in the history of comics," said Groth. "I can't think of a better
way to honor Schulz's artistic legacy than to make his oeuvre available to the public in a beautifully
designed format that reflects the integrity of the work itself."
The genesis of the project began in 1997, when Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth approached Charles Schulz
with the proposition of publishing Peanuts in its entirety. After Schulz's death in January, 2000,
Groth continued discussing the project with Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz.
"It's safe to say that this project wouldn't have happened if Jean Schulz weren't as enthusiastic and supportive
as she's been," said Groth. Added Jean Schulz "This seemed like an impossible project, considering all the
'lost' strips, but Gary's determination never flagged, and we are so happy with the aesthetic sensibility
of the Fantagraphics team."
"It's a genuine honor to be designing these Schulz collections," said Seth, who went on to describe
the premise underlying his design for the series "I want to emphasize the sophistication of Schulz's work
by creating a package that is both austere and direct. I would like to try to reflect the quiet and melancholy
of the strip in a package that hopefully, shows the proper amount of respect for Mr. Schulz. Undoubtedly, Peanuts
is a great newspaper strip and I am humbled and gratified to help steward this complete strip compilation into the world."
Each volume in the series will run approximately 320 pages in a 8-1/2" x 7" hardcover format,
presenting two years of strips along with supplementary material. The series will present the entire run
in chronological order, dailies and Sundays. Since the strip began in late 1950, the first volume will include
all the strips from 1950, 1951 and 1952, but subsequent volumes will each comprise exactly two years.
Dailies will run three to a page, while Sunday strips will each take up a full page and be printed in black-and-white.
This first volume, covering the first two and a quarter years of the strip, will be of particular fascination
to Peanuts aficionados worldwide. Although literally hundreds of Peanuts books have been published, many of the
strips from the series' first two or three years have never been collected before -- in large part because they
showed a young Schulz working out the kinks in his new strip and include some characterizations and designs
that are quite different from the cast we're all familiar with. (Among other things, three major cast
members -- Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus - initially show up as infants and only "grow" into their final
"mature" selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy!) Thus The Complete Peanuts offers a
unique chance to see a master of the artform refine his skills and solidify his universe, day by day, week by week,
month by month.
The Complete Peanuts will be supported with an ambitious advertising and promotional campaign,
including public appearances by Jean Schulz to support the series.
Visit the book series' British Web site here.
The Schulz biography is available!
The long-awaited biography of
Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000) was published on October 16, 2007.
(The softcover edition debuted October 7, 2008.)
David Michaelis worked for approximately six years on "Schulz and
Peanuts," which runs 600-plus pages.
Michaelis conducted more than 200 interviews, and was given
unrestricted access to the Schulz studio and personal archives by the
cartoonist's widow and children.
In addition, United Media -- the company that still syndicates
Peanuts reruns and handles Peanuts licensing -- allowed Michaelis
to see papers that document the rise of Schulz's creation into a
business HarperCollins says earns $1.2 billion a year.
Read review excerpts at the book's very own Web site, right here.
But wait, there's more: In this podcast of a BEA 2007 "Upfront and Unscripted" session, documentary producer Mary Murphy and Michaelis
discuss the life and work of Schulz. Michaelis touches on the success of Peanuts as a comic for children, as well as the deeper lessons Schulz
hid beneath the surface of his art. Give it a listen right here.
More recently, Michaelis chatted with Kurt Anderson, host of Public Radio International's
Studio 360. Check this interview out here.
Sadly, the Schulz family was unhappy with the book; several early print interviews eventually
led to an extensive rebuttal and series of counter-reviews, published in the May 2008 (issue 290)
of Fantagraphics' The Comics Journal. The coverage, which runs from pages 26 through 111
of a huge issue, opens with a lengthy essay by Monte Schulz and includes commentary by R.C. Harvey,
Jeet Heer and Ken Worcester. The magazine reached comic book shops and larger bookstores in
late May 2008; it also can be ordered here.
Earlier, in late 2007, Michaelis gave his take during a lengthy interview with PCC Web-guru Derrick Bang, talking about how he came to
write the book, and what he learned about Schulz along the way. Read this extensive interview here.
The Charles Schulz Museum has released a DVD titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown ... but this one
is the unaired 1963 television documentary of the same name, not the theatrical film.
Back in 1963, Lee Mendelson, now famous as the producer of the Peanuts specials, was a relatively unknown
TV producer. Having just finished a well-received documentary on the best player in baseball, Willie Mays,
Mendelson decided he'd like to make a documentary about the worst player in baseball: Charlie Brown and his creator,
Charles Schulz. Mendelson contacted Schulz to see if he'd be interested. Schulz had seen and enjoyed Mendelson's
documentary on Willie Mays, so he agreed to a meeting, and they created this documentary.
But they were unable to convince any network or sponsor to buy that half-hour piece, once it was finished;
despite the great success of A Charlie Brown Christmas and other Peanuts television specials,
this original documentary remained unaired.
The half-hour show is a great little time capsule: a gentle and informative examination of
both the Peanuts comic strip and its creator.
Up until now, the only way you could see this unaired gem was to visit the Charles Schulz Museum
and hope they were showing it that day. Now you can order your very own copy for $14.95 (plus shipping).
Call them at (707) 579-4452 to order a copy.
Check styles available for everybody!
While Deluxe, Harland and Checks in the Mail have discontinued making Peanuts checks, another company -- Checks Unlimited, by Current -- still
has some available via the Internet or by phone or mail. (Current often places ads in newspapers and magazines.)
Here's what they look like (and you also can order a checkbook cover that looks like Snoopy's doghouse).
If you're ready to place an order, just visit their site!
Japan Post
Japan Post has been issuing sets of Peanuts postage stamps, to commemorate various events, such as
the fifth anniversary of Universal Studios Japan. The plate blocks feature 10 stamps, 80 yen each, and
they come in adorable folders. Makes you want to head overseas, doesn't it?
Stamps Down Under!
As we all know, Peanuts turned 55 years old in October 2005. To celebrate, Australia Post immortalised
Peanuts favourites on a souvenir stamp sheet.
The stamp tabs feature Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown, Sally Brown, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Linus,
Marcie, Rerun and Franklin. Aren't they cool?
More postage stamps!
Hong Kong has some adorable Peanuts "stamps" coming out ... they're not postage stamps, but actually are some
sort of promotional item connected to postage stamps, and were rather difficult to obtain. But at least
we have a picture of them!
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All PEANUTS characters pictured are copyrighted © by United Feature Syndicate, Inc. They are used here with permission. They may not be reproduced by any means in any form.
