Apple Announces ‘Peanuts’ Holiday Special to Commemorate Earth Day

Apple has been on a pretty good roll since acquiring the rights to Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts legacy a couple of years ago. In that time, it’s produced Snoopy in Space, brought back more traditional fare with The Snoopy Show, and debuted the first new Peanuts holiday special in nearly 20 years.

It turns out that December’s For Auld Lang Syne wasn’t a one-off, either. Instead, it appears to be the start of a trend to bring back Charlie Brown and the gang for a whole new era.

Today, Apple announced a second Peanuts holiday special that’s being released next month to commemorate Earth Day on April 22, 2022.

The special, It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown, will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on April 15, 2022, a week ahead of Earth Day. As part of the announcement, Apple also released a trailer for the new special, which will feature Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally, bonding with a special little flower on the gang’s baseball field.

Sally’s desire to protect the flower, which she finds growing atop Charlie Brown’s iconic pitcher’s mound, risks blocking the team’s championship game as she rallies the rest of the Peanuts gang to support her cause. Lucy even stages a “sit-in on the mound.”

Sally’s bond with a special little flower on the baseball field may spell disaster for the big game. For Charlie Brown and the team, it’s just the inspiration they need to make a positive impact on their environment.

Apple

Notably, the new Peanuts special will also mark the debut of an original song by American singer-songwriter Ben Folds.

The latest special also marks a return to the traditional naming for Peanuts specials, which have always featured either Charlie Brown or Snoopy in the title. December’s For Auld Lang Syne was the first to depart from this, and some wondered if that would be the start of a new trend under Apple’s leadership. While we can’t entirely rule that out, It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown really does feel like a return to the classic specials of the late 20th century.

Apple’s newest entry isn’t the first Charlie Brown special to focus on the environment. After the venerable A Charlie Brown Christmas kicked things off in 1965, Peanuts had a run of about a dozen specials through the late sixties and early seventies that led to It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown in 1976.

The story of It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown may feel slightly familiar to fans of the Arbor Day special. In the 1976 feature, Sally, Lucy, Snoopy, and Woodstock plant a lush garden on the baseball field. This throws off the opposing team and gives Charlie Brown one of the few near-wins of his entire baseball career.

To tie in with Apple’s new original Peanuts special, Apple TV+ will also be adding It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown to its lineup on April 29, which is Arbor Day nationally in the U.S. and 26 states.

It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown will be the eighth classic Peanuts holiday special to come to Apple TV+, joining A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974), Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975), Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (1986), and It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992).

Five other Peanuts animated shows that originally aired as standalone specials are also available on the streaming service as part of The Peanuts Classics, including Charlie Brown’s All Stars! (1966), You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972), She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown (1980), It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984), and Snoopy’s Reunion (1991).