December 9, 2016 (Friday)
On this day in 1965, the first “Peanuts” television program was presented on CBS. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was predicted to be a failure by many critics, but it was so popular it was repeated the following year and every year since (52 years). It is a unique animated show because it emphasizes the true meaning of Christmas, featuring a reading of the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke.
The creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, Charles Shulz, was born in 1922 and died in 2000. He was born in Minneapolis and grew up in St. Paul.
He sometimes subtly gave his comics a religious emphasis. A book of his characters entitled, “The Gospel According to Peanuts,” was published by Robert Short.
His biographer Rheta Grimsley Johnson said:
“It would be impossible to narrow down .. [a] direct influence on [Schulz’s] personal drawing style. The uniqueness of Peanuts has set it apart for years… That one-of-kind quality permeates every aspect of the strip and very clearly extends to the drawing. It is purely his with no clear forerunners and no subsequent pretenders.” (Wikipedia).
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” aired once again this week.
Charlie Brown Balloon – Macy’s Parade