Franklin, the first black ‘Peanuts’ character, will have a television special

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Franklin’s isolated seat at the dinner table in “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” irritated viewers of the classic that aired 50 years ago. But a new TV special coming out this month about the first black “Peanuts” character literally gives him a better seat at the table.

“Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin,” premiering February 16 on Apple TV Plus, will focus on Franklin’s origin story. The trailer, released on Friday, shows that after moving to a new neighborhood, Franklin Armstrong initially struggles to fit in, and children walk past him as he tries to strike up conversations. He vows to make new friends and win the city’s Soap Box Derby race with his partner, Charlie Brown.

In a light-hearted part of the trailer, Charlie asks Franklin about his musical tastes, to which Franklin gushes about James Brown: “You’re not related, are you?” Franklin asks, comparing James Brown’s face to Charlie’s.

The special was co-written by Robb Armstrong, the creator of “JumpStart” that inspired Franklin’s last name, along with Charles M. Schulz’s son and grandson, Craig and Bryan Schulz, respectively, and the executive producer of “The Peanuts Movie ”, Cornelius Ulianus.

With the “Peanuts” characters animated once again, one particular moment from the special’s trailer struck a chord with fans of the comic strip. Franklin sits in a controversially placed chair again, but this time it has been given an upgrade.

“Hello Franklin! We saved you a seat here! Linus says, referring to an empty seat between him and Charlie Brown on the opposite side of the table.

Some “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” viewers criticized Franklin’s place in the dinner scene in recent years, posting on social media that it was unfair for the character to sit alone on one long side of the table in a chair. garden while his white friends were sitting. together on the other sides of the table on sturdier chairs.

Robin Reed, who voiced Franklin in the 1973 animation, said MSNBC in 2021 that, even though her character’s seating position sparked controversy more recently, that wasn’t the focus when it first aired.

“It’s very easy to get offended or angry,” he said. “But we have to remember that at the time that actually represented progress.”

Many who commented on the trailer for Franklin’s special said they considered the reimagined version a victory, especially during Black History Month. Fans applauded Franklin. new chair on social media, pointing out how the measure symbolically honored the character who actually integrated “Peanuts” in an era where racial segregation was still vulgar.

Franklin was introduced to the “Peanuts” comic book universe in 1968, after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. prompted retired professor Harriet Glickman to ask Charles Schulz and other prominent comics artists to racially integrate their work. .

Schulz initially told Glickman in a letter that he was hesitant because he did not want to appear condescending to blacks. But after support from Glickman’s friends, who were black parents, and after Schulz stood his ground when questioned by the union, Franklin appeared in the newspapers. In his first appearance, which is also recreated in the “Welcome Home, Franklin” trailer, he returns the beach ball to Charlie Brown.

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