For many Americans, the story of A Charlie Brown Christmas is as familiar as their own holiday traditions. The Peanuts television special has aired for six decades, and its scenes have become a permanent part of popular culture. Whether people first saw it on CBS, PBS, home video, or online through Apple TV, most can recall its story by heart. What many do not realize is that the version seen over the years is not the same one that originally aired in 1965.
The first broadcast of A Charlie Brown Christmas came at a time when television sponsorship was common. Charles Schulz’s comic strip was already well known, but network executives doubted the special’s appeal. Coca-Cola decided to sponsor the half-hour program, which meant that several parts of the show included sponsor messages, much like other programs of that era.
A Charlie Brown Christmas original title tag (1965)
In the original 1965 airing, there was a moment when Linus, while ice skating with Snoopy, crashed into a sign that read, “Brought to You by the People Who Bottle Coca-Cola in Your Town.” At the end of the special, the credits included another message, “Merry Christmas from the People Who Bottle Coca-Cola.”
A Charlie Brown Christmas original 1965 end credits
After its debut on December 9, 1965, the special became a holiday favorite. The following year, Dolly Madison snack cakes began using the Peanuts characters on their packaging and joined Coca-Cola in sponsoring another Peanuts program, Charlie Brown’s All-Stars! When CBS prepared to rerun A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dolly Madison asked for equal promotion, leading producers to remove the Coca-Cola credit and replace it with a voiceover mentioning Dolly Madison. Around that time, the Federal Communications Commission introduced new rules requiring television networks to separate commercials from program content. As a result, the sponsor references disappeared from future airings and were gone from later home video releases as well.
Over the decades, the special has gone through several small edits. Modern broadcast slots typically allow for twenty-two minutes of show time within a thirty-minute time block. Because A Charlie Brown Christmas is twenty-five minutes long, some versions were shortened to fit the time limit. One cut often mentioned is a scene where Linus throws snowballs at a can, though early claims that it showed a Coca-Cola logo have been proven false. Some stations took the opposite approach and expanded the runtime by adding short Peanuts segments to create an hour-long slot instead of trimming content.
It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown 1966 Coke sponsor open
Technological improvements also changed parts of the special. Animation has been cleaned up for high-definition and 4K releases. Sound effects were adjusted, and small details, such as Snoopy’s dog bowl, were recolored to make the picture look more refined. These updates helped the special keep up with newer television standards while keeping its original spirit.
Few people today have seen the full unedited version from 1965, but archivists and collectors have recovered copies that can be found in online archives. Today, A Charlie Brown Christmas remains available to stream on Apple TV, along with other titles in the Peanuts collection. Even though the show has changed with time, its message and charm continue to bring families together during the Christmas season.
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