At Christmas, Charlie Brown and Coca-Cola Remind Us of Culture’s Sway
Tuesday marks the 60th anniversary of the television debut of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the animated classic that continues to charm both children and adults and communicate the true meaning of Jesus’ birthday.
By the mid 1960s, Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” cartoon was a worldwide sensation. The comic strip was running in over 2,600 newspapers and reaching over 355 million people around the world every day. As its creator, Schulz received the “National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award” for outstanding cartoonist of the year in both 1955 and 1964.
So, it wasn’t all that surprising when Schulz’s friend, Lee Mendelson, received a call from the advertising agency McCann-Erickson relaying the news that Coca-Cola was interested in sponsoring a “Peanuts” Christmas special. Could he convince Schulz to do it?
Schulz had been impressed with Mendelson’s one-hour documentary, “A Man Named Mays,” a special featuring the legendary San Francisco Giants outfielder. He agreed to sit down with Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez to outline the special’s storyline. It took them just one day.
The script was written, produced and recorded during the summer and fall of 1965. Schulz, a devout Christian, had been wanting his show to reflect the reason for the season. Both Mendelson and Melendez gently pushed back, but the Peanuts’ creator was insistent.
“If not us, then who’s going to do it?” insisted Schulz.
CBS Network executives were similarly reluctant. They also didn’t like the amateur voice actors the production used, the inclusion of the jazz musician’s Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack, and disliked the overall slow pacing of the animated special.
But there wasn’t enough time to do anything about it and so the show debuted on December 9, 1965.
By now you know it was a smashing success with nearly half of all households tuned in to watch Linus recite the Gospel of Luke and relay the story of Jesus’ miraculous birth. The 30-minute special would go on to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program as well as a Peabody Award.
For perspective, it might be helpful to recognize that even 60 years ago, corporate America was disconnected from what the typical American television viewer valued and appreciated.
Charles Schulz gets the rightful credit for creating a timeless program – but he should also be remembered for holding his ground and preserving his editorial authority and Christian convictions.
Critics of the ever-churning “culture wars” will often suggest the clashes either matter very little or are little matters that won’t make a big difference in the overall scheme of everyday life. They’re wrong. There’s a saying that politics are downstream from culture, which is true – but so are many other things.
Coca-Cola sponsored the first Charlie Brown Christmas, but the sugary beverage company also influenced the way generations of children view the image of Santa Claus. Prior to a Coca-Cola advertising campaign in the 1930s, Saint Nicholas was portrayed in various ways – sometimes elf-like and other times as a tall, thin old man. He was often depicted wearing clerical vestments or other ancient apparel that was sometimes blue, green or tan.
But then D’Arcy Advertising Agency commissioned an illustrator named Haddon Sundblom to draw the legend in a warm and inviting style. Mr. Sunblom used the description of the old man in Clement Moore’s poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas” to help inform his drawings. The plump and jolly Santa was born.
As Christians, we care about the culture because we care about the people swimming in its fast-moving stream. Culture matters because it’s comprised of people desperately searching for answers and direction in life.
It shouldn’t, but culture plays an oversized role in shaping how people think and ultimately what people believe. This is why we need to encourage more goodness – like the simple and innocent yet profound message of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
