Unpacking Peanuts
Episodes
It’s An Anniversary Show, Charlie Brown!
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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-P...
The Family Van Pelt Episode 4 - Old People Who Happen To Like You
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
The Family Van Pelt Episode 3 - The Goofy Dynamics Between Siblings or Why Linus’s Head is Dented
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Linus’s original struggle for security is with Lucy… and it was her blanket originally?! Plus Linus learns the difference between tv and reality i...
The Family Van Pelt Episode 2 - Big Kids Drive Me Crazy
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Linus is bringing out Lucy’s inner Lucy, yet somehow his head remains undented. In this episode, the Van Pelt kids’ personalities are slowly comin...
The Family Van Pelt Episode 1 - Schulz Tackles a Baby!
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Va...
With Patrick McDonnell, Creator of MUTTS
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Unpacking Peanuts Fun-Sized - Happy New Year!
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 - ...
Understanding Snoopy Episode 5 - When Woodstock Is Happy, I'm Happy
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone’s favorite abstract bird doodle takes center stage for this episode long look at Snoopy’s relationship with his “friend of friends” W...
Understanding Snoopy Episode 4 - As You See Him, You Will Draw Him
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Leon...
With Mark Evanier - Co-Author of The Essential Peanuts
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 hi...
Understanding Snoopy Episode 3 - It’s Kind of Magical
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
With Andrew Farago: Author of Snoopy: The Story of My Life
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
With Paige Braddock, Creative Director Emeritus for the Schulz Studio
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We are thrilled to welcome Paige Braddock, the Creative Director Emeritus for the Schulz Studio. Hired by Charles Schulz himself as Creative Director ...
Sittiin’ in the Mailbox #1
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The gang answers your emails in this special fun-sized bonus episode!
Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown!
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Preview: Jimmy Gownley’s Dumb Ideas
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Please enjoy this special full-length preview of Jimmy’s new podcast. It is available on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts. http://gvillec...
Understanding Snoopy: Episode 2 - A Few Lines Expressing Joy
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
Unpacking Peanuts - Fun Size
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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. Jimm...
Understanding Snoopy: Episode 1 - Super Minimalist Snoopy
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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/g...
With Nat Gertler, Eisner-Winning Author and Comics Historian
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Eisner-winning author and comics historian Nat Gertler is here to talk about his long association with Peanuts, preserving obscure Schulz art and comi...
Wrap-up Season 12 - No One Shook Hands and Said Good Game
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
2000 - Charles Schulz… How Can We Ever Forget Him?
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
1999 Part 4 - Rerun Would Never Pull the Ball Away
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 las...
1999 Part 3 - A Very Public Farewell
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Schulz announces his retirement from cartooning which gives the remaining strips an elegiac quality that’s hard to miss. Meanwhile, we say goodbye t...
1999 Part 2 - Snoopy, Woodstock, and the Times That Try Men’s Souls
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 small...
1999 Part 1 - I Am Not A Puppy Dog!
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Snoopy will not suffer fools. The gang visits an exhibit featuring Monet and McDonnell. Even the Little Red Haired Girl’s mom shows up. Meanwhil...
1998 Part 3 - Tell Me What I'm Doing Here! That’s All I Ask!
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
1998 Part 2 - Foxtrotting With The Little Red-haired Girl
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
1998 Part 1 - Are We Not Beagles? We Are Peanuts!
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
1997 Part 3 - Just Out of Curiosity, What Did You Have For Breakfast?
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
1997 Part 2 - Everyone Needs A Break Now and Then
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 fro...
1997 Part 1 - Every Child Should Be Issued a Dog and a Banjo
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
1996 Part 3 - Automatic for the Beagles
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
1996 Part 2 - Angel Food Cake With 7-Minute Frosting and a Side of Attempted Murder
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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. B...
1996 Part 1- The Strange Death of Tapioca Pudding
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
1995 Part 3 - The Outer Space Adventures of Woodstock and Spike
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Woodstock goes to the moon and it makes Michael’s head hurt. Cheating is rampant at Peppermint Patty’s school, but no one seems to mind. And Schul...
1995 Part 2 - Woodstock is Emotionally Bankrupt!
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Woodstock is at his wit’s end, and all his pal Snoopy can do is muse on Fitzgerald. Rerun shows us more facets of his ever expanding personality. Me...
1995 Part 1 - At Long Last, Charlie Brown is the Hero
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When a kid from another neighborhood takes advantage of the guileless Rerun, Charlie Brown steps up to defend him. Elsewhere, Sally is still Sally, Lu...
Special Episode: Slide, Charlie Brown! Slide!
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey, batta batta! It’s baseball time again, and the gang discusses one of Michael’s favorite Peanuts sequences and Jimmy fails to find Harold a fa...
With Lynn Johnston, Creator of For Better or For Worse
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world famous cartoonist of For Better or For Worse drops by to reminisce about her friendship with Charles Schulz, her career as a top syndicated ...
With Judy "Snoopy" Sladky
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Judy Sladky, champion ice dancer and the person hand-picked by Charles Schulz to portray Snoopy, skates into the Unpacking Peanuts studio. Judy shares...
With Rheta Grimsley Johnson, Author of Good Grief
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We welcome the author of the Charles Schulz biography Good Grief, Rheta Grimsley Johnson, to the show. Rheta discusses working on the book, discoverin...
Wrap Up Season 10: Snoopy and Woodstock, and Calvin and Hobbes
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the wrap up of our latest season, the guys talk about the many changes to Schulz’s work throughout this period, reflect on the reality of artists...
1994 Part 4 - Good Ol’ Down in the Dirt Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Comics
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Olaf and Andy are becoming their own unique comedy team. The falling leaf makes its poetic return, and Charlie Brown is possibly hypnotized by Lucy’...
1994 Part 3 - Far and Away One of the Great Tries of All Time
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The photocopier makes it’s exciting first appearance in Peanuts! The guys get deep into the discussion of how different readers perceive the art of ...
1994 Part 2 - Nude Beagle Descending a Staircase
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
44 years into his career and Schulz is still breaking new creative ground as a cartoonist. The gang discusses some of the formal innovations Schulz ha...
1994 Part 1 - The Smaller the King the More the Talk
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy diversifies her revenue streams. Lydia needs some love letters. Woodstock gets violent. Snoopy goes to the hospital. And Jimmy turns 22. Plus: Sp...
1993 Part 3 - I Never Knew Life Could Be So Beautiful
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Schulz is revisiting some old scenarios and branching out in new directions. Linus’s snowmen are back, Marcie is desperately attempting to understan...
1993 Part 2 - Who Reassures the Reassurer?
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A classic of the nineties is discussed, and we learn Schroeder is still the most highbrow catcher going. Roy Hobbs’ Great Granddaughter is revealed ...
1993 Part 1 - Nobody Told Me Life Was Going To Be This Hard
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sally has to butter her toast with chunky butter. Snoopy is attending school with Charlie Brown, and even the local mailbox is rejecting Chuck now. Al...
Special Episode: A Charlie Brown Christmas! - From the Vault
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As much a part of the holidays as Rudolph and mistletoe, the legendary first Peanuts special has lived in the hearts of millions since its debut in 19...
Special Episode: It's Christmastime Again Charlie Brown
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The gang takes a look at the strips and sequences that inspired the second Peanuts Christmas Special. Strips from the 70’s to the early nineties are...
1992 Part 3 - We Live in Interesting Times, Marcie
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cormac makes his well coiffed debut appearance and brings a bit of 90’s swagger to the strip. But will he be foiled by the Good Ol’ Flying Ace? Al...
1992 Part 2 - Linus, in a Light Jacket, Patting Birds on the Head
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy is the laughingstock of the neighborhood because Linus is patting birds on the head again. And that’s not the only throwback, because Violet ma...
1992 Part 1 - Have You Ever Written A Love Note, Linus?
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Snoopy is stuck at the Van Pelt’s. Lydia is still torturing Linus, and Charles Schulz is doing some artwork unlike anything he has created thus far:...
1991 Part 3 - Sally Is As Radical As They Come
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Schulz is getting pretty radical too… at least when it comes to new art techniques and comic strip approaches. Meanwhile, Lydia is still delivering ...
1991 Part 2 - Gatsby Had a Mansion in Jericho
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sally is teaching Sunday school and runs into a student as obstinate as she is. Linus is still fighting the struggle for security against Snoopy. And ...
1991 Part 1 - Maybe You Should Have Bought a Golden Retriever, Charles!
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Snoopy is drinking all of Marcie’s root beer, but maybe President Wilson can straighten him out. Meanwhile, Schulz takes some major new stylistic sw...
Special Episode: The Great Pumpkin - From the Vault
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was originally released on October 15, 2022. Spooky Season is upon us, and Harold, Michael, and Jimmy are taking a special episode long l...
1990 Part 3 - If You Don’t Want to be Perfect, You’ve Come to the Right Place
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcie is struggling with the pressure of being perfect, but there’s a place for everyone at the Brown house. Later, listener mail sparks a discussi...
1990 Part 2 - The Ballad of Brownie Charles and Peggy Jean
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie Brown has a girlfriend! The arrival of Peggy Jean is turning things around for Good Ol’ Charlie Brown… but that’s no reason for him to b...
1990 Part 1 - Home Again Finnegan
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie Brown’s family shares a tradition with Jimmy’s, but neither is gud at speling. A pencil sharpener inspires a run of the weirdest Peanuts s...
Season 9 Wrap-up - 1985-1989
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The gang talks about all of the “new” Peanuts characters. How have they changed since they were introduced? Which ones have become icons and who h...
1989 Part 3 - It’s Cute. It’s Sweet. It’s Funny.
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is it a case of mistaken identity, or is Snoopy an identity thief? Also, can Snoopy talk now?! Elsewhere in the strip, it’s a year of single panel t...
1989 Part 2 - Two Old Friends Sharing a Sandwich
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Snoopy is off on an adventure with the foreign legion. Marcie is making Peppermint Patty jealous, Sally is writing more essays. And the guys can’t d...
1989 Part 1- I’m Very Fond of You Charles, But Stay Loose!
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What did the future look like to cartoonists in 1989? Harold shares a fascinating look at what people were predicting for the future of syndicated car...
Special Episode - What a Difference A Panel Makes - With Todd Webb
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cartoonist Todd Webb, creator of The Poet, is back and we are taking a close look at the biggest change in Peanuts history,… the dropping of the fou...
1988 Part 3 - The Valley of the Dogs
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Well, it’s that time again… the every 500-year reunion of all the beagles in the world. Also, Marcie is on a real high, Lydia and Linus continue t...
1988 Part 2 - Little Snapshots of Their Lives
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Be ready! Pay attention! Concentrate! Cuz Schulz is on fire again, and things are happening! Lydia is driving Linus nuts. Spike is acting as Snoopy’...
1988 Part 1 - Do You Think the Red Baron Likes Garfield?
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The comics page is revitalized with new strips from young creators, and it seems like the competition/inspiration has revitalized Schulz as well! Also...
1987 Part 3 - Schulz is Still Number One!
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The working cartoonists of 1987 pick Schulz as the greatest of all time! But with all the talk of aches and pains, it’s possible time is catching up...
1987 Part 2 - Rerun is a Non-Sequitur
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After 37 years, Charles Schulz has created a world that his readers have taken into their hearts. And as Sparky looks back by reflecting on the origin...
1987 Part 1 - Linus, Lydia, and the “Shadow of the Past”
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Schulz is at a crossroad in his career. He is now a member of a Hall of Fame filled with mostly dead people, yet he is still a working cartoonist who ...
1986 Part 3 - I Will Destroy You and All Your Cousins
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Gang goes to Camp Remote which causes Marcie to emote. Linus also makes another strong showing with a few classic appearances, and the guys marvel...
1986 Part 2 - Woodstock Gets Buzzed
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Schulz is having fun reintroducing Linus, and he creates a great foil for him in the enigmatic and maddening Lydia. Then, the gang gives the Unpacking...
1986 Part 1 - Attack of the Nancy Fans!
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this wild episode, Unpacking Peanuts gets cyberbullied by a Who’s Who of Nancy Fans, including Bill (Zippy the Pinhead) Griffith, Tom (Seinfeld) ...
1985 Part 3 - Snoopy is a Punk Rocker
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a year of Sally’s anxieties, worm attacks, and hanging out at the mall. Some old favorites make some cameo appearances, Woodstock is bad...
1985 Part 2 - Go Back to the Future, Snoopy!
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Sally introduces us to “The Glamorous World of Punctuation,” Snoopy and Woodstock go fishing, and Schulz goes deep “Into the We...
1985 Part 1 - Peppermint Patty Gets a Win
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We start our new format episodes by answering a listener question about art versus content… for half an hour! Then we get into the strips (27:46) wh...
1950 Re-Mastered (Parts 1 and 2)
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As you know, Unpacking Peanuts began when podcasting was just in its infancy and people had yet to discover things like “microphones” and “earpi...
It’s a Clip Show, Charlie Brown!
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unpacking Peanuts has been blessed with a plethora (a plethora, I say!) of amazing guests. Hop into the Unpacking Peanuts Time Machine as we revisit o...
Special Episode: She’s a Pretty “Sharp” Mother
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Mother’s Day, moms! This one's for you. The gang strolls through Mother’s Day strips from the 60s to the 80s. Spoiler alert… a lot of them...
Wrap-up Season 8 - 1980-1984 - Snoopy v. Garfield: Dawn of Plush Stuff
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We wrap up the early 80s and then take a look at some of the strips sharing space in the paper with Peanuts this decade including Calvin and Hobbes, C...
1984 Part 2 - Peppermint Paris
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peppermint Patty flunks big time. What’s her punishment? A trip to Europe of course! Back home, Linus and Charlie Brown fail to notice a sea monst...
1984 Part 1 - Big Brother is Watching You, Charlie Brown
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 1984. A time for rumpled expressions, tall grapes, and spotting black. It’s also another year highlighting sports, exercise, and corduroy pan...
1983 Part 2 - Would You Like To Push Me Into the Lake, Sir?
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie Brown finds himself in the midst of a love triangle. Of course he has no idea what to do about it, but maybe Sally can help him out. Elsewhere...
Bonus Episode: April Fools!
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is it a bonus mini episode or a cruel prank played on you by the heartless hosts of Unpacking Peanuts? Only by listening will you know for sure! Plus:...
1983 Part 1 - I See You Have a Security Blanket…
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the guys ask what it is that sparks a burst of creativity? And how does the calendar affect a daily cartoonist. Linus kicks the bla...
1982 Part 2 - Kiss Her, You Blockhead!
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcie makes her move and shows Charlie Brown how she feels. Charlie Brown blows it, leaving Peppermint Patty to pick up the pieces. Elsewhere… Marb...
1982 Part 1 - Woodstock Versus the Ugly Giant!
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Happy any day, everybody! In this episode, Peppermint Patty is in a greeting card quandary. Woodstock is a knight in shining armor. And there are more...
100th Episode “Spectacular”: The Wheel of Comic Strip Destiny!
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The gang has a lot of fun answering the mail, and celebrates by taking a look at a totally random selection of Peanuts strips from the early 50’s th...
1981 Part 2 - If There’s a Foul Ball Behind 3rd Base, It’s the Shortstop’s Play
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcie accidentally tricks Peppermint Patty into thinking she experienced a miracle, sending Patty off on a quest to better the world. Elsewhere, Lu...
1981 Part 1- A Picture Is Worth 810 Words
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Schulz is bringing back some classics and balancing them with wild new directions. Lucy is at her crabby best. Linus is toting the blanket again. And ...
Special Episode - Love in the Time of Wishy-Washiness
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s that time of year again and the guys are revisiting the best Valentine's Day strips from the late 60s through the 70s. From Snoopy’s avalanch...
With Gary Groth of Fantagraphics, Publisher of the Complete Peanuts
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gary Groth is here! The Fantagraphics founder, and editor and publisher of the Complete Peanuts, tells us of his evolving relationship with Schulz’s...
1980 Part 2 - The End of the World as We Know It
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The whole gang goes to a new camp that’s predicting the end of days, and Michael, Harold, and Jimmy are there for it. Elsewhere, the Beagle Scouts r...
1980 Part 1 - Exclusive Rights to Your Shovel
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We get back into the strips and a new decade of Peanuts after considering the whole concept of decades and our strange practice of breaking down cultu...
With Benjamin Clark, curator of the Schulz Museum
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The fabulous curator of the Charles M. Schulz Museum returns for a fun conversation about what’s coming up at the museum, the success of Peanuts acr...
Special Episode: Happiness is Talking With Jeannie Schulz!
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are thrilled to have as our special guest, Jeannie Schulz! Joining her is Schulz Museum Curator Benjamin Clark. Mrs. Schulz shares with us memories...
Season 7 Wrap up - So Long Seventies
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We arrive at the end of another decade and give our final thoughts on a sweet, surreal, hilarious run of comics. Then we check the mailbox and have a ...