Halloween has long inspired memorable stories in Peanuts, with Charles M. Schulz’s characters bringing humor and nostalgia to the holiday. The Great Pumpkin became a recurring focus after Linus introduced the idea in 1959, and its stories later reached television and film audiences. A new ranking of the comic’s Halloween strips looks at ten moments that show why the seasonal adventures remain popular with fans.
Among the entries are Charlie Brown’s last-minute search for a costume, which ends when Halloween masks have been replaced by Christmas decorations, and Sally’s charming confusion when she forgets what to say while trick-or-treating. Another strip finds a young Lucy worrying that ghosts might sue her for copying their look, while an early Halloween appearance by Linus features a costume riddled with holes.
The list also celebrates the Peanuts kids’ inventive approach to collecting candy, as Patty, Lucy, Charlie Brown and Shermy use a shopping cart to get around. In another strip, Lucy tries to bring candy to Linus while he waits for the Great Pumpkin, but her patience runs out. Charlie Brown’s unimpressive pumpkin and Linus’s fear of being “knifed” while trick-or-treating provide more examples of the series’ offbeat holiday humor.
Snoopy helps turn Charlie Brown’s awkward pumpkin-head costume into a success by popping out and startling the other children. The ranking’s top pick is a colorful strip showing Linus, Charlie Brown and Snoopy waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Its nostalgic imagery reflects the storyline that became a fixture of Peanuts’ Halloween comics and later inspired screen adaptations.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.