In 1966, CBS debuted the now-classic tv particular, It’s the Nice Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. In it, all the youngsters within the Peanuts gang participate in typical Halloween actions, together with trick-or-treating and pumpkin-carving — apart from Linus. As an alternative, Linus is getting ready for the arrival of a legendary being often known as the “Nice Pumpkin.”
As Linus explains, “Annually, the Nice Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is probably the most honest,” then he distributes toys to the kids ready for him. Linus spends the particular writing letters to the Nice Pumpkin and making an attempt to persuade others of its existence. Then he spends Halloween night time in a pumpkin patch, awaiting the Nice Pumpkin’s arrival. In fact, the Nice Pumpkin by no means emerges, however Linus nonetheless vows to attend once more subsequent yr.
To the informal Peanuts fan, that could be all they ever know of Linus and the Nice Pumpkin, however devoted readers of the Peanuts sketch know there’s a lot, rather more to the story.
The Nice Pumpkin was first talked about in a Peanuts comedian on Oct. 26, 1959. In it, Linus is writing a letter to the Nice Pumpkin when Lucy asks, “What on the planet are you doing?” In reply, Linus says, “Don’t you realize? That is the time of yr once we all write to the ‘Nice Pumpkin’ and inform him what we wish for Halloween. The ‘Nice Pumpkin’ loves little kids. I can see him now, rising up out of the pumpkin patch together with his huge bag of toys!” In the meantime, Lucy simply stares at him, dumbfounded.
The very subsequent day, Charles Schulz launched the same strip with Linus once more chattering on concerning the Nice Pumpkin, whereas Charlie Brown stares blankly at him.
There are a couple of extra strips the place folks simply stare at Linus in disbelief. Charlie Brown ultimately tells him, “You’re loopy.”
In fact, the Nice Pumpkin by no means arises out of the earth to disperse presents. And it actually doesn’t reply to any letters. Charlie Brown and Lucy even tease Linus about it after Halloween.
For the following few years, Schulz would repeat the sample. Over the past week of October, he’d have Linus write extra letters to the Nice Pumpkin and preach concerning the Nice Pumpkin’s impending arrival. In 1960, he convinces Charlie Brown to attend within the pumpkin patch with him, and Charlie Brown asks a very good query. “It simply occurred to me that there have to be ten million pumpkin patches on this nation… What makes you suppose we’re in the precise one?”
Then 1961 featured a few significantly humorous Nice Pumpkin comedian strips. On this one, Linus cites the latest historic file for Nice Pumpkin appearances. “On Halloween night time in 1959, the Nice Pumpkin appeared within the pumpkin patch of Boots Rutman in Connecticut,” says Linus. He additionally says, “In 1960, the Nice Pumpkin appeared within the pumpkin patch of R.W. Daniels of Texas.” The specificity right here may be very, very humorous, a lot in order that it surprises me that this wasn’t additionally used within the TV particular, as most of the Nice Pumpkin strips predating the particular made their method into that script.
Then there’s this one, which is mainly the Peanuts equal of that Tiger King meme the place Joe Unique says, “I’m by no means gonna financially get well from this.” Within the strip, Linus explains to Lucy that he has to imagine within the Nice Pumpkin, and that he’s already despatched out 57 pumpkin playing cards. Then Linus says, “It will be economically disastrous for me not to imagine it!”
I used to be shocked to search out that Linus efficiently converts Lucy to Nice Pumpkinism in 1962. Lucy even begins her personal pumpkin patch in an effort to lure the Nice Pumpkin and get an entire bunch of presents. Nonetheless, Linus tells her that her pumpkin patch is totally hypocritical — most definitely due to her greed — which prompts her to surrender and simply promote her pumpkins as an alternative.
When you return by means of the October Peanuts archives and browse a bunch of Nice Pumpkin comedian strips back-to-back, the impact is twofold. For one, for individuals who have watched the TV particular a bunch however haven’t learn these strips earlier than, it feels such as you’re getting deleted scenes from the particular, and it is a variety of enjoyable to see the opposite methods Linus tries to persuade his mates of the Nice Pumpkin’s existence and all of the other ways they discover him to be ridiculous.
The opposite impact of studying a variety of these strips directly is that Linus feels a bit totally different. Within the particular, he looks as if he merely has a unusual perception, however the strips make Linus seem like he’s an obsessed madman. It makes every thing associated to the Nice Pumpkin that a lot funnier. This sense pays off significantly effectively when you return and browse the complete month of Peanuts comics from October 1964.
Typically, Schulz would do Nice Pumpkin-themed strips just some days earlier than Halloween — possibly one week earlier than, at most — then he would normally take the primary day or two of November to indicate Linus complaining that he’d missed the Nice Pumpkin once more. However in 1964, he did issues a bit in another way. On Oct. 5, 1964, Schulz started a multi-week storyline about Linus working for sophistication president. 1964 was an election yr, and this was only a month away from the presidential election, so it was a well timed storyline for Schulz.
For 2 weeks straight, just about every thing within the sketch was all about Linus’ run for workplace, and Linus is an excellent candidate. He makes highly effective, even considerably revolutionary speeches, which get his classmates all riled up. He retains on rising within the polls. Linus is all set to win the election, then on Oct. 21, Schulz — and Linus — did one thing utterly sudden. Whereas making his rousing ultimate speech earlier than the election, Linus talks concerning the Nice Pumpkin, which instantly destroys his run for workplace.
If the strip is taken by itself, the context remains to be clear about Linus working for workplace and the way one excessive political place or misstep in a single speech can destroy a candidate’s probabilities. However the truth that Schulz spent two entire weeks ignoring the Nice Pumpkin solely to then make it your entire focus in the long run is past good. It additionally makes Linus appear downright deranged for his beliefs. The time and persistence this took illustrates Schulz’s sheer brilliance as each a storyteller and a joke-teller, which is why it takes the cake — or, possibly, pumpkin pie? — as the best Nice Pumpkin strip ever.