One of the most iconic comic characters of all time is coming to your TV set this Thursday, and he’ll be representing Scouting in his own way.
Beagle Scout Snoopy will be one of the floats in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Resting on the brim of his Scout hat will be none other than Woodstock.
It’s the latest version of Snoopy to appear in the parade, following Snoopy the Astronaut, Skater Snoopy, Snoopy & Woodstock, and many more.
The history of Peanuts and Scouting
Snoopy’s first appearance in Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts comic was way back in 1950, but he didn’t join Scouting until 1974.
“Charles Schulz developed Snoopy as a Beagle Scout in the mid-1970s,” according to the Charles M. Schulz Museum. “Although Snoopy debuted as a ‘tenderpaw’ on May 13, 1974, it only took him two days to declare himself ‘the World Famous Beagle Scout!’ ”
Check out these Peanuts BSA commercials
Around that same time, Snoopy appeared in a handful of commercials for the BSA.
According to the BSA’s 1976 Annual Report, “Snoopy’s Cub Scout Pack,” a television spot promoting Cub Scouting and using Charles Schulz’s cartoon characters, was released near the end of that year.
Charlie Zimmerman, a BSA professional in Peoria, Illinois, sent me a link to this commercial from 1984. However, the dialogue exactly matches a script I found in the BSA’s Records Management division from 1976. Maybe it’s a remake of the same commercial? Or perhaps, as Zimmerman guesses, the same commercial recorded 8 years later?
In 1979, Charlie Brown was featured in a commercial promoting the program known then as Boy Scouts.
How do I watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The parade will air live on NBC beginning at 8:30 Eastern. You can watch a Spanish version of the telecast on Telemundo.
If you’re more of the streaming type, you can watch the parade on the NBC-owned Peacock streaming service.
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