Television: 'The Charlie Brown And Snoopy Show' (1983-1985)

Now, this is the 'Peanuts' cartoon I remembered. The specials from the previous decades were all fine and good, but this show is the one that for me epitomises the true spirit of the Schulz comic strip. Freed from the necessity of a continuing story for the whole duration, 'The Charley Brown and Snoopy Show' got to touch on every aspect of the strip, and excelled for it's short set of 18 episodes. It's all there, in its most complete form. Wonderful.

As the new 'Peanuts' movie approaches, and it's a film with an extremely high standard to meet, it's refreshing to get back to this key incarnation of 'Peanuts' animations. The original 'Peanuts' movies could be good, too, but as I've not seen them they will not be referred to again until they get their own posts. This show has all the things you associate with the 'Peanuts' television incarnation. It has the musical instrument (kazoo?) for the teacher voices at school, the rampant jazz music, Peppermint Pattie and Marcie, the football gag on an endless loop, Lucy badgering Schroeder, all of the blanket shenanigans, lots of the baseball team, and far, far more.

In a world of lacklustre cartoons, 'The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show' stands out like no other. 'Garfield and Friends' is in distant second place, if anyone's interested. There are no villains, and serious topics are touched on and sometimes become plot points. In a cartoon today, the baseball team wouldn't have their first victory nullified because Linus's kid brother had gambled on the outcome (it was only a nickel, I think), nor would unrequited love take over a Valentine's Day episode or Marcie get to bash a lovestruck kid for calling her 'lambcake'. If it weren't such a funny and touching show, built deeply into the foundation of the touching and funny comic strip, it would be very sad. As it is, reality permeates through 'Peanuts', as it always has. The reports say that the new movie has a happy ending, which is almost a contradiction to the idea of the strip, but we'll see where the truth lies.

Oh, 'Peanuts', you have become far more important as time goes by. Not only have the 'Complete Peanuts' books allowed the whole canon to be read and enjoyed, but the specials are now mostly released on DVD, the 'Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show' is there to be bought, as are the first set of movies. Much like in research, you should always go to the source, but give the kite eating tree a wide berth, because you know how dangerous that thing is.

O.