It’s a special day for Unpacking Peanuts. Charlie Brown and Lucy are here! We welcome voice actors Melanie Kohn and Duncan Watson to the show. They discuss their time spent as Peanuts’ star players, how they got the gigs, and what it’s been like reconnecting with Peanuts fans in recent years. We even get them to reprise their old roles as we discuss their favorite strips! Plus: Keene is nifty! For information about Melanie and Duncan’s appearances follow @melaniejkohn on Facebook Transcript avai...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 30
The most famous character never drawn (the movies don’t count, you blockhead!) makes her first non-appearance, and it’s a heartbreaker. Then Schulz writes a few anti-hallmark cards, and three goofballs openly ridicule certified genius Windsor McCay! Plus: Punchlines that punch you. 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 S...
Sep 20, 2022•2 hr 57 min•Season 3Ep. 29
The character of Charlie Brown is deepening as Schulz explores more subtle shades of emotion. Meanwhile, in the Van Pelt household tempers are wearing thin, and in Chicago It’s full on gang warfare as Harold gives us a detailed explanation of just how the syndicated comics game worked back in the wild early days. Plus: Harold and Jimmy try (and fail) to think of the word “avatar.” Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold...
Sep 13, 2022•2 hr 32 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Jimmy expands on his theory of how Charles Schulz is a character in Peanuts. Michael talks to leaves, and Harold gets his first comic book! Plus: Liz Phair, and Alan Moore, and Mort Sahl, and Gertrude Stein 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 an...
Sep 06, 2022•2 hr 30 min•Season 3Ep. 27
It’s the Swinging Sixties, and Linus wants to be all love! But Lucy might have a nefarious plan to thwart him. Meanwhile, Snoopy endures the Icicle of Damocles, while in the real world Schulz meets Hallmark to deliver some warm feelings. Plus: Hate at a Different Angle and a shout out to Librarians. 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 vo...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Harold, Jimmy and Michael welcome cartoonist and musician Todd Webb to the show! Todd is the creator of the critically acclaimed daily strip The Poet, and the creative force behind the music of Seamonster. The gang take a look at Todd’s favorite strips, and discuss influences, working methods, and why Peanuts is just the bee’s knees. Plus: Good Grief! Ernie Bushmiller??!! toddbot.com Read The Poet on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddbotdotcom/ Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 25
We wrap up the fabulous 50’s with a look at how far we have come! Michael, Harold, and Jimmy pick their favorite year of strips so far, answer the mail, and take a peek at a great “lost” influence on Charles Schulz. Plus: Buy Jif! 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 @unpac...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 24
While Charlie Brown is succeeding as a brother, Linus is ranting about someone called “The Great Pumpkin.” When he’s not fawning over his beloved teacher Miss Othmar that is. Plus: Sally smooches Linus. 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 Tw...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Sally Brown is born! Will becoming a big brother change Charlie Brown for the better, or is it just going to derail his baseball career? Also, Lucy starts a new business…as the gang’s gruff therapist of course! But is five cents too much for her “advice?” Plus: Schulz provides others a shelter from the storm. 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. Add...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Have you ever had to try to glue crayons together? Linus has. Jimmy tells more vaguely troubling childhood anecdotes, and Lucy thinks Charlie Brown is a spy. Meanwhile, back in 1958 it’s Liberals versus Conservatives as everything new is old again. Plus: Is Happiness Overrated? 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 Shukr...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Jimmy asks: What is art for? Linus becomes a fanatic. Lucy loves Schroeder. Violet admires her dad, and Snoopy starts a very weird trend. Be sure to tell your pencil pal that it’s another great year of comics from Charles M. Schulz. Plus: Hi-Fi’s and Hula Hoops. 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 ...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 20
We welcome the host of the OG Peanuts podcast, It’s a Podcast, Charlie Brown, William Pepper. William gives us the lowdown on his long running show and then picks his Fab Five Peanuts strips of all time! Plus: Does Lucy mean well? William Pepper's work available at Carnival of Glee Creations https://www.carnivalofgleecreations.com/ Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced and edited by Liz Sumner. Musi...
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Harold, Michael and Jimmy discuss what makes Schulz’s art different from contemporaries like Mort Walker or Dik Brown. Michael unlocks one of the secret Peanuts joke formulas, and we check in on the Good ol’ Angerometer. Plus: What a Team! Good Grief! 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 t...
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Charles Schulz is loosening up and branching out. He even hires his friend, good ol’ Jim Sasseville and launches a second strip. Meanwhile, Lucy is torn between the desire to create and the desire to destroy. Plus: Do polar bears get cold? 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 foll...
Jun 28, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Charlie Brown’s kite is stuck in a tree… for a week! We take a long look at this rarely seen series of strips that Schulz himself considered a high water mark. Plus: Bug watching with Lucy. 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 mo...
Jun 21, 2022•2 hr 33 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Lucy presents some little known facts and Linus figures some things out. There are a lot of kids in the Schulz household, and it’s fueling a whole bunch of hilarious comics. Plus: Charlie Brown gets what he wants… or does he? 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 @unpackpean...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 15
We are halfway through the first decade of Peanuts, and It’s been a thrill to watch Charles Schulz develop his strip from humble beginnings to the cusp of greatness. In this finale episode, we recap where we have been so far and hint at where we go next in the world of Peanuts. Plus: We answer the mail! Unpacking Peanuts Season Two begins June 14th Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced by Liz Sumner...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 14
It’s a year filled with classic jokes and classical music, but Charlie Brown’s stomach hurts and it’s all Lucy’s fault. Yet while Charlie Brown steps back, the rest of the gang rise to the moment. Plus: Jimmy reveals his pick for the GOAT Peanuts strip. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark. For more from the show f...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Schulz is living the posh life in Minnesota while willing Peanuts to ever greater heights. It’s the era of big laughs and big jaws, and Snoopy is busting out…and kinda ticked off! Plus: Snow comes UP, you blockhead. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark. For more from the show follow @unpackpeanuts on Instagram and ...
May 17, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Jimmy unleashes an outlandish Peanuts conspiracy theory as we investigate the strangest sequence in all of Peanuts when Lucy hits the links with … adults?? Plus: Braun… Charlotte Braun.
May 10, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Slick and ever-tightening cartooning mixed with some beautiful detail and a touch of the surreal is the look of the year for Schulz, and his cast of characters are growing richer and more complex as they feel unrequited love, sibling rivalry and more. Plus: Violet is ahead of her time! Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukrall...
May 03, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Linus is growing up fast. Also, how to become a virtuoso the Charles Schulz way, and more discussion about the letter “W” than is allowed in most municipalities. Plus: Filthy! Grimy! Children!
Apr 26, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 9
As Schulz world continues to grow both in life and within the panels of Peanuts, Jimmy, Michael, and Harold reflect on the influence of Schulz on their own process. Also Peanuts versus the Photorealists, the definition of fussbudget and variations on the theme of cruelty. Plus: Harold Googlestomps on Jimmy’s “research!”
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Join us as we chat with accomplished cartoonist, and Editorial Director of the Charles M. Schulz Studio, Alexis Fajardo! We discuss Lex’s two decades of work as the creator of the popular Kid Beowulf series as well as his work helping to produce Peanuts books for the world, and his top five Peanuts strips. Plus: A Peppermint Preview! Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced by Liz Sumner. Music by Mich...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 7
It’s the first appearance of Snoopy the mimic! And he may be the most complex character in the history of western literature, but he’ll always be Lucy’s baby brother to us… Linus is here! Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced 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 Jimm...
Apr 05, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 6
PEANUTS EVERY SUNDAY! Peanuts gets a Sunday page, and Charles Schulz comes out swinging. Interesting developments on the Snoopy watch, and Jimmy and Michael get a joke decades later than they should have, and the introduction of one of the icons of Peanuts… Lucy Van Pelt. Plus: Snoopy goes to the Electric Chair! Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional ...
Mar 29, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 5
It’s all the best, the funniest, and the firsts as we go through the strips of Peanuts’ first full year. We touch on the deepening of Schulz’s craft and themes, the influence of UPA animation, plus: the Zen of Charlie Brown.
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Charles Schulz spends his first year as a full-time cartoonist exploring the form, and honing his themes. Little gags, little folks, and toy pianos are where it’s at in '51, but is this new girl Violet good… or evil? Plus: What is up with this dog?
Mar 22, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3
We do a deep dive into the first few months of the Peanuts comic strip, as Charles Schulz and Charlie Brown begin their epic journey together. We meet our hero Good Ol’ Charlie Brown, his pals Patty and Shermy. Plus: A cute little pup named Snoopy. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com Unpacking Peanuts is copyright Jimmy Gownley, Michael Cohen, and Harold Buchholz. Produced by Liz Sumner. Music by Michael Cohen. Additional voiceover by Aziza Shukralla Clark. For more from the show follow...
Mar 15, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Peanuts is the greatest comic strip of all time, and three cartoonists, Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules! & 7 Good Reasons Not to Grow Up) Harold Buchholz (Mystery Science Theater, Sweetest Beasts) and Michael Cohen (Strange Attractors, Tangled River) are reading the whole thing! Join them as they discuss Charles Schulz’ comic strip masterpiece year by year starting with the very first strip on Oct 2. 1950 and continuing through all 50 years of the strip. Transcript available at UnpackingPeanuts.com ...
Mar 15, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1
