Saturday Morning "Spike"

When I was a kid “Garfield and Friends” had a good long run on Saturday morning television. I seem to remember it was so popular it actually bled over and played in that early afternoon slot that twenty years ago was occupied by cartoons and now is taken up by Maury’s paternity tests. Around this heyday I told my Mom that there should be a Snoopy cartoon on Saturday morning. She said there had been, but it didn’t really work. I couldn’t imagine that a weekly Charlie Brown show could be any less great than that of his frequent primetime neighbor Garfield. It was only a few years later that the video releases of “The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show” came around exposing me to what I had missed when the show ran from 1983-1985.



Nineteen episodes were produced (according to Wikipedia, the world’s most reliable source) and were released on VHS two at a time in the nineties. The weekly show had a different vibe to it than the primetime specials. There were usually three different shorts in each episode that told simple stories based loosely on the daily comics. It’s likable, happy, full of well-loved characters but on the whole didn’t work. It’s hard to say what exactly didn’t translate but it’s right there. My opinion is that in bringing it into the world of other mindless Saturday morning comedies, they extracted the more adult themes often explored in the strip and replaced it with super-kiddy-friendly zaniness and random weirdness. It’s not terrible however, there are far more objectionable ways to pass 23 minutes, but its most likely best enjoyed by the die-hard fan. And since I obviously fit that description . . .



First up 1985’s, “Snoopy’s Brother Spike,” from the eighth volume of the video release. I do have to mention that one of the most enjoyable things about the series is its very catchy title sequence. “Let’s have a party with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, we can go dancing with Linus and Lucy . . .” The song first appeared on the album “Flashbeagle,” which coincided with the primetime special of the same hip, happening name.



The first short in this episode is entitled “The Pelicans,” which surprisingly refers to the name of Peppermint Patty’s baseball team. (Charlie Brown’s team has been beaten by The Pelicans all these years?) Peppermint Patty kicks us off by asking Chuck to help out her team one sunny day. He, of course, assumes she needs a relief pitcher, but alas no. This week’s humiliation comes in the form of Charlie Brown selling popcorn in the stands. The best part of this vignette is Charlie Brown’s constant amazement at the level of Peppermint Patty’s ball team. “You have fans?” “You hit home runs?”



After Chuck’s spent the whole game pestering Peppermint Patty to play, she finally lets him take the field. She then utters those famous last words, “we’re so far ahead we can’t lose!” This is immediately followed by Charlie Brown beaning her in the head with a baseball, sending her into a coma. When she wakes up, she vows to Marcie that she will see revenge. (No, really.) And her vengeance? It comes in the form of a pelican mascot costume. Charlie Brown, being unfamiliar with the term “self respect,” is tipped off by Marcie that the whole pelican thing sort of makes him look like a loser and won’t get him anywhere with that really hot red-headed chick. This of course leads to Snoopy donning the pelican suit and planting a big wet one on the schnoz of Peppermint Patty. He is of course the natural choice to be the pelican anyway. He made a damn good penguin once upon a Christmas play and, well, penguin and pelican sound the same.



The second story this morning is an even more direct callback to one of our favorite holiday traditions. “The Great Pumpkin” takes place one other Halloween. This one is a lot less festive, but still gives Linus a chance to espouse his beliefs to everyone within earshot. You see, this year there’s a big Halloween bowling tournament that’s got everyone all atwitter. Except of course for Linus, who is busy hooking up his pumpkin patch to a steady IV drip of sincerity. Peppermint Patty takes this opportunity to once again rub her outstanding athletic abilities in everyone’s faces. She teaches clumsy old Charlie Brown the ins and outs, the strikes and spares, etc. And for once, good ol’ Chuck has found a sport he can excel in!



Meanwhile, back in the patch, we see that Sally hasn’t learned her lesson, and is once again dangerously on the verge of missing all the fun in the name of her Sweet Babboo. At least this time they’ve got Snoopy with them, so there won’t be anymore “misunderstandings” when the Great Pumpkin comes . . .



That is until Charlie Brown gets a case of the nervous bowels and completely freaks at this bowling tournament (which is the least Halloweeny thing I have ever seen. Not one costume. No big hanging black cats. No jack-o-lanterns as far as the eye can see. This bowling alley sucks). Chuck is so jittery he bowls the wrong way.

And then we learn that Linus’ pumpkin patch is right outside the bowling alley, since Charlie Brown’s ball comes flying and bowls over Snoopy, Linus, and Sally. (Is there an excuse for such a lame Halloween party, if the bowling alley is right next to a pumpkin patch?! And c’mon Linus, how sincere could this pumpkin patch be, if drunken bowlers are probably coming out and puking in it every night?)



Those worries aside, Linus defies all logic and believes that the bowling ball was The Great Pumpkin. Okay. Then where are your toys, Linus? Where are your toys?? But, we humans are definitely capable of delusions. Maybe that was the point. I hope so, because I would have to be delusional to believe Charlie Brown could go one entire Halloween without someone giving him a rock.

This brings us to the final act, a little character study known as “Spike.” Possibly unbeknownst to you, Snoopy has quite a number of brothers and sisters. Belle, Spike, and I know there’s a fat one too. Spike is the brother that lives in Needles, Arizona in a cactus. (Fun fact: There really is a Needles, AZ and it pretty much looks like it does here: sand, tumbleweed, and a bounty of cacti. And if you happen to drive by it on the freeway, you’ll see a certain Snoopy sibling smiling back at you from the city limits sign.)

Spike is coming for a visit! And everyone is super-jazzed. Really. They can barely contain themselves. Mostly, Charlie Brown and Snoopy seem to think Spike will come and murder the cat that lives next door. You see, this cat is evil and is frequently known to shred Snoopy’s doghouse. He deserves to die.



So when Spike arrives and is pronounced by Lucy to be “as thin as a promise,” she decides to take in the spindly little puppy and fatten him up. She generously lets him camp out in Linus’ bed and puts him on an all milkshake diet. Linus is less than thrilled, but when Lucy is wearing an index card in her hair, you know she means business.



The fattening works and is met with celebrations comparable with those that would meet a newly risen Christ. But when pitted against Satan’s pussycat next-door Spike sets the record for world’s fastest weight loss. Seriously. In less than two seconds Spike sheds the milkshake weight and faints dead away. Someone should box up this cat and sell tickets. Fat people would line up for miles.




On the upside though, this event gives Charlie Brown reason to give us a variation on one of his trademarked catchphrases: “Why can’t I have a normal dog like everybody else, and why can’t he have a normal brother?”

All in all, a pleasant, if not an altogether too memorable experience. And I guess that’s about all one could ask of most Saturday morning cartoons. I won’t rate this one on the doghouse scale, as these episodes are clearly in another league. If you’re interested most of these videos are available on Amazon used for less than ten bucks.

Up next: the CB&SS episode titled "Snoopy's Robot," a futristic outing that combines elements of Peanuts, Star Wars, and the lesser known works of Phillip K. Dick.