Tonight's TV: Peanuts 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection - A Warner Bros. Blu-ray Review

As I mentioned a decade ago when I reviewed THE PEANUTS MOVIE (2015), I've always had a special love for Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts.

It was thus a dream come true for me to visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, this past summer.

I found myself unexpectedly quite emotional looking at a display of PEANUTS paperbacks (seen below), feeling as though I was looking at a very significant part of my childhood. The entire museum was wonderful -- my favorite thing was a salvaged wall mural from a former Schulz home -- and I highly recommend visiting.

Although I was too young to enjoy A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (1965) when it first aired, as of just a few years later that special became an important part of my seasonal viewing, along with IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN (1966), A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING (1973), and all the rest.

Over the years I collected several of the specials to share with my children, starting on VHS and then DVD.

My children are now grown, but I still love to watch these shows -- the best kind of "comfort viewing"! -- so it can be imagined how happy I was to learn of this giant 75th anniversary Blu-ray Peanuts collection.

The Peanuts 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection contains over 40 Peanuts TV specials, all listed at the conclusion of this review.

A small handful of Peanuts specials are missing, such as a Super Bowl tie-in program, but to my knowledge this is the most complete collection released to date.

I'm especially happy the set includes favorites I don't own, such as IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN (1969).

I have read that these are full-length versions, not syndicated cuts. (As a side note, I have also read in the past that the specials shown on Apple TV are sometimes edited versions.) I will add that I've not been able to confirm independently that they're all complete; the packaging materials do not state "unedited."

The most famous specials of course need no introduction, as they are almost universally beloved, and there are also quite a number included which I've never seen.

I've not yet had time to watch all 40 shows, which would take roughly half a full-time workweek, but those I've watched up to this point mostly look very good, with some of the more obscure shows looking a bit rougher, such as a noticeable "edge" along one side during part of IT'S SPRING TRAINING, CHARLIE BROWN! (1996).

That said, many of those lesser-known shows haven't been easy to see for eons, so having them in any condition is a very happy thing for this viewer. I'm excited to continue watching, revisiting old favorites and making the acquaintance of new episodes.

The set comes with a case in a cardboard slipcover and includes a booklet with information on each show, seen here.

Recommended.

The 40 specials included in this set are: A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (1965), CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL STARS! (1966), IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN (1966), YOU'RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (1967), HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN (1968), IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN (1969), PLAY IT AGAIN, CHARLIE BROWN (1971), YOU'RE NOT ELECTED, CHARLIE BROWN (1972), THERE'S NO TIME FOR LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (1973), A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING (1973), IT'S A MYSTERY, CHARLIE BROWN (1974), IT'S THE EASTER BEAGLE, CHARLIE BROWN! (1974), BE MY VALENTINE, CHARLIE BROWN (1975), YOU'RE A GOOD SPORT, CHARLIE BROWN (1975), IT'S ARBOR DAY, CHARLIE BROWN (1976), IT'S YOUR FIRST KISS, CHARLIE BROWN (1977), WHAT A NIGHTMARE, CHARLIE BROWN! (1978), YOU'RE THE GREATEST, CHARLIE BROWN (1979), SHE'S A GOOD SKATE, CHARLIE BROWN (1980), LIFE IS A CIRCUS, CHARLIE BROWN (1980), IT'S MAGIC, CHARLIE BROWN 91981), SOMEDAY YOU'LL FIND HER, CHARLIE BROWN (1981), A CHARLIE BROWN CELEBRATION (1982), IS THIS GOODBYE, CHARLIE BROWN? (1983), IT'S AN ADVENTURE, CHARLIE BROWN (1983), WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED, CHARLIE BROWN? (1983), IT'S FLASHBEAGLE, CHARLIE BROWN (1984), SNOOPY'S GETTING MARRIED, CHARLIE BROWN (1985), YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (1985), HAPPY NEW YEAR, CHARLIE BROWN (1986), WHY, CHARLIE BROWN, WHY? (1990), SNOOPY'S REUNION (1991), IT'S CHRISTMASTIME AGAIN, CHARLIE BROWN (1993), IT'S SPRING TRAINING, CHARLIE BROWN! (1996), A CHARLIE BROWN VALENTINE (2002), CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS TALES (2002), LUCY MUST BE TRADED, CHARLIE BROWN (2003), I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN (2003), HE'S A BULLY, CHARLIE BROWN (2006), HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN (2011).

Thanks to Warner Bros. and Allied Vaughn for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. This collection may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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