WASHINGTON — Fans of Charlie Brown all know the classic famous characters: the titular Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Pigpen and Franklin, among others.
But it's Franklin, the first Black character seen in the original Charlie Brown comic, who is being highlighted in a new special later this month that also appears to try and rectify a controversy from "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."
Apple TV+ released a trailer for the Franklin-focused special on Feb. 2, the second day of Black History Month. “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin” will be available for streaming on Feb. 16.
The origin story revolves around Franklin's move to a new town and his attempts to make friends, according to the official synopsis. In the trailer, Franklin is shown trying to use his grandfather's advice on friendship to meet new people, including Charlie Brown.
But nothing seems to work until Franklin hears about the neighborhood soap box derby race. The winner, who gets pizza for a year, will surely have friends. Partnering up with Charlie Brown, Franklin sets off to build a race-winning car, as pressure mounts on both their design and new friendship.
Franklin debuted in the Peanuts comic strip in 1968. He was written into the strip after a California teacher named Harriet Glickman wrote to Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz a few days after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, urging him to include a Black character in the strip.
Before Franklin, the characters in Peanuts were all white.
In recent years, a shot from the 1973 "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" special repeatedly makes the rounds on social media around the holidays. In that scene, Franklin is seated awkwardly, away from all of the white characters in the shot.
Schultz's wife, Jean, responded to criticism of the table setting in 2019, writing on her blog: "While it can't be known now which animator drew that particular scene, you can be sure there was no ulterior motive."
Intentional or not, the moment has stuck with many viewers and left a bad taste in the mouths of many. But the new film takes special care to show the changing times, with the infamous seat placement being referenced in a moment from the trailer.
“Hey Franklin! We saved you a seat over here!” Linus calls out to Franklin, sitting alone across the table. Franklin then moves to sit next to him and Charlie Brown.
"Welcome Home, Franklin" is the fifth in a series of Apple TV+ Peanuts specials produced by WildBrain Studios. While the first few specials focused on holidays and their importance (similarly to the decades-old classics like "A Charlie Brown Christmas"), the second wave shifts the spotlight to many of the supporting characters in the Peanuts lineup.
According to Animation Magazine, the Franklin-themed special was co-written by Robb Armstrong, the creator of the Jump Start comic strip and the friend Schultz based Franklin's last name on in the 60s.
