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Peanuts is a multimedia entertainment franchise created by Charles M. Schulz. It began with the Peanuts comic strip, whose original print run was from 1950 to 2000 and has since been published in reruns. Peanuts become a multimedia franchise in 1965 with the airing of the first animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The franchise has produced many other animated television specials, four feature-length films, an animated television program, video games and a stage musical. In addition, numerous books exist, both compilations from the comic strip and original works based on the strip.

Peanuts and its characters have been referred to numerous times on The Simpsons: in television episodes, comic stories and other media.

References to Peanuts in The Simpsons[edit]

Episodes[edit]

Picture Season Episode number Episode name Reference 1 1 "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" Bart says, "If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas" and cites Charlie Brown as an example, referring to the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. 3 42 "Treehouse of Horror II" During the opening sequence, the group of trick-or-treaters walking by the Simpson home are wearing the same costumes as the Peanuts gang are in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. 5 86 "Treehouse of Horror IV" In the segment "Bart Simpson's Dracula", the Simpsons are all transformed into vampires and are about to attack Lisa. At the last second, they all stop, look into the camera and say "Happy Halloween!" Then, in a parody of the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas, they sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" while Milhouse plays the piano (à la Schroeder) and Santa's Little Helper dances (a. la. Snoopy). 101 "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" Freddy Quimby is on trial for beating up a waiter and Bart knows he's innocent (having witnessed what actually happened) but doesn't want to come forward because he saw the incident while ditching school. When a newspaper story about the trial becomes the topic of conversation at breakfast, Bart tries to change the subject: He quickly grabs the paper, turns to the funnies, and says, "Oh, look. Charlie Brown said 'Good grief'. Hah. I didn't see that coming." 7 139 "Marge Be Not Proud" When Bart imagines what Christmas would be like in Juvenile Hall, the Christmas tree seen under the row of stockings with inmate numbers looks just like Charlie Brown's tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas. 8 157 "Burns, Baby Burns" At the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer wakes up from a nap and finds that Larry Burns is his new officemate. When he learns that Larry is Mr. Burns's son, Homer panics and brushes a nearly-completed jigsaw puzzle of Snoopy off of his workstation. 162 "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer" During Homer's chili hallucination, he hears Mrs. Krabappel speaking with a muted trombone "wa wa wa" sound, similar to how adults' voices are rendered in the TV specials. 172 "Grade School Confidential" A half-melted Charlie Brown candle can be seen on Edna's kitchen table. 9 188 "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" When the Simpson family visit Springfield Retirement Castle, they are surprised to find the residents dancing animatedly around the dayroom. (Grampa explains that "The pharmaceutical man come by and he shot us full of Christmas cheer.") The residents' dance moves are based on those of the kids during the play rehearsal scene of A Charlie Brown Christmas. 10 207 "Treehouse of Horror IX" At the end of the "Hell Toupée" segment, after the Springfield Police shoot Snake's disembodied hair to death, Maggie adopts it as a security blanket and holds it in a pose like Linus with his security blanket. 215 "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" When Dolly Parton leaves for the half-time show at the Super Bowl after helping Homer, Wally Kogen and the others out of the stadium jail, she turns down Krusty the Clown's request to go out with him and leaves donning a rocket pack and a dog mask resembling Snoopy with white ears. 218 "Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"" A tranquilizer dart intended for a charging rhinoceros instead hits a three-toed sloth in the butt. After being hit by the dart, the sloth briefly dances a jig like Snoopy before it falls asleep and collapses. 12 254 "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" During the couch gag, when the family enter the living room they find Santa's Little Helper dancing in front of the couch like Snoopy, while "Linus and Lucy" (the up-tempo piano jazz tune which has become the de facto theme song of Peanuts) plays in the background. 257 "HOMЯ" Animotion's dog character, whom Homer portrays via a motion-capture suit, resembles Snoopy. 263 "Hungry, Hungry Homer" Bart finds Homer sleeping on a doghouse in the backyard (similar to Snoopy) and utters Charlie Brown's "Good grief!" catchphrase. 13 273 "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love" When Mr. Burns is dancing with Gloria at Stu's Disco, his dance moves are just like those of "5" (the spiky-haired boy wearing an orange shirt) during the play rehearsal scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas. 274 "The Blunder Years" In the chalkboard gag, Bart writes, "I am not Charlie Brown on acid". 281 "The Lastest Gun in the West" At the school playground, Ralph plays the piano like Schroeder. 15 314 "Treehouse of Horror XIV" During the opening sequence, Bart and Lisa return home from trick-or-treating, costumed as Charlie Brown and Lucy Van Pelt. Bart complains about getting circus peanuts, raisins, nicotine gum and a library card in his bag, a reference to Charlie Brown getting rocks at every house while trick-or-treating in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. After they take off their masks, they get into a fight over the treats they collected, a reference to the ongoing rivalry between Lucy and Charlie Brown. 327 "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" The movie You're in the Matrix, Charlie Brown (a parody of the film The Matrix and the television special You're in Love, Charlie Brown) was shown at Springfield Googolplex Theatres. 16 336 "Treehouse of Horror XV" In the second act, "Four Beheadings and a Funeral", the sign on the front door of the opium den reads "Happiness is a warm poppy", a pun on the Peanuts book Happiness Is a Warm Puppy (and a reference to opium being produced from the poppy plant). 349 "The Seven-Beer Snitch" Marge uses stationery with Snoopy's picture on it when she writes to Frank Gehry and asks him to build a concert hall in Springfield. Santa's Little Helper is seen flying a small airplane in the backyard, very much like Snoopy's "Flying Ace" flights of fancy. 354 "Thank God It's Doomsday" When Ralph is in Da Buzz Club, he wonders if they can cut his hair so it looks like Charlie Brown's. 17 357 "The Bonfire of the Manatees" The photo of Santa's Little Helper with his brother is a sight gag on Snoopy and his brother Spike. 359 "Milhouse of Sand and Fog" Bart, Lisa and Milhouse watch an episode of The O.C. where in the opening credits, the characters visit Knott's Berry Farm theme park and hang out with someone in a Snoopy costume. Later, "Snoopy" forces them at gunpoint to withdraw cash from an ATM and give it to him. 377 "The Monkey Suit" After Marge read The Origin of Species‎, she said that Charles Darwin gave a very persuasive argument, and that his ship was called the Beagle, which reminded her of Snoopy, her favorite Peanut. She then looked at a photo of herself posing with someone wearing a Snoopy costume. 378 "Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play" When Marge questions whether she and Homer should be giving marriage advice, Homer replies, "We've been through more hardships than the Jews and Charlie Brown put together." 18 381 "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em" When Marge learns that someone at Springfield Elementary School has a life-threatening peanut allergy and peanut products are no longer allowed on school property, she immediately removes all the peanut products from Bart's lunchbox—including a copy of Good Grief, More Peanuts. 384 "Moe'N'a Lisa" During the fight between Jonathan Franzen and Michael Chabon, Franzen takes a portrait of Snoopy down from the wall and hits Chabon over the head with it. 396 "The Boys of Bummer" Bart having the ball spin him in a circle while his clothes fly off is a reference to Charlie Brown. 19 409 "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind" Homer, Bart and Lisa ride a toboggan through a snow-sculpture contest, deliberately hitting as many of the sculptures as they can. The first one they hit is of Snoopy. 20 424 "Treehouse of Horror XIX" The segment "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is a parody of the TV special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and of the Peanuts franchise and characters in general. 432 "No Loan Again, Naturally" Lisa mentions Peppermint Patty as being among personal heroes of hers who are or were gay, qualifying her statement by adding that she only suspects that Peppermint Patty is gay. 21 455 "Postcards from the Wedge" In the film Springfield of Tomorrow (shown to Bart's class), two teachers talk to each other in the muted-trombone "wa wa wa" sounds used for adults' voices in the TV specials. 22 471 "How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?" In the chalkboard gag, Bart writes, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is as good as A Charlie Brown Christmas". 472 "The Fight Before Christmas" Bart sees a boy who resembles Schroeder playing a piano in the Clausco building. 473 "Donnie Fatso" During the Advent calendar sequence in the couch gag, the scene from December 11 shows Nelson Muntz gazing adoringly at a small Christmas tree that looks just like Charlie Brown's tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas. 478 "Angry Dad: The Movie" When Homer gives a speech at the Golden Globes upon winning the aforementioned award, he says his Angry Dad voice is "part Walter Matthau, part Little Richard and a little bit of Snoopy when he cries". 479 "The Scorpion's Tale" In the title screen gag, Santa's Little Helper flies across the screen on a doghouse, similar to one of Snoopy's "World War I flying ace" fantasies. 23 490 "Replaceable You" While designing a robot pet, Bart and Martin consult several magazines. One of them, Dog Fancy, has an article titled "Snoopy's Sad Last Days". 498 "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" When Moe and his rag are alone, he holds it close to him in the same manner as Linus Van Pelt with his security blanket. 24 514 "A Tree Grows in Springfield" Moe describes Homer's facial expression as "like one of them Charlie Brown wiggle-frowns". 526 "Pulpit Friction" The Parson says that "they're there every Sunday, just like Snoopy in color", a reference to Peanuts. 25 536 "The Kid Is All Right" When Isabel says to Lisa, "The Springfield Republican Party is grooming me", a boy who looks like Pig-Pen overhears the conversation and says, "Grooming? Yuck!" 552 "The Yellow Badge of Cowardge" On the Fourth of July, an unnamed kid dresses up as a ghost, but with too many eyeholes (like Charlie Brown's Halloween costume in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) and Nelson tells him "Wrong holiday, Charlie Brown!" 27 592 "How Lisa Got Her Marge Back" One of the plays being advertised in Capital City is You're a Good Witch, Broom Hilda, a parody of the Peanuts stage musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The Hilda poster is also a sight gag on the 1971 Broadway poster for Charlie Brown. 593 "Fland Canyon" In the title screen gag, Ralph Wiggum, dressed similarly to Charlie Brown and clinging to the string of a kite, shouts "Take that, kite-eating tree!" as he glides from left to right across the screen. 28 598 "Friends and Family" Homer lies on the roof naked in Snoopy's usual position on top of his dog house and says "Ah, Snoopy knew what he was doing alright." 618 "Dogtown" When the brakes on his car malfunction, Homer is forced to choose between hitting Gil or Santa's Little Helper. Homer laments, "Man or dog. It's a Snoopy's choice!", misspeaking the expression "Sophie's choice", which refers to making a difficult decision between two undesirable alternatives. (At the last second, Homer decides to hit Gil.) 29 620 "Springfield Splendor" Theatrical director Guthrie Frenel produces a stage musical adaption of the Sad Girl comic, which was based on Lisa's life. When Marge questions whether Frenel is straying too far from the source material, Frenel retorts, "This isn't You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Or even my production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, set in a doomed Soviet submarine." 627 "Gone Boy" Milhouse is dressed as Linus Van Pelt in the opening sequence. 30 654 "101 Mitigations" Comic Book Guy says that the only thing non-canonical in his store is a picture of Snoopy dressed as Sgt. Rock for an ill-timed Vietnam War advert. 32 691 "Three Dreams Denied" One of Principal Skinner's childhood keepsakes that Agnes brings to Comic Book Guy is a poster showing Charlie Brown flying his kite. 33 722 "Pretty Whittle Liar" One of Springfield Elementary's The League of Extraordinary Geniuses playing the piano resembles Schroeder. 35 759 "Murder, She Boat" Reverend Lovejoy and Helen Lovejoy dress as Charlie Brown and Lucy Van Pelt. 36 771 "Desperately Seeking Lisa" One of the unauthorised costumed peddlers is a knock-off Charlie Brown. 778 "O C'mon All Ye Faithful" Bart talks about when everybody at school dances to that Charlie Brown song, then it cuts to the kids dancing to it at school. The song is "Christmas Is Coming" which was featured in A Charlie Brown Christmas. 783 "The Flandshees of Innersimpson" One of the famous duos that Homer and Ned hallucinate themselves as is Lucy Van Pelt and Charlie Brown. Ned (as Charlie) went to kick a ball, but Homer (as Lucy) pulled it away at the last second, causing Ned to fly off and exclaim "Good grief!"

Comics[edit]

Picture Comic issue Story name Reference Radioactive Man 80pg. 1 You're a Swell Guy, Radioactive Man The title of this ill-fated Broadway musical about Radioactive Man references the title and opening number of the 1967 musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Simpsons Comics #39 Sense and Censorability Bart gives a report on Benjamin Franklin. In his version of Franklin's kite experiment, Franklin deliberately gets the kite with the key stuck in a tree (which he calls "my archenemy") hoping that the key will attract lightning which will strike the tree. When his plan succeeds and the tree is struck by lightning, Franklin triumphantly cries, "Kite-eating tree, I'll see you in hell!!!", referencing Charlie Brown's recurring battles with the kite-eating tree in Peanuts. Simpsons Comics #61 The Paper Chase Bart's kite is caught and eaten by a kite-eating tree, which prompts him to exclaim "Good grief!", and Sherri and Terri call him a blockhead: "Good grief!" is one of Charlie Brown's frequently-uttered catchphrases. Charlie Brown's kite being eaten by a kite-eating tree is a recurring plot motif in the Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown is often called a "blockhead" by other characters. Simpsons Comics #158 Homeowner Homer When Homer becomes president of the homeowners' association, he bans "flags with Snoopy or Garfield or rainbows on them". Simpsons Comics #188 Lisa Simpson's Toot Suite Homer strangles Bart and Marge admonishes him that Bart isn't one of Moe's Christmas geese. This prompts Homer to lick his chops and say, "Mmm... Peppermint Pâté!", a wordplay on Peppermint Patty. The Simpsons: Holiday Humdinger Happy Non-Specific Semi-Festive Winter Gathering Martin plays a toy piano while Santa's Little Helper dances on it and Lisa leans on it and listens to the music, similar to Schroeder, Snoopy and Lucy. Bart Simpson #34 N/A (front cover) Bart is in a booth where he offers psychiatric help for twenty-five cents, similar to Lucy's booth in Peanuts where she offers psychiatric help for five cents. Bart Simpson #40 Li'l Krusty 2 Krusty opens a booth where he tells jokes for five cents, similar to Lucy's psychiatric help booth. When he tells a poor joke to Sideshow Bob, Bob calls him out for stealing the idea from Lucy. Bart Simpson #47 Li'l Krusty 3 Krusty says that he loves chimps because they work for peanuts, then clarifies that he means the food, not the comic strip. The Simpsons Winter Wingding 6 Grampa's Christmas Origins: Christmas Cards When Lisa can't reach the opening on a mailbox, Bart offers to open it with his scarf, using a trick he learned "from watching old Christmas cartoons on TV". Actually, the trick happens in the Peanuts Halloween special (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) when Linus uses his blanket to open a mailbox.

Games[edit]

Picture Game Reference The Simpsons Game In the fifteenth level, Five Characters in Search of an Author, Homer and Bart fight their way through The Creator's Mansion to get to Matt Groening. As Homer smashes through a pile of money, he says, "This mansion is bigger than the inside of Snoopy's doghouse." Homer's observation is a reference to a longtime running gag in Peanuts about Snoopy's doghouse being much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

Books[edit]

Picture Book Reference The Bart Book In Bart's "Stuff to Do" list, item #30 is "Get little red-haired girl to notice me." He then corrects himself: "No wait, that's on Charlie Brown's To-Do List." Flanders' Book of Faith "Fussbudgeting" is one of the many Junior Camper merit badges that Ned Flanders has earned. The badge is an obvious reference to Peanuts, as it shows Lucy Van Pelt with an outraged expression on her face. Also, in the early years of the comic strip, Lucy was often called a "fussbudget" by the other characters.

Twitter[edit]

External links[edit]

• Peanuts at Wikipedia