Easter is getting closer and with it, ideas of what to get my kids for their Easter Baskets. I love finding fun and unique things for them, as well as classic and loved items. I recently got the most fun package from my friends at FHE, and my kids basically pushed me out of the way to get everything out. That is how much they loved what came in this box. The giant Easter Beagle was immediately fought over, and the movie and bags of candy were immediately declared perfect for a family movie night. Of course I couldn’t have agreed more and we all loved sitting down together and enjoying “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown” movie and having the yummy snacks. Snoopy sat on the couch with us happily enjoying it all getting snuggles from my 4 and 6 year old kiddos. I am excited to be offering one of these great prize packs in a giveaway, so keep reading to see how you can win!
Here are some fun facts about the history of the Easter Beagle*:
A Hopping Debut
- Snoopy first appeared as “the Easter Bunny” on April 14, 1968, but Charles Schulz did not give the character the name “the Easter Beagle” until three years later.
- In that first 1968 strip, Linus was the only one to witness “the Easter Bunny” dancing around the front yard and hiding eggs in the bushes—Lucy was too busy watching television to notice.
- On Sunday, April 11, 1971, the Easter Beagle made his official comic-strip debut. Again, Linus was the first one to interact with him (although it’s Lucy who gets the Beagle kiss!).
- As with the Great Pumpkin, Linus is often the Easter Beagle’s messenger in the comic strips, alerting the other characters to the upcoming appearance of the Easter Beagle.
- During his April 2, 1972 appearance, the Easter Beagle delivers eggs to the members of the Peanuts gang…but discovers his basket is empty when he gets to Charlie Brown. This idea was adapted into the animated television special.
- Fortunately, the following year, on April 22, 1973, Charlie Brown does receive an Easter egg—this time from the Easter Beagle’s assistant: Woodstock!
- After two more Easter Beagle strips in 1975 and 1976, the character made his last appearance on April 7, 1985—when Sally got the Charlie Brown treatment.
- Charles Schulz once said in an interview that the Easter Beagle was his favorite of all of Snoopy’s alter egos.
A TV Star Is Born
- The Easter Beagle made his television debut on April 9, 1974, when CBS first aired It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown.
- This was the 12th animated special to be based on the Peanuts comic strip, and the fourth to be associated with a holiday (the others are A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving).
- Much of the special concerns Peppermint Patty’s disastrous (and hilarious) attempts to make Easter eggs—she tries roasting them, toasting them, and putting them in a waffle maker before trying to boil them (and making egg soup!).
- Linus sounds the alert, letting everyone know that the Easter Beagle is coming. Sally, however, is a little suspicious, since the last time she believed Linus’s reports on a famous holiday character, she missed all the trick or treating while waiting with Linus in a pumpkin patch for the non-arrival of the Great Pumpkin.
- This year, It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown will air on ABC. (Date and time to be announced.)
* Courtesy the Peanuts Wiki: peanuts.wikia.com
Enter to win the Easter Beagle stuffed animal, A DVD of It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, and Peanuts bone candy and Crunch Eggs peanuts candy! Giveaway will run from 3/14/16 – 3/21/16. Open to US only. Must be 18 or older to enter. All entries will be verified. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email or a new winner will be chosen. Good Luck!
Here are some more fun PEANUTS items you can add to your kids’ Easter baskets!
I like to eat candy.
Dying eggs and doing the easter egg hunt has always been my favorite!
I would say the easter egg hunt and Easter Mass
I love hunting Easter Eggs and going to Church. Thank you
For me it’s definitely the good ol’ egg hunt!
My favorite Easter tradition is dyeing eggs.
My favorite tradition is having an Easter egg hunt for the kids.
Easter Egg Hunt
A family brunch after church with a Easter egg hunt
My favorite Easter tradition is taking the entire day before Easter and shopping with my daughter and then watching movies together.
We go to church every year on Easter.
My favorite Easter tradition is watching my grandson hunt for all his hidden Easter eggs, that is so much fun!
Dying easter eggs with my children, than having a nice ham dinner with my family !
Ham for dinner on Easter Sunday.
Thanks for the contest.
My favorite Easter tradition is going to Easter sunrise service then go out to eat pancakes.
My favorite tradition is enjoying a nice dinner with my family. This year it might be watching my little nephew go on an egg hunt. We are going over my brother’s place for Easter this year.
My favorite is our family Easter Eggs hunts.
We all go over to my parents house for an Easter egg hunt for all her grand babies.
Our favorite tradition is opening the easter baskets!
my favorite Easter tradition is going to Easter egg hunts and going to church.
My favorite tradition is eating a chocolate bunny!
my favorite tradition is taking my girls to get new outfits for Easter. I can remember how excited my sister and I used to get when my mom would take us to get our Easter outfits.
Dyeing the easter eggs with my nieces
I like egg hunts and crafts with my kids.
I like easter egg hunts.
I like surprising the kids with Easter baskets.
I like family dinners
The Easter Egg hunt with all the kids is my favorite tradition.
My favorite is trying to figure out what to but to put in the Easter Baskets!
My favorite Easter tradition is doing a Easter egg hunt for the kids
My favorite Easter tradition in baking and decorating Easter sugar cookies with the kiddos! Thanks so much for the opportunity! Great Prize!
I like the egg hunts for the kids.
Going to our church for service and then an Easter egg hunt.
We share Easter dinner with a varied group of friends. We get to catch up and share some great food.
My favorite Easter tradition is going to my sister’s house for Egg hunting and dinner
Thank You
Oh one of my favorite Easter traditions is one we started just last year. We filled the eggs with glow sticks and had a night time Easter egg hunt. We had so much fun!
My favorite tradition is going to church with my family.
My favorite Easter tradition is taking the kids on an Egg Hunt.
Making Easter baskets for the family and hosting a big dinner.
Sneaking over to relatives’ houses and decorating their yards without getting caught
My favorite easter tradition is decorating easter eggs together.
it would be having a cookout along with a easter egg hunt with family
We love having Easter Dinner and an Easter Egg Hunt!
Our favorite traditions are going to church on Easter morning, and going to my sister’s house for a big dinner and having a Big Easter egg hunt with the kids.
Commented on non-giveaway post as Janet W.
https://lovebugsandpostcards.com/5-ways-maintain-healthy-lifestyle-work-desk-job/#comment-62171
My favorite Easter tradition is our annual family Easter Egg Hunt for the little children in our extended family. It’s so fun to watch!
I like doing Easter egg hunts for the kids.
We always have an Easter egg hunt. The kids love it!
I like Easter egg hunts.
Easter egg hunt with the grandchildren will be special this year. Easter dinner all together with family is a favorite.
My favorite Easter tradition is Easter dinner.
decorating easter eggs
The annual easter egg hunt! My kids are starting to get too old for that (I think…)
Now that our kids are grown, we really don’t have any Easter traditions.
I love Easter Brunch with the family.
Thank you for the chance.
My favorite Easter tradition is going to my Grandma’s for Easter Dinner
I loved doing the egghunt as a kid and love that I can do it for my nieces now.
i always hid filled plastic eggs in our backyard for our kids. Now I do the same for our grandkids.
My favorite Easter Tradition is going to brunch on Easter Sunday with my family.
My fave tradition is hiding easter eggs in the yard for the twins to find!
Painting easter eggs is our favorite.