Unpacking Peanuts

Latest Episodes:

1969 Part 1 - Feelin’ Groovy Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

It may be Lucy’s Year, but Schulz is raising the stakes and going to extremes… and maybe feeling a bit nostalgic for good ol’ Minnesota… as winter sports are everywhere in the strip. Meanwhile… Sally is living in fear, Linus is getting involved, and Snoopy is going to the moon. Plus: The final Shermometer!

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter, and @unpackingpeanuts on Facebook and YouTube. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

1968 Part 2 - That’s Art! Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

The world is changing, and Charles Schulz is changing with it. As America struggles (once again) with racial divide, Schulz integrates Peanuts. Elsewhere, Snoopy goes on a quest to meet the mysterious “Lila”, Linus learns what art is, and Peppermint Patty continues to keep it real. Plus: How come no one sings “Chloe” anymore?

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

1968 Part 1 - Let’s Not Overlook The Possibility of Genius Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

What makes a bird a Woodstock? Well, someone must know, because even stupid questions have answers! We watch as the classic character slowly comes into focus, and marvel as Schulz remains firmly in the center of a changing zeitgeist. Then Michael takes us on a quick tour of Muscle Beach, and Snoopy kicks everyone’s butt in a sequence Jimmy believes reflects perfect management style. Plus: A square who doesn’t care, is no square at all.

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

Special Episode: Happy Anniversary To Us! Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

Good Grief, we made it a year! Join us as we pat ourselves on the back, talk about our other influences as cartoonists, and… oh yeah! Talk about Peanuts! It’s been a wonderful year, so please enjoy this bonus episode as a thank you from us to you. Plus: Jimmy makes a true confession that will rock the Unpacking Peanuts Universe to its core!

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

1967 Part 2 - No One Understands My Generation Either Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

It's the Summer of Love, and we discuss the real world inspiration for the Little Red Haired Girl. Meanwhile, Schulz continues to fine tune the characters in both design and personality, as he fills out the year with a mix of long sequences (The Burning of the Blanket) and sharp one offs (Bird Hippie!). Plus: What is “Peak Forehead?”

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

1967 Part 1 - The Day I Threw My Strike Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

Linus continues his reign as the master of sincere sarcasm. Sally gets hysterical, which Michael finds upsetting; and Charles Schulz, now the calm center of a worldwide phenomenon, works to integrate his flood of new ideas while maintaining his beloved core cast. Plus: Shermy lets it all hang out.

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

Happy Valentine’s Day, You Blockhead! Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Love is in the air… or is that despair? Sometimes it’s the same thing, especially for Good Ol’ Charlie Brown. In this episode, we read through all of the Valentine’s Day strips Schulz produced in the first decade and a half of Peanuts. Lots of classics here, from loverboy Snoopy to frustrated Lucy, and the ongoing comic tragedy of Charlie Brown and the Little Red Haired girl. Plus: Plus nothing… it’s just the Valentine’s strips. Whaddya want?

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

The Football Strips - Special Episode Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

In honor of the “Big Game” we take a look at all of the annual Charlie Brown versus Lucy football gags from the first 16 years of Peanuts. Is Charlie Brown an innocent? An optimist? A dupe? We may never know. But one thing’s for sure, Lucy sure can play him like a fiddle. Plus: The death of Krazy Kat?

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

1966 Part 2 - The Name’s Patty… “Peppermint” Patty Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

There’s a new girl on the scene and she’s set to be a star, as Schulz turns the kid comic genre on its head with the debut of a startlingly modern new heroine; the immortal ‘‘Peppermint” Patty. Meanwhile, Snoopy is living an adventurous life, and Charlie Brown has no idea what’s going on. Plus: Engelbert Humperdinck. No, the other Engelbert Humperdinck.

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.

1966 Part 1 - I Only Dread One Day at a Time Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Snoopy’s latest persona is a pop culture sensation, and he’s threatening to take over the entire strip! Unless the French Foreign Legion calls him away. Elsewhere, Sally still has her eye patch, Charlie Brown is still Charlie Brown, and Linus and Lucy are moving away! Plus: maze, M-A-Y-S, maze.

Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com

Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. 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 Twitter. For more about Jimmy, Michael, and Harold, visit unpackingpeanuts.com.

Thanks for listening.