Behind the scenes of the animated classic
Santa Rosa, Calif.-The holidays arrive early this year at the Charles M. Schulz Museum with 60 Years of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," a new exhibition on view until January 11, 2026. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, the exhibition draws from the Schulz Museum's vast collection, including never-before-displayed items, to share the origins of the holiday classic, which was produced under remarkable odds to become one of the most enduring and celebrated holiday programs ever.
"This is the story about how the very first Peanuts animated special was created, and how it nearly didn't happen!" Curator Benjamin L. Clark said.
Development of a classic
A collaboration between Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, animator Bill Melendez, and producer Lee Mendelson, the 25-minute program was intially pitched by Coca-Cola's advertising agency, which sought a television event to sponsor. Schulz, Melendez, and Mendelson were given less than six months to develop, write, animate, and produce the special for CBS, debuting on December 9, 1965.
"That is a wildly accelerated timeline, by production standards then and now," Clark said. "Then, Schulz insisted it have no laugh track, children voicing the characters instead of adults, and Linus quoting straight from the Bible. The soundtrack was jazz, and the pacing was slow. All of this simply was not done."
Executives predicted a flop!
At the time, animation was an area Schulz was reluctant to explore, but he trusted Melendez and his team to adapt Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang to the small screen in a way that felt authentic to his comic strip. Unfortunately, it was met with skepticism and nearly canceled. "After a preview screening, CBS executives told Mendelson it would flop, but they still planned to air it because it was too late to change the programming schedules," Clark said.
Yet, what was deemed a flop turned out to be one of the most revered Christmas specials ever made. The program won an Emmy and a Peabody Award and has become embedded in pop culture and holiday traditions around the world. The soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi has sold over five million copies, making it one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time.
Going Platinum!
The exhibition features Schulz's platinum record from the first million sales of the soundtrack in 1996. Other collection highlights include the original Peanuts comic strips used for storyline inspiration, original production cels, archival photos, the toy piano used for recording the "Jingle Bells" scene with Schroeder and Lucy, and shown for the first time-the original first three pages of the script, which was cut-and-pasted together with notes in the margins during the creative process.
A video station allows visitors to enjoy clips from the animated special, including its original opening and ending featuring the Coca-Cola logo, as well as an interview with David Willat, a museum volunteer who sang in the choir for Guaraldi's soundtrack. A Charlie Brown Christmas will also be shown daily in the museum theater throughout the exhibition's run.
The Schulz Museum will host an event featuring Jason Mendelson of Lee Mendelson Film Productions, original chorus and cast members, and a performance by the Maria Carrillo High School Jazz Choir on Saturday, December 20, at 1:00 pm. In addition, the museum celebrates another pivotal anniversary this fall-the 75th anniversary of Peanuts-with several exhibitions that will be on view alongside 60 Years of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
The exhibition features a first-edition album (1965) for the original soundtrack of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Collection of the Schulz Museum.
SUPPORTING EVENT
Saturday, December 20, 1:00 pm
Celebrating 60 Years of A Charlie Brown Christmas
Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the classic animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, with special guests including Jason Mendelson of Lee Mendelson Film Productions and original chorus and cast members. Also, enjoy a live performance of music from the special by the Maria Carrillo High School Jazz Choir. Cost: Included in museum admission. Free for Members.
Event subject to change. Learn more at schulzmuseum.org
ABOUT THE SCHULZ MUSEUM
Charles M. Schulz Museum & Research Center
2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 579-4452
HOURS & ADMISSION
Weekdays*: 11:00 am-5:00 pm
Weekends: 10:00 am-5:00 pm
*Closed Tuesdays year-round
Museum Members, children 3 and under: Free
Adults: $15.00
Seniors 62 and over (with ID): $10.00
Youth 4-18 and college students (with ID): $7.00
EBT Cardholders (with card; up to 4 people): $4.00
Military: $1.00 off admission