We all have seasonal traditions, many which stem from our childhood. Although I wasn’t the kid that ever liked scary movies (I still don’t!), Halloween still meant certain videos were played on a loop as I enjoyed the spooky season. One such VHS was ‘It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown’. For any Peanut’s fan out there, this little holiday gem is super cute, heart warming and the perfect thing to watch before a Halloween party to get you into the festive spirit. Now, living in Australia, we don’t follow the same seasons as those in the USA which means when it’s coming to Halloween time, my instagram is full of autumn cuteness, pumpkin patches and a plethora of adorable decorations that I will never be able to get because places like Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Home Depot just don’t exist.

I’m most envious of pumpkin patches; I freaking love pumpkins so the idea of running through a pumpkin field (without my mother panicking that I’ll get bitten by a snake and die) is really appealing to me. I don’t think anywhere in Australia has pumpkin patches like they do in the US and the closest thing we get is three different kinds of pumpkin already cut in half at the grocery store. Above rant aside, every year I like to get a few pumpkin decorations to add to my collection and this year I was excited to see how big my collection had grown. I realised that I could make my own pumpkin patch … so that’s exactly what I did. During October I like to listen to certain songs or soundtracks, one of them being ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown’ and that’s when the idea to do a mini Linus/Great Pumpkin shoot hit me. So, here we are.

In an effort to try to reduce the amount of clothing I am receiving/purchasing, I thought I’d just shop my closet and I found this red and white shirt which I found in an op-shop. I know Linus wears a red and black striped shirt but honestly, it still gave the vibes I wanted and I didn’t need to purchase anything. I figured my black capri pants, even though they are slowly falling apart, will do just nicely instead of black shorts. To accessorise, I wore some pumpkin studs from Erstwilder and a Lucy brooch from Erstwilder as well. Seeing as I’m missing my big brother, I thought I’d share some sibling appreciation by wearing Lucy. To finish up the final touches, I grabbed a light blue Ikea blanket that I’ve had for years (it’s my study room blanket), to make sure Linus has his security blanket.

The sign was pretty simple to make; I asked my husband to cut the top off a pizza box and then paint on the words. I really wanted it to look like a child painted it. The stick is the handle off my spatula and I used some duct tape to attach the sign and stick together. It worked well and I am now keeping the sign up in one of my pumpkin displays in the house. I really hope I don’t need my spatula for the entire month. This is a really simple Halloween costume idea especially for parents or those who just want something simple and comfy.

Many of us feel a little bit of pressure when it comes to finding an elaborate Halloween costume so I hope this simple outfit inspired you to just shop your wardrobe and have a little fun. Because the Peanut’s gang all wear pretty basic clothes, they are an easier Halloween costume option and go well on their own, in.a pair or with a group. This was a really fun afternoon activity to put together this shoot and I know my neighbours all enjoyed laughing at me as I set up a pumpkin patch in the local park. I think at this point they all think I’m a little eccentric and extra.

Before I wrap up I have a few cute ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown’ facts to share:
-After the show originally aired, children started sending Charlie Brown candy in the mail because he kept receiving rocks during the show (how wholesome is that?!). Apparently this went on for several years after the show was first aired.
-Charlie Brown only received rocks because of a playful argument between animators. In an interview with Washington Post, Mendelson revealed the dispute. “Sparky said that maybe we ought to have Charlie Brown get a rock… I said, ‘Oh, come on, that’s a little too harsh and cruel.’ But the more I protested, the more he wanted it. And after I protested more, Sparky said: ‘Okay, he’ll get three rocks!’”
-Anne Altieri, who portrayed both Violet and Frieda, was so nervous to be part of the show that she threw up every time she was done with a recording session.
-Snoopy starts the show walking on all fours but halfway through the episode, he changes to walking on two legs. During ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown: The Making of a Television Classic’, Melendez said that he “realized [Snoopy] just had to stand on his two feet to make it more cartoony.”
-The jazzy scores of the early Peanutsspecials were the work of composer Vince Guaraldi. When he was busy putting together “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” for the show, he decided to break for a shower. When he came out, he thought he heard noises outside and went to investigate, naked, and locked himself out in the process. Keyless, Guaraldi tried climbing a ladder to a second-floor window when cops spotted him. “Don’t shoot,” he said. “I’m the Great Pumpkin.” Police, who were many months away from getting the joke, let him back inside.
-Katy Steinberg, the voice for Sally, had a loos front tooth alway through filming and there was a huge fear that if the tooth fell out it would create a lisp and throw off the show. Steinberg was rushed to the studio that night to finish recording her line and the tooth fell out the next day.
-A real myth, at any rate. Talking to the Schenectady Gazette in 1968, Schulz saidthat since the special began airing two years earlier, he had received a number of letters from academics wondering where the Great Pumpkin story had originated. “A number of professional scholars have written me about the origination of the legend,” he said. “They insist it must be based on something.” Schulz suggested they broach the topic with Linus instead.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.