Unpacking Peanuts

The gang expands their scope, and looks at mean girls throughout the Peanuts run, including Lucy, Frieda, and Good ol’ Molly Volley. Aaron Forringer's story: https://shorturl.at/sbsOh Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Our exploration into the sassiest, snarkiest, twosome in all of Peanuts: Patty (original recipe) and Violet continues. These two may be mean, but they are also hilarious. But are they worse on their own, or together?  Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Michael curates a delightfully mean collection of some early Peanuts strips featuring two of Peanuts strongest (and meanest) personalities: the original Patty, and good ol’ Violet Grey. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Paul Hebert's article: A World Where Rage Was Funny and Insecurity Was Loveable: Peanuts, Doonesbury and the Long 1960s. https://shorturl.at/I6Qvk Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Just five short months after Charles Schulz’s passing, the top cartoonists in the field dedicated a day of their own strips to remembering Sparky. The gang looks at Peanuts tribute strips by Jim Davis (Garfield) Aaron McGruder (Boondocks) Cathy Guisewite (Cathy) and more. See the Go Comics article: https://www.gocomics.com/profile/OfficialGoComics/collections/44986 Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

We talk with Neil Cohn, an Eisner-nominated cognitive scientist who looks at how our brains perceive comics. His latest book, Speaking in Pictures, challenges the conventional understandings of how pictures communicate, how people learn to draw, and the nature of language itself. And Peanuts was fundamental to his ground-breaking research.  https://www.visuallanguagelab.com/ @neilcohn.bsky.social @thevisuallinguist on Instagram Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

In 1980 Legendary Captain Marvel artist C.C. Beck created his personal list of “The Seven Deadly Sins of Comics Creators.” In this episode the gang discuss Beck’s manifesto and see if and how it applies to Schulz's work. Shout out to TwoMorrows.com and AlterEgo for this article: https://www.twomorrows.com/alterego/articles/06sins.html Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.  

The gang celebrates the USA’s birthday by looking at one of the latest iterations of Snoopy’s alter egos…The Revolutionary War patriot. UP Recommends: The American Revolution by Ken Burns Super Context Podcast: An autopsy of media Gunsmoke on the radio Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The straight man of all straight men gets an episode all to himself. Will the gang finally crack the code on this beloved figure of Peanuts past? Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.  

Finally, it’s come to this: The Roy episode. Roy befriends both Charlie Brown and Linus at camp. And if that’s not exciting enough, old people talk about how neat telephones were. But maybe his main raison d'être is to introduce the world to the swinging-est character ever - Peppermint Patty. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Sally’s pal Eudora finally gets a turn in the spotlight, as the gang revisits her debut sequence from 1978 and finds a fun and unique character who still feels modern.   Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

We start our look at the bit players in Peanuts in this new season of “Sidekicks and Second Bananas.” In this episode Bill, Olivier, Harriet, Conrad, and Woodstock get to shake their tail feathers in the spotlight. Mentioned in the Mailbox: Health Capsules by Dr. Michael A. Petti and cartoonist Jud Hurd https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2022/06/02/health-capsules-1961-2022/ Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The gang takes a cockeyed look at the Peanuts strips that make you go “hmmm.” From Charlie Brown sharpening himself to the beauty of a girl named Truffles, it doesn’t get weirder than this. Strips we discuss and the original episode names: Truffles - March 31 & April 1, 1975 - 1975 Part 1 Spike and Woodstock on the Moon - October 6, 1995 - 1995 Part 1 Pencil Sharpener - January 25, 1990 - 1990 Part 1 Tapioca Pudding - September 4, 1986 - 1986 Part 1 School Building - January 8-9, 1976 - 1976 Part 1 Finale of Mr. Sack - July 5, 1973 - 1973 Part 1 Sentient Blanket - March 17, 1965 - 1965 Part 1 The Whirly Dog - March 14, 1960 - 1960 Part 1 Schroeder Meta Strip - October 1, 1952 - 1952 Part 2 Charlotte Braun — November 30, 1954 — 1954 Part 2 Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.  

Re-Run arrives and struggles to assimilate into the family for the next twenty years. Lucy is still a grouch. Sally still loves Linus. And speaking of consistency, which Peanuts characters changed the least? The gang investigates.  Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

It’s a fun-sized mailbag bonus episode! Listeners ask us probing questions like whose is the adorable voice behind our introduction, and tell us stuff we never knew like there is a plush version of Snoopy as Mister T. Plus more great business suggestions for Sony. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Linus is doing the St. Francis shtick, but that doesn’t stop him from playing a mean shortstop. The gang discusses Schulz’s ability to layer contradictory elements to create some of the richest characters in comics. Here's a link to our episode about the football strips: https://tinyurl.com/footballstrips   Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The gang celebrates four years of podcasting about Beagles and Blockheads by looking at a totally random group of Peanuts strips, and even a few non-Peanuts strips too! Here's to many more years of joy discussing Charles Schulz's masterpiece. Random Non-Peanuts Strips are posted in the Obscurities section of the website. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Lucy torments Linus with a call to their blanket-hating grandma. She explains that to be a good brother he has to work at it, and he succeeds with a bowl of ice cream. A new segment is revealed, “Hangin’ Out at the Thinkin’ Wall.” This week the guys discuss Snoopy before resuming the season-long look at the Van Pelt Family.  Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Listener Joshua Stauffer's new podcast https://joshuastauffer1.substack.com/ Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Linus’s original struggle for security is with Lucy… and was it her blanket originally?! Plus Linus learns the difference between tv and reality in language he can understand. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Linus is bringing out Lucy’s inner Lucy, yet somehow his head remains undented. In this episode, the Van Pelt kids’ personalities are slowly coming into focus… No wonder Linus needs that blanket! Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

It’s a new season on Unpacking Peanuts, as the gang begins a long look at everyone’s favorite venerable grade schoolers: Linus, Lucy, and Rerun Van Pelt. In this first episode, we review the earliest episodes featuring two of Charles Schulz' beloved characters, and the seeds of greatness have already been sown. Harold interviewed by Ted Koppel: https://youtu.be/DwsY4agO2qs?si=4Gf05kzociyR2cuI Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Jimmy’s, Michael’s, and Harold’s books are available at UnpackingPeanuts.com/store. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The Legendary cartoonist of MUTTS, the comic strip Charles Schulz once said was “the last great strip of the 20th Century,” stops by to talk about Charles Schulz, the craft of cartooning, comics history and more in this fun conversation. Don’t miss it! For more about Patrick visit MUTTS.com Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Happy New Year and welcome to all our new listeners! Here is a little intro to the show along with a look at one of our favorite strips of all time - July 11, 1954. Sample some of our early interviews in It's A Clip Show Charlie Brown - https://shorturl.at/kOX0f.  Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Everyone’s favorite abstract bird doodle takes center stage for this episode-long look at Snoopy’s relationship with his “friend of friends” Woodstock.  Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The gang takes on the epic task of discussing Snoopy’s many visual changes and go on a few cartooning-related side quests as well… discussing Leonard Starr, Stan Drake, Hal Foster, Harold Gray and more. Link to Snoopy image: https://peanuts.fandom.com/wiki/Snoopy?file=Image_2022-06-02_120907435.png Link to Scott McCloud's pyramid: https://www.scottmccloud.com/4-inventions/triangle/index.html Preorder 25th Anniversary Amelia Rules: https://bookshop.org/shop/Gville Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Comics legend Mark Evanier stops by to discuss his work on the amazing new book The Essential Peanuts. We discuss Mark’s life in comics including his relationships with icons like Jack Kirby, Jim Davis, and of course, Charles Schulz.  Mark's Blog https://www.newsfromme.com/ Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The gang takes a closer look at Michael’s favorite era of Snoopy. Fourth wall breaks, funny punchlines, and a healthy dollop of Beagle violence are all discussed. Then we answer the question…. Who is the GOAT-- Linus or Snoopy? Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.  

Today, the gang welcomes Andrew Farago: Curator of the Cartoon Art Museum, and author of several books on comics and two on Peanuts in particular. We discuss Andrew’s approach to crafting Snoopy’s “autobiography,” his love of comics in general, and his work on properties from Dune to the Ninja Turtles. Andrew's book and other museum events are available here: https://www.cartoonart.org/store/snoopy-the-story-of-my-life-the-myth-the-legend-the-beagle Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

We are thrilled to welcome Paige Braddock, the Creative Director Emeritus for the Schulz Studio. Hired by Charles Schulz himself as Creative Director in 1999, Paige is also the talented cartoonist behind Jane’s World, Peanut, Butter, & Crackers, and more.  Paige recommends the book Love Letters to Jane's World as a place to start. https://janesworld.us/janes-world/ Her current work, Peanut Butter & Crackers, is available from Penguin Books and from Nosy Crow in the UK. https://peanutbutterandcrackers.com/ Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The gang answers your emails in this special fun-sized bonus episode!

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Peanuts, Michael, Harold, and Jimmy each pick their top ten Peanuts strips of all time! Who picks what? Will one character dominate? One Decade? Listen to find out what is the toppermost of the poppermost in Peanuts five decade run of brilliance. You Tube interview Jimmy mentions: https://youtu.be/s_vmm4JW61U?si=lNs3Cqh-aQTz9D6F Our original discussion of Be Of Good Cheer was in our 1955 Part 2 episode from May 24, 2022 at 0:54:42. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Please enjoy this special full-length preview of Jimmy’s new podcast. It is available on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts. http://gvillecomics.substack.com

Our season-long look at the world famous beagle continues. This week we discuss Snoopy’s metamorphosis from cute puppy to banana nose anarchist to doghouse philosopher. Along the way, we discuss evolving art styles, Ninja High School, and Jeff Smith’s Bone.  The Buzzfeed quiz we talk about: https://www.buzzfeed.com/appletv/this-quiz-will-determine-which-peanuts-character-you-are Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Here's a short teaser for Unpacking Peanuts, the show where 3 lifelong cartoonists take an in-depth look at the comic strip masterpiece, Peanuts. Jimmy Gownley, Harold Buchholz and Michael Cohen examine the complete run of the comic by Charles M. Schulz from 1950 all the way up to the year 2000. Plus special guests and bonuses. Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

We’re back! And we kick off our new era with a season-long examination of the greatest comics character ever, and everyone’s favorite flying ace/grocery store clerk, Snoopy! In this episode we examine Snoopy’s origins as an unassuming little puppy, in an unassuming little comic strip. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Eisner-winning author and comics historian Nat Gertler is here to talk about his long association with Peanuts, preserving obscure Schulz art and comics, and why these characters still resonate within culture. Nat is the author of Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects as well as The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel. Find out more about Nat at:   blog.aaugh.com and gertler.com   Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

We wrap up the Great Peanuts Re-Read and reflect back on the fun and challenges of reading all 17,897 Peanuts comic strips. Then we discuss the death of Charles Schulz, the continued impact of Peanuts, and what’s up next. Plus: Rory goes to college. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

We complete the Great Peanuts Re-read, and bid a tearful farewell to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and Lucy. But wait, there will be more! Listen to find out what’s next for Unpacking Peanuts. Plus: How could it ever get better than this? Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The last full year of Peanuts comes to an end, and it’s a long series of goodbyes… to characters, settings, and famous routines; including the last ever football strip. And it’s a classic. Plus: What do you think of the coloring? Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Schulz announces his retirement from cartooning which gives the remaining strips an elegiac quality that’s hard to miss. Meanwhile, we say goodbye to Andy and Olaf, but Rerun continues with aplomb as he marches towards his destiny as an underground cartoonist. Plus: We should buy banjos. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

We inch ever closer to the end of Peanuts, and so we savor each strip (and farewell) even more! Rerun continues to shine, Woodstock appears even smaller and more fragile, and Patriot Snoopy faces the frigid Valley Forge winter…in August. Plus: We agree to differ. (Michael's Red Hand story appears in 1988 Part 1 at 27:07). Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Snoopy will not suffer fools. The gang visits an exhibit featuring Monet and McDonnell.  Even the Little Red Haired Girl’s mom shows up.  Meanwhile, the guys theorize with wild abandon about the coloring of Peanuts in the late 90’s. Plus: The Passive Voice is a pretty good band name. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.  

Rerun gets to the existential heart of Peanuts as he continues to shine in these late Peanuts strips. Meanwhile the guys talk about how audiences and critics relate to artists with decades long careers.  Plus: You try to warn them that the world has gone mad, but no one will listen. East Coast Collectors Weekend - https://eastcoastcollectors.com/ Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Schulz comes as close as he ever will to depicting Charlie Brown’s one true love, and it goes great…for Snoopy anyway. Elsewhere, Woodstock does the Moses bit and parts a birdbath, and Rerun gets a compliment! Plus: Tango Tango, Charles! Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The daily comics have turned full color, and so the guys get into the nitty gritty of comic strip coloring and wonder if the entire form has de-volved over time. Then they ponder mysteries like “What IS Rerun’s real name anyway?” And we hear from readers answering the question “What is Peanuts?” Plus: Dodging questions from curious outsiders. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Rerun hides under the bed again. Lucy and Charlie Brown go on a date. Michael causes the gang to have an existential crisis and the very concept of the podcast is shaken to the core! Woodstock leads Olaf and Andy to the edge of the earth. And Zipatone ties the room together. Plus: Al Pacino! Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

Charles Schulz announces he will be taking his first five week sabbatical after Jeannie says he’s “getting jumpy.” Then he gets a big thrill from a call by one of his artistic heroes. In the strip, Rerun is in kindergarten and the stress is slowly destroying him! Plus: The Little Pig Haired Girl? Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

After years of hearing Sally’s philosophies, Charlie Brown comes up with one of his own. Rerun and Snoopy have a lot of fun together, even if they don’t know what they’re doing. And the gang takes on perhaps the weirdest Peanuts strip of them all… or maybe it’s just an ad. Plus: Crybaby Boobie, we hardly knew ye. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

The gang furthers their discussion about what Peanuts is and how it works, and then talks about the difference tools make in the life of an artist. In the strip, Rerun continues to show new aspects of his personality, Lucy isn’t slipping at all, and we bid a fond farewell to one of the oldest Peanuts cast members. Plus: Mutts Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.  

Harold takes us on a deep dive into the back issues of Editor and Publisher to tell a dark tale of real life drama that touched the Schulz universe. But it’s not all gloom and doom. Harriet is back and she brought baked goods! Plus: The One Note Samba Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.

In this episode, the guys have a long discussion about what makes Peanuts work, and how Schulz’s presence is felt in the strip. Can that be the key to understanding Peanuts? Or is it possible we’re overthinking this? Meanwhile, Rerun provides some of the strip’s best moments. Charlie Brown is still up all night. And Spike is still fighting in the trenches. Plus: Charlie Brown has a thing for redheads. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, Harold Buchholz, and Liz Sumner. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark.  For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and Threads, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook, Blue Sky, and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.   Thanks for listening.