This 58-year-old Peanuts special led to one of the biggest TV trends of all time

Halloween is getting closer and closer and that means repeated broadcasts of Peanuts' It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The 25-minute special first aired on October 27, 1966, just days before Halloween, and reintroduced many of the popular series Peanuts Characters. When Linus skipped traditional Halloween parties and trick-or-treating sessions to wait for the Great Pumpkin, many American viewers eagerly waited with him.

The special proved to be an extraordinary success and triggered numerous other campaigns Peanuts Specials launched. Since then, there have been dozens of specials about the popular comic strip, but few have ever accomplished what the first two specials could. And the best part: None have ever surpassed it It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brownwhich started a popular trend among TV specials. After all, there has never been a Halloween special before.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown invented the Halloween specials

Today, The Halloween special is a staple of American shows. Almost every show spends Halloween week presenting content focused solely on scary stories and pumpkins. Many often even go beyond the scope of their typical canon and show an entirely new environment with ghosts, ghouls and gremlins. This tradition has existed for so long that it's easy to think of it as an inherent aspect of the life of television programming, but that hasn't always been the case. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is the reason Halloween specials exist at all.

Great pumpkin was the first to contain a special episode focused solely on Halloween. Where Halloween was only hinted at in previous programs, Great pumpkin focused entirely on the holiday as its entire reason for being. The characters don costumes, wade through pumpkin patches, and wait for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. Unfortunately, the pumpkin is just Snoopy walking by during the full moon, but the effect remains the same. It was the first Halloween special in the entire history of television and undoubtedly left its mark through its quality, reputation and importance.

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The Charlie Brown Special was an absolute hit

Few special programs have ever dominated the entire media landscape more than Great pumpkin. More than 50 years after its original release, the special attracted millions of viewers to ABC every Halloween. The Peanuts The special offers have now moved to Apple TV+where they are still available to stream, but their impact is harder to discern without releases from major television networks. According to reports, almost half of the country watched the premiere. The fact that it has dropped to around six million per viewing – before Apple TV+ took over the specials – suggests that viewership has undoubtedly fallen. Still, it remains a staple of Halloween that still draws attention today.

The reviews also remain extremely positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the Tomatometer score is 95% and on the audience-controlled Popcorn Meter it is 85%. On IMDb it still has a rating of 8.1 out of 10, which is certainly exceptional or a special released so many years ago. Most specials that rarely air longer than 30 minutes rarely have enough notoriety to be remembered for a year or two. Decades of attention are proof of this Peanuts still has a strong influence on home audiences. His influence on Hollywood also explains why The big pumpkin continues to this day.

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It's the great pumpkin that defined the genre

Great pumpkin was the first in a long series of TV specials that demonstrated the potential of Halloween celebrations. Instead of it being just another holiday, Hollywood decided to go down the path that the special had created. Similar to Christmas specialties, Halloween is now a holiday that receives a lot of attention on television. It's not like Easter, where there are occasional special offers but otherwise ignored. Instead, it is a holiday that places a regular emphasis on television shows that regularly offer horror specials focused on spooky specials and surprises.

Although Great pumpkin wasn't exactly a scary story, as it mostly focuses on the series' typically enchanting adventures Peanuts Children. What made it special, however, was that it proved that there was an audience for Halloween. It no longer had to be a holiday where kids left the house to go trick-or-treating. Producers realized that there could certainly be special offers before and after trick-or-treating began. It's also a fun way to watch characters dress up in costumes and explore a spooky city around them. Great pumpkin wasn't the supernatural fare many viewers were expecting from the Halloween specials, but it was the first in a long series of specials for the holiday. Even though Linus was ultimately disappointed, the audience was not disappointed. He may not have seen the real Great Pumpkin, but Hollywood producers found something even better in it Peanuts Blow.

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Numerous shows have since introduced Halloween specials

Peanuts is no longer the only franchise to embrace Halloween. The Simpsons famously adopted the style when it was released Treehouse of Horrors Every year around Halloween there are special offers. These episodes deviate from the series' traditional narrative, even going so far as to kill off famous and popular characters. As opposed to Great pumpkinThe Treehouse Specials don't necessarily fit into the sitcom atmosphere and are always dropped from canon as soon as the episode ends. In fact, they lean much more toward horror Peanuts could, which is largely why they fall out of continuity.

While The SimpsonsThe most well-known are the special programs, but other shows have also been incorporated into the holiday spirit. Occasionally, shows and films of all genres immerse themselves in the Halloween atmosphere. This also includes the family focus The Garfield Showthe comic adaptation of Gary Larson's Tales from the Far Sidethe raunchy comedy South Parkthe procedure Magnum, P.Ithe psychological horror The twilight zoneand even reality TV shows like Cake Boss. Every single genre of television show has addressed this idea, although some address it more intensively than others. Surprisingly, the development of the Halloween specials was even so extreme The big pumpkin Now isn't quite as specific to Halloween as Treehouse of Terror or other supernatural specials.

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Still, it's important to consider Linus and the legacy Peanuts Gang left behind. At some point almost every show has followed the TV trend Peanuts Pioneering work done. While Linus never imagined the legacy his search for the giant pumpkin would leave behind, it helped change Hollywood forever. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Invented the classic Halloween special and the shows still use the big TV trend today – with exciting results.

Peanuts

Charlie Brown, an everyman plagued by self-doubt, overcomes life's challenges with his loyal dog Snoopy and friends like the bossy Lucy, the philosophical Linus and the talented pianist Schroeder. Through everyday adventures and heartfelt moments, the series explores themes of friendship, resilience and the simple joys of childhood.

writer

Charles M. Schulz

editor

United Feature Syndicate

artist

Charles M. Schulz