It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown

''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! '' is the 12th prime-time animated TV special based on the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. In the United States, it debuted on CBS on April 9, 1974, at 8 p.m., five days before Easter.

''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown'' received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children's Special at the 27th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1975. It was one of two Peanuts specials nominated that year, along with '' Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown'', but they both lost to "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" (another Bill Melendez production).

Plot

As Easter approaches, the ''Peanuts'' gang busily prepares for the holiday, though Linus remains steadfast in his belief that their efforts are unnecessary. He fervently argues that the "Easter Beagle" will ensure everything is taken care of, but his insistence is largely dismissed by his friends. The only one who listens is Charlie Brown's sister, Sally, though she remains hesitant due to their previous experience with the Great Pumpkin during Halloween.

Meanwhile, Peppermint Patty and Marcie embark on a quest to dye Easter eggs. However, Marcie, new to the task, struggles with the process. Their first attempt goes awry when Marcie mistakenly fries all the eggs on a griddle. Undeterred, they try again, but Marcie further misinterprets the instructions, using a waffle iron and toaster. With their final carton of eggs, Peppermint Patty explains the proper method — boiling the eggs. Unfortunately, Marcie cracks the eggs before boiling them, leaving Peppermint Patty exasperated and out of both eggs and money, as they fail to produce any colored eggs.

Elsewhere, after enduring a cold spring rain, Woodstock seeks shelter with Snoopy, who kindly purchases him a birdhouse. Initially, Woodstock is unimpressed, but he soon transforms it into a luxurious bachelor pad. However, Snoopy's curiosity gets the better of him, and while inspecting the birdhouse, he accidentally destroys it. Unfazed, Snoopy buys another for Woodstock, restoring his comfortable abode.

Lucy, determined to make Easter about gift-giving, organizes her own private egg hunt. She painstakingly hides and tracks each egg, but unbeknownst to her, Snoopy follows behind, snatching them up. When Easter morning arrives, the Easter Beagle, revealed as Snoopy, distributes eggs to everyone, including Woodstock and Lucy. Unfortunately for Charlie Brown, Snoopy runs out of eggs by the time he reaches him.

After receiving their eggs, Marcie, following Peppermint Patty's advice, eats one without removing the shell, declaring it tastes awful. Sally, now a believer in the Easter Beagle, is content, while Lucy realizes the egg she received was one of her own. Furious, she confronts Snoopy, but a kiss from him softens her anger, leaving her hopeful for the next Easter season.

Voice cast

*Todd Barbee as Charlie Brown
* Melanie Kohn as Lucy van Pelt
* Stephen Shea as Linus van Pelt
*Todd Barbee as Schroeder
*Linda Ercoli as Peppermint Patty
*Lynn Mortensen as Sally Brown
*Jimmy Ahrens as Marcie
* Bill Melendez as Snoopy/Woodstock

Production notes

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for ' was composed by Vince Guaraldi (except where noted) and conducted and arranged by John Scott Trotter. The score was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Quartet on January 30 and March 1, 1974, at Wally Heider Studios, featuring Guaraldi (piano, electric piano, electric harpsichord, electric guitar), Seward McCain (electric bass), Robert Claire (flute), Glenn Cronkhite (drums), and Eliot Zigmund (drums).

The song "Snoopy and Woodstock" featured is an uptempo reworking of "Mystery Theme," the primary theme of '' It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown'' (1974) which was broadcast two months prior to '.

In the mid-2000s, recording session master tapes for seven 1970s-era ''Peanuts'' television specials scored by Guaraldi were discovered by his son, David Guaraldi. This resulted in the release of "Snoopy and Woodstock" (aka Cue 4; version 1) and "Kitchen Music" (version 2, aka Cue 19, Take 1) being released on the compilation album, ''Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2'' (2008). In addition, a live version of "Woodstock's Pad" (mistitled " Then Came You") was also released in 2008 on '' Live on the Air'' from a Vince Guaraldi Trio concert originally recorded on February 6, 1974.

A remastered soundtrack album featuring original recordings and a newly recorded bonus track was released for the first time on March 21, 2025.
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Voice talent

''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown'' was the last special for Todd Barbee; he would be replaced by Duncan Watson.

Television

CBS aired ''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown'' annually during each Easter season from 1974 to 2000. The premiere airing of the special in 1974 ranked No. 12 in the Nielsen ratings that week, between the 1965 film ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' and ''The Bob Newhart Show''.

ABC ran the special annually from 2001 up to April 11, 2006. In 2007, the network, without any explanation, did not air the program, but it returned on March 18, 2008, as filler programming against ''American Idol''. The TV special was watched by 6.32 million viewers, in fourth place behind ''Idol'', '' NCIS'' and ''The Biggest Loser'', and fifth place if Spanish-language Univision is counted. ABC refrained from airing the special in 2011 or 2012, but it aired on Easter Sunday 2013 along with '' Charlie Brown's All-Stars'' (1966), watched by 2.56 million people, tied for fourth place behind the end of the NCAA Championship Basketball Game between Duke and Louisville and a rerun of '' The Voice''. The special aired again with ''Charlie Brown's All-Stars'' on Easter Sunday in 2014. To date this is the last broadcast airing of the special.

Apple TV+ has held exclusive rights to the special along with all other ''Peanuts'' productions since 2021. It was not included among the specials that Apple TV+ must provide for free in short windows surrounding their holidays (or to PBS for free over-the-air airings) and thus it will only be available to subscribers.

Home media

''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown'' was released to DVD twice, first on March 4, 2003 by Paramount Home Entertainment and again on February 19, 2008 on a Remastered Deluxe Edition DVD from Warner Home Video. It was also released in the UK by Firefly Entertainment in 2004, with '' Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown''.

Earlier home media releases of ''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown'' have, in the past, been available in 1982 on the CED format, on VHS in 1986 and 1988 from Media Home Entertainment and subsidiary Hi-Tops Video, respectively and by Paramount Home Video on March 9, 1994 in a slipcover package and on October 1, 1996 in clamshell packaging.

See also

* List of Easter television episodes

References

External links

*

{{Vince Guaraldi

Peanuts television specials
Easter television specials
Television shows directed by Phil Roman
1970s American television specials
1970s animated television specials
1974 television specials
1974 in American television
CBS television specials
Television shows written by Charles M. Schulz