When I went to the Hallmark store, I was looking for the 50th anniversary edition of the adaptation of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. And I found it. And as I noted yesterday, I also found another adaptation of that same TV special, only a light-up, pop-up edition. And I found a third book, which was this one:

Snoopy the Flying Ace. It’s been used as a title several times before, but this is not a copy of any of those books. Instead, this is…. wait for it…

…an adaptation of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Really. Hallmark just issued three different adaptations of the same TV special, and it’s not even A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This adaptation is different. It’s all focused on matters from Snoopy’s point of view. And it has a stuffed Snoopy figure (attached to a sleeve, which is removable from the book.) The figure is part of Hallmark’s “itty bittys” line, where characters from a range of properties are reinterpreted as simplistic, fuzzy little bowling pins. This is another example of what I discussed a few posts back, about how when you try to put another existing texture over Peanuts, you end up with something that is less than the sum of its parts. The Peanutsness is lost. (I’m sure some of you will disagree with my tastes on this one.)

The book’s visuals are based around this interpretation of Peanuts… even down to Snoopy hopping from place to place because the itty  bittys don’t have any legs to walk with.

The adaptation is written by Jake Gahr, drawn by Chris Green. $19.95 list price, and part of Hallmark’s 25% off sale through August 21.

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