Stamps to commemorate ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’

Marking the 50th anniversary of the airing of the landmark holiday special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the U.S. Post Office is issuing a set of 10 stamps depicting images from the beloved classic.

An official dedication and unveiling of the “forever” first-class stamps will be held at 9 a.m. Oct. 1 at the Charles M. Schulz Museum, with the show’s producer Lee Mendelson in attendance, said Craig Schulz, son of the “Peanuts” comic strip creator.

Schulz said the postage stamps were beautiful and all depict classic scenes from the show.

“They should be a big hit, I would think,” he said.

The 25-minute Christmas special, which was first released Dec. 9, 1965, has endured over the years, even as the entertainment industry has changed dramatically.

Schulz said the show continues to be popular in an age when people can watch what they want whenever they want.

“It still gets strong ratings every year, and that speaks to the message my dad was trying to convey,” he said.

The images depicted on the postage stamps include: Charlie Brown holding the tree sapling; Charlie Brown and Pigpen with a snowman; Snoopy and children ice skating; the Christmas special cast gathered around Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree; a kneeling Linus beginning to decorate the Christmas tree and Charlie Brown looking inside an empty mailbox.

The U.S. Postal Service said the October postage stamp release coincides with the newspaper debut of the Peanuts comic strip on Oct. 2, 1950. The Christmas special was the first animated special to feature Schulz’s beloved characters. It show airs annually on ABC. Schulz started working on the special in the spring of the same year it aired.

Schulz worked with Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at (707) 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.S