# Charlie Brown, Grinch, or Rudolph? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298 "2003-12-01T17:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/41 "2003-12-02T21:23:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > **1. Charlie Brown > 2. Charlie Brown** He’s a clown, that > [@](#): > > **3. Charlie Brown** Oh he’s gonna get caught, just you wait and see! Why’s ev’rybody always pickin’ on me? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/42 "2003-12-02T22:42:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kaylasdad99 \* > \*\*Sorry, **NoClueBoy** , _Linus and Lucy_ was, in fact, introduced in _A Charlie Brown Christmas_, the first “Peanuts” special. > > _You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown_ is a stage musical, and while it has been produced for television, it does not contain any music by Vince Guaraldi. It does have a song of Lucy teaching Linus some rather dubious information, but the title of this song is “Little Known Facts.” \*\* He’s probably confusing it with _A Boy Named Charlie Brown_, an unsold special about Charles Schulz that marked the first time Charlie Brown and his friends were animated outside of Ford commericals. (It should not be confused with the film of the same name, which involves Charlie Brown in a spelling bee). I am unsure inf Guaraldi had any input in this show. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/43 "2003-12-02T23:16:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Ah, but don’t forget – when he’s boxed into a corner, the Grinch can acquire the strength of **ten** Grinches, plus two! \*\* That would be twelve Grinches, right? ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/44 "2003-12-02T23:52:00Z")
1. Charlie Brown (who else?) 2. A Christmas Story 3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer I don’t think I’ve ever actually _seen_ The Grinch that Stole Christmas. It’s been on cable as long as I can remember, and I don’t have cable at my house. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/45 "2003-12-02T23:54:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mobo85 \* > \*\*He’s probably confusing it with _A Boy Named Charlie Brown_, an unsold special about Charles Schulz that marked the first time Charlie Brown and his friends were animated outside of Ford commericals. (It should not be confused with the film of the same name, which involves Charlie Brown in a spelling bee). I am unsure inf Guaraldi had any input in this show. \*\* Yeah, both you guys are probably right. I’ll have to unpack my albums (been in storage for a year now) to see what it says on the jacket. Did I at least get the song title right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/46 "2003-12-02T23:57:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kat \* > **The older I got, the more I hated Rudolph. Mainly because of the rotten way Santa himself acts in that show.** And the narrator’s line about getting the “womenfolk” back home before the storm hits hasn’t aged well at all. Was there another Rudolph special created by ABC? I remember watching a version of Rudolph on the ABC-Family cable channel last year. It seemed about the same age as the NBC Rudolph special, but was much, much crappier. Oh, by the way– 1. Charlie Brown 2. Rudolph (the NBC/GE version) 3. Grinch ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/47 "2003-12-03T00:23:00Z")
1. Grinch 2. Mr. Magoo 3-4. Rudolf/Charlie Brown (too close to call) ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/48 "2003-12-03T00:37:28Z")
Charlie Brown, by a mile. I don’t watch the other ones anymore, but I always watch this one. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/49 "2003-12-03T02:26:27Z")
1. Chuck 2. Grinch (hate that movie, but give props because alot of people love it) (Rudolph doesn’t rank and should not be considered part of any holiday.) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/50 "2003-12-03T07:52:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \* > **Yeah, both you guys are probably right. I’ll have to unpack my albums (been in storage for a year now) to see what it says on the jacket.** As long as you’re going to the trouble, treat yourself to a listen. 🙂 > [@](#): > > \*\*Did I at least get the song title right? 🙂 \*\* Yes, you did get the song title right: _Linus and Lucy_. (I have an _a capella_ vocal version by a local group called _Beachfront Property_, which I’m very fond of, myself.) ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/51 "2003-12-03T07:57:52Z")
1. Grinch (Boris K just makes this feature!) 2. A Wish For Wings That Work ("…she left me for an Albatross!") 3. Charlie Brown Rudolph is a punk and so is his fat, drunken whipmaster. ---
**Author:** ![BrandyFine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrandyFine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandyFine)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/52 "2003-12-03T08:00:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Askia \* > \*\*While it was definitely a fad for its era, I still hold a soft spot for Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas (with the California Raisins! I liked their rendition of ‘We Three Kings’) and his Easter and (especially) Halloween specials. \*\* I am trying like hell to find a copy of this. Any idea where I might start looking? Do they ever air it anymore? We Three Kings was my favorite part! ---
**Author:** ![BrandyFine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrandyFine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandyFine)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/53 "2003-12-03T08:02:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jess \* > \*\*Charlie Brown and the Grinch are pretty tightly tied for first place – I love both of them. But I think the Grinch may be just a speck ahead because of the lyrics to “Welcome Christmas” – _Christmas day will always be, just so long as we have we_ – snif. > > And I’d put “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” in the number 3 spot. You know, the one with Mickey Rooney as a somewhat sexy Santa puppet? \*\* Don’t ever leave out “The Year Without A Santa Claus.” What would Christmas be without **Heatmiser and Snowmiser!** ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/54 "2003-12-03T08:17:05Z")
Oh, and since I’ve posted to this thread a handful of times and have yet to rank the three, I might as well say now that I can’t do it. I find each of them indispensible in its own way, and if the inconsistently jerky motions of Rudolph sometimes give me the creeps, the lack of dialog in _Grinch_ leaves me feeling like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop (Roadrunner cartoons do the same thing to me), and Linus’s ability to cue the gaffer jars my suspension of disbelief. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/55 "2003-12-03T10:52:22Z")
It’s a close race between Charlie and the Grinch, but I think the Peanuts gang wins by a hair. My kids, ages three and nine, watched this yesterday afternoon. Both of them sat perfectly still and didn’t make a sound for 22 minutes. There’s not much that can do that, these days. Rudolph I can take or leave. The Island of Misfit Toys still gives me the creeps, and Santa does not behave as a good Santa should. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/56 "2003-12-03T12:49:26Z")
Last night Charlie and the Grinch were both on - simultaneously! That’s just wrong. We went with Charlie, mostly for the tunes. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/57 "2003-12-03T13:20:17Z")
I’d rank CBC at the top. Watching it last night, I had a couple new observations: 1. I only counted once where someone (Lucy) called him simply “Charlie” instead of “Charlie Brown”. Then I realized how funny it was that everyone calls him by both his first and last name all the time. 2. My gf and I dressed as Calvin and Hobbes for Halloween this year. Everyone guessed me as Linus. I didn’t realize how similar their clothes were until last night. I wonder if Bill Watterson was influenced by Shultzs’ Linus character. 3. I love the way the kids dance on stage. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/58 "2003-12-03T14:05:06Z")
I am 46 years old and saw the Grinch for the first time last night. It was on at the same time as Charlie Brown but I own Charlie Brown on video so I watched Grinch. It was good but can’t hold a candle to CB. Grinch was over at 7:25 so I turned on CB just in time to hear Linus tell the true meaning of Christmas. And as usual I cried. Must plan an evening of watching CB, Scrooge (with AS) and White Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/59 "2003-12-03T14:14:00Z")
FYI, the Grinch is on at 8 Eastern every night this week on CN, and it will be repeated on Christmas Eve. Plus, ABC Family is having a Rankin-Bass marathon this Saturday afternoon, and again on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Moreover, ABC Family is showing Christmas programming every night between now and Christmas (I watched Snowmiser/Heatmiser last night) ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298/60 "2003-12-03T15:24:59Z")
For anyone else, when thinking of Christmas specials, first and foremost before all the shows previously mentioned, does the electric razor commerical featuring a Claymation (or animagic, or whatever) Santa riding a (Norelco?) shaver through a snow-filled forest at night come to mind? I remember seeing that as a kid way back in the early 70s (if not earlier), and many years after that, and I think they brought it back a few years ago… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brown-grinch-or-rudolph/216298.md?page=4)