It's Your TVCU Quickie, Charlie Brown
What's a quickie? See this blog.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Like Schulz, Charlie Brown is the son of a barber; but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie Brown is an example of "the great American un-success story" in that he fails in almost everything he does.[1]
From me:
How does Charlie Brown fit? In the TVCU? In the Looniverse? Good grief, I have no idea. I've been trying to figure this mess out for three years not.
Currently, the TVCU theory is that Charlie Brown exists as part of the Offspring of Zed and the Bongo Anomaly, and thus exists in the TVCU, in one of those zones where the people are unaging and can just as easily travel to the Looniverse. I'm still not sure if I'm satisfied with this, but the blog that presents this theory is one of our more popular.
I've always had a fondness for Peanuts. Of course the holiday specials have been a regular tradition of my childhood that extended into adulthood (and now I own them on TV.) I've always identified with Charlie Brown, and in fact, my home is decorated with Peanuts decorations.
And now, a mini-chron: (And please not that mini-chrons are not all-inclusive. They are a brief glimpse. The point of quickies is not thoroughness like the regular blogs, but something quickly knocked out for your entertainment and education.)
1920s--After this, Zed then returns to the United States, and meets a woman whose last name is Brown. This woman would have two twin sons. One would become a barber and have two children names Charles and Sally. The other would marry a black woman, and they would have a child named Levar, who would then have a son named Cleveland and a grandson named Cleveland Junior.
1994 to 1995--THE CRITIC--The life of film critic Jay Sherman. Gordon Long adds: "Looking at the Bongoverse blog again, I realized Jay Sherman could be related to Charlie Brown. No, seriously, the picture you have of him from The Critic--1994-1995 entry date--he has a sweater similar to Charlie Brown's classic yellow one with black zigzags...Jay's is a pale green and has diamonds, but it is highly reminiscent and probably appropriate for the 90s. Also---he is just as hair-challenged as Charlie Brown and his personality seems a bit similar from what little I know about Jay Sherman."
July 2000--FAMILY GUY--"E. Peterbus Unum"--When Joe, Cleveland, and Quagmire discuss tax refunds, Charlie Brown in a ghost costume claims he only “got a rock.” This parodies a scene from the Peanuts Halloween television special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in which the characters trick-or-treat and Charlie Brown consistently receives rocks. Anti-litter mascot Woodsy Owl appears during the song in reaction to Peter’s littering. The political roundtable talk show in which the guests are separated by four squares ends with Alice from The Brady Bunch appearing in the center square as she did in the show’s theme song.
August 2001--FAMILY GUY--"Lethal Weapons"--At the bar, Peter says “Krypton sucks,” angering General Zod and his partners, the Kryptonian villains from Superman II, sending them to the "Phantom Zone", flying out to space exactly like the film. Lucy van Pelt from the comic strip Peanuts appears and pulls away a football as Lois tries to kick it (as she does to Charlie Brown). Lois then kicks her in the face and she cries. Peter would kick Lucy for also pulling the football away from Charlie Brown in Brian's Got a Brand New Bag. While voicing the “man-eating tree,” Peter claims he ate “insane New York anchorman Dan Rather” and “asexual former Mayor Ed Koch.” Lucy van Pelt from the comic strip Peanuts appears and pulls away a football as Lois tries to kick it (as she does to Charlie Brown). Lois then kicks her in the face and she cries.
January 2002--FAMILY GUY--"Stuck Together, Torn Apart"--To find his little black book, Peter uses a device similar to the ark-finding amulet from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Peter visits adult versions of Peppermint Patty and Marcie from the comic strip Peanuts, who have been interpreted as being lesbians, despite the fact that Peanuts stood for Christian values. In one of Peter’s flashbacks, three of the ghosts from Pac-Man, Blinky, Clyde, and Funky from Pac-Mania, visit Pac-Man to cheer him up after Ms. Pac-Man had to break up with him in a simlar way Peter has to break up with Lois in the present time. The ghosts attempt to cheer him up by allowing Pac-Man to eat them. Getting no response, the ghosts give up and go visit Q*bert.
November 2004--DRAWN TOGETHER--"Requiem for a Reality Show"--
- Charlie Brown becomes Foxxy's slave. (Yes, I imagine some will completely dismiss this entire blog because of this.
May 2005--FAMILY GUY--"North by North Quahog"--On finding a hotel to spend the night while their car gets fixed, Peter and Lois encounter a hooker, much to Lois’ concern. Peter reassures her by saying “Keep absolutely still, Lois; their vision is based on movement,” a reference to Jurassic Park in which the main protagonist (Alan Grant) has a similar (and equally erroneous) line when they encounter a Tyrannosaurus, as well as a reference to the general concept of avoiding movement-based-visioned predators by remaining still. (This same hooker is seen with Charlie Brown in “Mother Tucker.”) After Chris is caught drinking, Flint from the cartoon G.I. Joe gives an educational message, like he (and others) did on the real G.I. Joe show. He is even voiced by his original actor, Bill Ratner.
October 2005--DRAWN TOGETHER--"The One Wherein There is a Big Twist Part 2"--
- MICKEY MOUSE, CHARLIE BROWN, and WILE E. COYOTE are seen dead on the beach. Of course, I don't have to reiterate my view on death in the Looniverse.
November 2005--FAMILY GUY--"Brian Goes Back to College"--After he is fired from his job at The New Yorker, Brian encounters a “No Dogs Allowed” sign, hears a booming voice enforcing the rule and then lays on top of a doghouse. This parodies the Peanuts character Snoopy in the 1972 film Snoopy, Come Home. The beginning of this episode was used in the animated version of the Internet comic VG Cats. This can be found on boe entertainment. Thomas Paul Jennings adds: "In the A-Team episode of Family Guy before the logo of The A-Team appears in its red background there's a house that looks like the Simpsons but shorter."
September 2006--FAMILY GUY--"Mother Tucker"--Peter compares his mother’s sudden announcement to a Peanuts reunion, showing a cutscene where Charlie Brown is a drug addict and admits to having sold Snoopy heroin (it is suggested that Snoopy and Woodstock overdosed and died). Kermit the Frog appears in RoundTable, with other notable individuals who have similarly thick voices. Included were actors Ray Romano and Harold Ramis, and sportscaster Al Michaels. Brian mentions Stewie selling out. The resulting flashback parodies the Butterfinger commercials The Simpsons did in the early 1990s. Stewie says Bart Simpson’s catchphrase from the commercials, “Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger,” before adding a forced “D’oh!” A cutaway shows a young girl giving the tape to Peter and warning him that if he watches it, he will die, similar to The Ring. Peter takes the tape anyway and plays it on the VCR. The tape in question turns out to be Mannequin and Peter dies, with his mouth wide open, just like Samara’s victims in The Ring. This joke was directed at Mannequin's poor reviews. At the end when Quagmire and Cleveland are on the show, the sound effects say “In Rod We Trust,” which is from The Simpsons episode where Homer went into space and used a carbon rod to shut the door. A scene portrays how Darth Vader came to his senses from being a meter maid and decided to build the Death Star. Shortly before the episode aired, a series titled "Chad Vader" explored similar concepts.
October 2006--DRAWN TOGETHER--"Spelling Applebee's"--LOONIVERSE--
- The cast has to compete against the PEANUTS gang in a spelling bee.
March 2008--FAMILY GUY--"Play It Again, Brian"--When Lois and Brian have their portrait drawn the artist draws them as Jane Jetson & Snoopy. In the ending dance number of "The Spirit of Massachusetts", Mr. Quint from Jaws is dancing behind Peter.
September 2008--FAMILY GUY--"Love, Blactually"--When Brian starts to lie about how he likes Loretta, and how beautiful he thinks she is, and how attractive he thinks she is, Brian's nose starts to grow like Pinocchio's nose does. It is also a reference to the scene in the movie, Airplane!. Brian also repeats the line, "free to pursue a life of religious fulfillment", which is a line uttered by Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) in Airplane!. That is the scene where Dr. Rumack tries to convince the passengers, all is well on the plane. Brian and Stewie are both dressed as Snoopy from Peanuts. Brian does Snoopy's trademark dance, and also has Woodstock following him.
November 2009--FAMILY GUY--"Brian's Got a Brand New Bag"--The screeching demons that take away the newly deceased Willy in the movie Ghost take Joe Swanson. Another one of Cleveland's Bathtub Gags appears in this episode, being the 7th iteration of the gag so far, but this time, Cleveland is not in the bathtub because he moved. Lucy van Pelt from the comic strip Peanuts appears and pulls away a football from Charlie Brown and is kicked by Peter. Lois also kicks Lucy in Lethal Weapons.
May 2010--AMERICAN DAD!--"An Incident at Owl Creek"--People that gave Stan bad advice in his extended fantasy sequences prior to Barack Obama include: Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights, Nolan Ryan and Snoopy (as Red Baron).
ALTERNATE REALITIES:
TOONIVERSE-- Snoopy also dresses as THE EASTER BEAGLE.
And from Wikipedia:
- In Mad Magazine's spoof of Star Trek, one panel has Charlie Brown flying his kite in outer space!
- On a cartoon teaser of an early episode of The Simpsons, "Treehouse of Horror II", the costumed trick-or-treaters passing by the Simpson house are the Peanuts gang.
TVCU CREW REVIEW
Here are some of the more recent posts regarding Charlie Brown in the TVCU discussion forum.
Here are some of the more recent posts regarding Charlie Brown in the TVCU discussion forum.
First panel from the top: Marvin Miller, Snoozing Guy(?), Beetle Bailey, the Duncan Family from Zits, Tiger (maybe with his parents?), Charlie Brown, Hagar the Horrible, the Flagston Family (without Hi), and Dennis Mitchell with his Dad......
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Bonus. Horror Crossover Universe!
SCOOBY-DOO AND THE RELUCTANT WEREWOLF (ANIMATED FILM)
Release Date: October 25, 1988 (Contemporary Setting, maybe, see comments)
Series: Scooby-Doo (1980s animated film series)
Horror Crosses: Frankenstein (Hanna-Barbera); Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde; Dracula (Hanna-Barbera); Wolfman
Non-Horror Crosses: Peanuts
The Story: Dracula’s plans to hold an annual road race in Transylvania for his monster friends is temporarily foiled when the Wolf Man declines the invitation. Dracula however decides the solution is to create a new werewolf, and he chooses race car driver Shaggy Rogers.
HCU Comments: See my previous comments from Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School for the 1980s Scooby films, and the Hanna-Barbera versions of Dracula and Frankenstein. Though called Jackal and Snyde, this is another member of the Jekyll family (but not the one from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?). The Wolf Man here must be Larry Talbot Junior. In the opening scene, cheering in the stands is an old bald man wearing Charlie Brown’s famous shirt and baseball cap. If Charlie Brown had aged normally from his first appearance up to the time of this film, he would likely be the same age and fit the description of the man in the stands. Thus, this film brings in the original Peanuts comic strip, under the assumption that the characters aged normally after their initial appearance rather than remaining children for decades.
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