How to make a Great Pumpkin

Following up on the success of A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, Lee Mendelson and the folks at Harper are offering up another book on the making of a Peanuts special. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Making of a Television Classic hits shelves in September.

I’m glad there were years between the release of these books. That means that if they keep on this schedule, I will live to see It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown: The Making of a the Best Ever Animated Arbor Day Special by Default, but will pass on before Snoopy Swings Through the Jungle: The Making of a Mildly Diverting Met Life Ad.

Upcoming releases
2025 in Peanuts

Happy New Year, all you AAUGH Blog Readers! 2025 has come, like it or not, and it brings with it the 75th anniversary of Peanuts! Now, we’ve seen at least some attempts to play off 0f the big anniversary year since at least last summer, more than a full year …

Upcoming releases
A book I’d not expected to resurface

Back in 2011, Schulz’s granddaughter Dena Hodges issued the first two chapters of  a memoir called In the Shadow of the Family Dog. As I noted in my review at the time, the chapter and the description of the project made it clear that the focus was her relationship with …

Upcoming releases
A box of squares

This May, Fantagraphics is collecting the various small square Peanuts books they’ve published into a new box set, Peanuts All Year Round Mini Collection. This includes: A Valentine for Charlie Brown — Valentine’s Day and romance strips Batter-Up Charlie Brown! — baseball strips Waiting for the Great Pumpkin — Halloween …