100 Forever Stamps 2015 USPS First-Class A Charlie Brown Christmas 2015 Stamp 5 Books (20PCS/Book)

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz had his first cartoon series published at the age of 25.  Entitled Li’l Folks, it featured a character named Charlie Brown. When the syndicate opted not to renew the strip, Schulz developed a new one, named Peanuts, which debuted on October 2, 1950 in seven newspapers.

A Charlie Brown Christmas was written and animated in just six months.  The script was simple, sparse, and heavily influenced by Schulz’ background.  Deeply religious, he wanted to focus on what he believed the “true meaning of Christmas” to be.  Schulz then added secular themes taken from his Minnesota childhood, including a school play, falling snow, and ice-skating.

Professional child actors were only used for the voices of Charlie Brown and Linus.  Schulz convinced the producers to use regular children for the remaining characters.  Studio employees took tape recorders home and had their children audition for the part.  Gibberish was recorded for Snoopy and sped up to make his unique sound.  Schulz also resisted the use of a laugh track, which was widely used during the ‘60s.

A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on December 9, 1965, at 7:30 p.m. It was watched by some 45 percent of the viewing audience that night – an estimated 15,490,000 homes. It was the number two show in the ratings that night, after Bonanza. In spite of the executives fears, it was very well received by viewers and critics alike. It was described as “delightfully novel and amusing” and “fascinating and haunting.” Another critic accurately predicted that “the Peanuts characters last night staked out a claim to a major television future.”

Fresh and innovative, A Charlie Brown Christmas featured a number of entertainment “firsts.”  Together with its creator, the animated musical special also influenced the television industry, ushering in a host of changes.

A Charlie Brown Christmas went on to earn an Emmy and a Peabody Award and has become a holiday tradition for millions of Americans.