60 years on, Linus is still waiting in that pumpkin patch. Craft Recordings is marking the 60th anniversary of the beloved PEANUTS Halloween special ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ with a full vinyl reissue of Vince Guaraldi’s 1966 jazz score, arriving August 7 and available to pre-order now.
The centerpiece is a striking 45 RPM zoetrope LP, animating scenes from the special on each side as it spins, paired with a new essay from Sean Mendelson. The collection gathers Guaraldi’s complete soundtrack alongside a selection of rare outtakes, following its first official release in 2018 and a 2022 expansion drawn from newly discovered master tapes.
Collectors get plenty to chase. An Orange 4-inch Tiny Vinyl arrives at Target on July 17, with “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” on Side A and “Graveyard Theme” on Side B. Pumpkin-shaped pressings follow August 21 in exclusive colorways: Electric Pumpkin Patch (Barnes & Noble), Pumpkin Spice (Walmart), Ghost White (Target), and Candy Corn (Craft Recordings), plus the fan-favorite Orange Pumpkin pressing returning to major retailers.
The music itself remains the draw. The score turns on the sophisticated, evocative “The Great Pumpkin Waltz,” inspired by Linus’ unshakable faith in the mysterious gourd, and reaches from the eerie “Breathless” to the playful “The Red Baron.” The evergreen “Charlie Brown Theme” and the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy” anchor the set. Guaraldi’s writing here is warm, witty, and quietly masterful, jazz that generations of kids absorbed before they knew the word.
The sessions marked a turning point. Recorded just weeks before the October airdate at Desilu’s Gower Street Studio in Hollywood, the special brought in seasoned composer and conductor John Scott Trotter, best known for three decades as Bing Crosby’s music director. Trotter helped shape Guaraldi’s ideas into tight, TV-friendly cues. The composer’s trio (bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Colin Bailey) was joined by Mannie Klein on trumpet, John Gray on guitar, and Ronald Lang on woodwinds, lending warm autumnal texture to the score.
Guaraldi’s mark on the franchise is hard to overstate. PEANUTS historian Derrick Bang noted that the composer established the franchise’s whole musical personality with this third outing, setting the groove every later special would follow. Lee Mendelson, the producer who first recruited Guaraldi, contributes an introductory note written before his passing in 2019.
The special itself was a phenomenon. ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ debuted October 27, 1966, capturing a staggering 49 percent audience share and earning an Emmy nomination, though unlike ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ it never got a companion soundtrack at the time. Guaraldi went on to score 15 PEANUTS specials before his death in 1976, leaving behind themes that became touchstones of American culture.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Tracklist:
Side A:
- Linus and Lucy
- Graveyard Theme
- Snoopy and the Leaf/Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair)
- The Great Pumpkin Waltz
- Linus and Lucy (Reprise)
- Charlie Brown Theme/Charlie Brown Theme (Minor Theme)/Graveyard Theme (Reprise)
- The Great Pumpkin Waltz (Reprise)
- The Red Baron/Military Drum March
- The Great Pumpkin Waltz (2nd Reprise)/The Great Pumpkin Waltz (3rd Reprise)
- Graveyard Theme (Trick or Treat) (2nd Reprise)
- Fanfare/Breathless/Graveyard Theme (Trick or Treat) (3rd Reprise)
- Charlie Brown Theme (Reprise)
Side B:
- Breathless (2nd Reprise)
- It’s a Long Way to Tipperary/There’s a Long, Long Trail A-Winding/Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag/Roses of Picardy
- Graveyard Theme (Trick or Treat) (4th Reprise)
- Linus and Lucy (2nd Reprise)/Linus and Lucy (3rd Reprise)
- Charlie Brown Theme (2nd Reprise)
- Linus and Lucy (Alternate Take 1)
- Graveyard Theme (Alternate Take 1)
- Charlie Brown Theme (Alternate Reprise Take 1)
- Linus and Lucy (Alternate Take 2)
- The Great Pumpkin Waltz (Alternate Take 2)
- Linus and Lucy (Alternate Reprise Take 1)
- Charlie Brown Theme (Alternate Reprise Take 2)