“All I got was a rock.” A quote from the melancholy Charlie Brown that reminds people of Halloween season. However, rocks seem to be the only Halloween “treat” this year. 

Many families have celebrated this October tradition at least once. Sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, the TV gleaming as 12 familiar animated faces crowd the screen — The Peanuts — as the favorite film, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, begins. 

Linus, the foremost philosopher of the group, opens the short film with an inner monologue detailing his letter to the mystical Great Pumpkin:

“Dear Great Pumpkin, I am looking forward to your arrival on Halloween night.” 

Unfortunately for Linus, there will be no Great Pumpkin this year. No pumpkin carols or trick-or-treating ghosts. For the first time since 1966, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will not broadcast on regular television. Instead, it will move to Apple TV. 

Many agree that this is where 2020 has gone too far. Sophomore Kaitlyn Holt, a big fan of It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, exclaimed, “What? Why? That’s like a tradition I have with my dad to watch it.”

However, this is not where the scrutiny ends. 

On October 19, Apple TV tweeted, “Celebrate Halloween with the Peanuts gang. Stream It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown exclusively on Apple TV+ and get ready for more Peanuts specials this holiday season.” 

The tweet infers that other specials, including A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas, will also be exclusively streamed on Apple TV. 

With the way 2020 has been going, and the increase in streaming platforms, senior Mason Heithaus wasn’t surprised. 

“I haven’t watched in a while, but I do remember enjoying the film,” Heithaus recalled. “I mean, I expected as much, but also this is sad. This isn’t a random event, but, also, this displays 2020 perfectly.”

It feels as though our candy bags have filled with rocks upon rocks. But, as the beloved Charlie Brown has said, “What if today we are just grateful for everything?”