ABC CELEBRATES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS WITH THE ANIMATED CLASSIC, "A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS," MONDAY, DECEMBER 2

Another PEANUTS Special, "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales," Based on the Works of Charles Schulz, to Air with the Emmy-Winning Classic

ABC celebrates the joy of the holidays with the classic animated Christmas-themed PEANUTS special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, airing on MONDAY, DECEMBER 2 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET). The hour will also include a series of Christmas-themed animated stories entitled "Charlie Brown Christmas Tales," based on Schulz's work, in which each of the beloved PEANUTS characters - Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and Sally - star in his or her own charming animated vignette. (Rebroadcast. OAD 12/6/01)

In the digitally-remastered 1965 special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees everywhere during the Christmas season. Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant, and Charlie Brown accepts, but it proves to be a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, Charlie Brown needs Linus' help to learn what the real meaning of Christmas is.

The cast of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" includes Peter Robbins ("Charlie Brown"), Christopher Shea as ("Linus"), Tracy Stratford ("Lucy"), Chris Doran ("Schroeder") and Sally Dryer ("Violet").

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" was executive-produced by Lee Mendelson and created and written by Charles M. Schulz. Bill Melendez is the producer and director, and Vince Guaraldi is the music composer.

On October 2, 1950 the PEANUTS comic strip launched in seven American newspapers. Who would have guessed the impact the brand would have around the world for decades to come. Nearly 60 years later, the comic strip appears in over 2,200 newspapers, in 75 countries and 21 languages. PEANUTS animated specials have become a seasonal tradition and thousands of consumer products are available in virtually all retail channels.

About Peanuts Worldwide

The PEANUTS characters and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide LLC, a joint venture owned 80% by Iconix Brand Group, Inc. and 20% by members of the Charles M. Schulz family.

This program is broadcast with Spanish audio via SAP and carries a TV-G parental guideline.