Poor Charlie Brown. For somebody as optimistic and persevering as he tries to be, he certain does not get the identical kindness proven to him in return. In a manner, that is the entire level of the long-running (and beloved) Peanuts caricature that was created by Charles M. Schulz and debuted in 1950. Regardless of how egocentric or imply, vital or insulting, his buddies are to him, or how he by no means succeeds in absolutely anything he does (like choosing out the right Christmas decorations or untangling his kite from that pesky Kite-Consuming Tree), he does not let that cease him from making an attempt to achieve his targets and being the most effective particular person he will be. However over 1000’s of comedian strips and numerous vacation tv specials, there have been some moments that rise above the remainder by way of simply how terrible he’s handled by his friends.
The Peanuts tv specials have taken on an nearly common standing as an iconic piece of Americana — particularly on the holidays — so it is easy to overlook simply how darn miserable they’re. Whether or not Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, regardless of Charlie Brown’s optimism surrounding the vacations, he’s frequently handled poorly by his buddies, who give him stress, nervousness, and make him really feel badly about himself. Charlie was mistreated within the authentic caricature, too, however his buddies’ nastiness in the course of the holidays takes it to an entire different stage. Listed here are the seven most savage insults, accidents, and humiliations his so-called “buddies” have delivered, making us want we might give ‘ol Chuck a hug to make all of it really feel higher.
1 When Charlie Was A Pumpkin Carving “Mannequin”
‘It is the Nice Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’
Charlie thinks he is being given a terrific honor when Lucy desires to make use of him as a mannequin for her jack o’lantern at Violet’s celebration. “Me?” he says, clearly shocked. “You need me to mannequin?” It is solely when Violet begins drawing on the again of his bald head with a black marker that Charlie realizes that he has been made the butt of the joke but once more. His mouth scrunches into an angered grimace as his face turns pink with cartoon embarrassment.
As if being duped by his supposed buddies wasn’t sufficient, Lucy rubs salt into the wound after finishing her pumpkin. “Thanks, Charlie Brown. You have been an ideal mannequin,” she says, displaying that it was her intent to make use of and embarrass him all alongside. After this humiliating episode, it is a small miracle that Charlie Brown does not go full Carrie on the finish of Violet’s celebration.
‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’
For some cause, Charlie seems like this is the 12 months he is lastly going to kick Lucy’s soccer. In any case, Lucy claims, “the largest, most necessary custom of all is the kicking off of the soccer.” Charlie is sensible to how Lucy has handled him previously and makes her promise to not draw back the soccer when he goes to kick it. He costs determinedly ahead, reaches the ball and…kicks nothing however air.
Lucy swiftly pulls the soccer away on the final second (but once more), seeming to take nice pleasure in each mendacity to Charlie and probably inflicting him severe bodily hurt when he flies into the air and falls straight on his again. It is additional crushing that Charlie is principally punished for his seemingly infinite provide of optimism…to not point out that Lucy does not really feel compelled to indicate any regret for practically shattering her so-called buddy’s backbone.
3 When Charlie Was Invited to A Halloween Occasion, By Mistake
‘It is the Nice Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’
It occurred! Charlie lastly acquired invited to a Halloween celebration! He even does slightly glad dance to indicate his jubilation. In fact, it does not final lengthy. Lucy rapidly kills his pleasure, alongside together with his emotions of belonging and acceptance from his friends. “For those who acquired an invite, it was a mistake,” she warns. “There have been two lists, Charlie Brown: one to ask, and one not to ask.” As if that wasn’t disappointing and degrading sufficient, Lucy feels the necessity to make issues worse by surmising aloud that Charlie “will need to have been placed on the flawed record.”
This is not the primary time Charlie has been excluded from a celebration, but it surely’s additional heartbreaking to think about the nasty situation of Lucy, Violet, and the remainder of his friends sitting down and making it some extent to formally write down that Charlie is not invited to Violet’s celebration. Discuss taking bullying and exclusion to the subsequent stage.
4 When Charlie Was Handled Poorly Throughout Trick-or-Treating
‘It is the Nice Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’
Charlie could not have been extra enthusiastic about going trick-or-treating together with his buddies. His night time rapidly turns disastrous when he has a “little hassle with the scissors” making his ghost costume, turning his white sheet right into a many-holed mess. Sadly, issues solely worsen. Throughout trick-or-treating, each member of the Peanuts gang will get handfuls of sweet tossed into their baggage…aside from Charlie Brown, who will get nothing however a sack filled with rocks and disappointment.
Every home’s occupant affords the identical “deal with” of a grey stone adopted by Charlie uttering his pitiful phrase, “I acquired a rock.” As focused and shamed as Charlie should really feel, it is much more despicable that not one of his buddies supplied to share their sweet stash with him to make up for his unhappy little haul. As a substitute, they gleefully exclaim all the great treats they scored like sweet, gum, and popcorn balls. Some buddies you will have there, Charlie.
5 When Peppermint Patty Verbaly Abused Him at Thanksgiving
‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’
Charlie and Sally have already got plans to attend Thanksgiving dinner at their grandmother’s home. However all bets are off when Peppermint Patty invitations herself (together with Marcie, Franklin, and Linus) to his home for a feast that he is anticipated to prepare dinner. Not solely is Peppermint Patty’s self-invitation extraordinarily impolite and egocentric, but it surely causes Charlie to be full of stress and nervousness over the surprising company and “one other vacation to fret about,” particularly for the reason that solely factor he could make is “chilly cereal and possibly toast.” However he offers it the ol’ Charlie Brown strive when he, together with Linus and Snoopy, handle to throw collectively a carb-lover’s feast of popcorn, buttered toast, pretzel sticks, and jelly beans. He is fairly happy with himself. In any case, he did the not possible! He created a meal for his buddies out of the goodness of his coronary heart, certain that the gang would be thankful for his efforts.
However the wrath of Peppermint Patty is quickly upon him. “What’s this? A chunk of toast? A pretzel stick? Popcorn? What blockhead cooked all this?” she says with a disgusted grimace. “Is that this what you name a Thanksgiving Day dinner? Did we come throughout city for this?” Not solely does she invite herself to Charlie’s home and guilt him into cooking her a meal, however she has the nerve to berate him when she decides it is not adequate. After that show of awfulness, if there’s anybody who does not deserve dessert after dinner, it is Peppermint Patty.
6 When Charlie Expressed The “Vacation Blues”
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
The vacations are presupposed to deliver emotions of peace and pleasure, however Charlie’s not feeling any of that. As a substitute, he is wrestling with emotions of hopelessness and melancholy concerning the Christmas season and the commercialization of the vacation. As he confides in Linus, “I feel there should be one thing flawed with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, however I am not glad. I do not really feel the best way I am presupposed to really feel.” This is likely one of the instances when Charlie overtly acknowledges that he is an outsider and unliked by his friends, which makes it all of the extra gut-wrenching that none of his buddies acknowledge his emotions and supply a listening ear or serving to hand. “I do know no person likes me,” he says. “Why do now we have to have a vacation season to emphasise it?”
It doesn’t matter what he tries to do with the intention to carry his spirits, he nonetheless feels down within the dumps and goes as far as to go to Lucy for psychiatric assist. It is fairly unhealthy that he feels undesirable and unloved, however even worse that he appears for assist from the very folks tormenting him and who’re the foundation explanation for his destructive emotions. If solely somebody had supplied him a cup of cocoa as a substitute of stoking his melancholy and “worry of every thing,” possibly he’d really feel slightly extra jolly.
7 When Charlie Ruined Christmas
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
Charlie is lastly given some accountability and a possibility to show his value to his buddies when Lucy duties him with choosing a Christmas tree for his or her play. Charlie does not just like the choice of synthetic bushes with their metallic sheen and neon coloring that “match the fashionable spirit,” so he picks one which’s slightly extra…conventional. The one drawback? It is principally a twig with a handful of pine needles barely hanging onto it. Nonetheless, Charlie is pleased with it and might’t wait to indicate Lucy. When he does, he does not get the nice and cozy reception he hoped for. His buddies encompass him and the tree and, after each giving disgusted appears, take turns utilizing him as a verbal punching bag.
Violet and Patty name him “silly” and “fully hopeless,” whereas Lucy herself hurls essentially the most terrible, private, and degrading insult of all: “You have been dumb earlier than, Charlie Brown, however this time, you actually did it.” Even worse is that they fully destroy his shallowness, a lot in order that he descends right into a depressive tailspin, believing that he ruined Christmas and desperately looking for “anybody who is aware of what Christmas is all about.” Right here, Lucy, Violet, and Patty ship a number of the most vicious insults in all of the Peanuts vacation specials, incomes them nothing however coal in their stockings.
