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'Charlie Brown Christmas' pops up on iPad

Developer Loud Crow has crafted a digital pop-up book based on the classic TV holiday special. Available at the App Store, the Android Market, and the Amazon Appstore, it features narration by Peter Robbins, the original TV voice of good old Chuck.

Edward Moyer Senior Editor
Edward Moyer is a senior editor at CNET and a many-year veteran of the writing and editing world. He enjoys taking sentences apart and putting them back together. He also likes making them from scratch. ¶ For nearly a quarter of a century, he's edited and written stories about various aspects of the technology world, from the US National Security Agency's controversial spying techniques to historic NASA space missions to 3D-printed works of fine art. Before that, he wrote about movies, musicians, artists and subcultures.
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  • Ed was a member of the CNET crew that won a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors for general excellence online. He's also edited pieces that've nabbed prizes from the Society of Professional Journalists and others.
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Edward Moyer
2 min read
 
I bet you could hum a few bars right now. Loud Crow Interactive

Having attended jazz pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi's alma mater of San Francisco State, and having played Snoopy in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" in high school (where I was voted Most Talented; go ahead and have fun with that in the comments section [alas--or whew!--it was before YouTube]), I think I'm more than qualified to let you all know about the appearance of a tablet and smartphone app based on the classic "Charlie Brown Christmas" TV special.

 
The man had a handlebar way before it was trendy. vinceguaraldi.com

Developer Loud Crow Interactive has crafted a digital pop-up book drawn from the 1965 show, an app that, as Loud Crow puts it, lets users "finger paint with the gang, go caroling with the Peanuts choir, and participate in the Spectacular Super-Colossal Neighborhood Christmas Lights and Display Contest to unlock decorations for your very own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree."

Available at Apple's App Store, the Android Market, and Amazon's Appstore, the $6.99 app also features narration by Peter Robbins, the original TV voice of good old Chuck. And perhaps best of all, it lets you step into Guaraldi's shoes (or slip alongside his trademark handlebar mustache) and bang out some of the unforgettable Peanuts theme music at Schroeder's piano. (Speaking of Schroeder, here's one last exuberant aside: Did you know that Silicon Valley's San Jose State University houses one of the world's best collections of Beethoven memorabilia? It's true.)

Here's Loud Cloud's promotional video (be prepared to stick your nose in the air and show the world your nostrils as you wildly do the Peanuts dance):