| I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Adam Taylor Gordon Bill Melendez Ashley Rose Orr |
| Production | |
| Running time | 49 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| First shown in | December 9, 2003 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown |
| Followed by | He's a Bully, Charlie Brown |
I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown is one of the Peanuts made-for-television specials. The hour-long special first aired on ABC on December 9, 2003. It was released to DVD and VHS by Paramount on October 26, 2004 and Warner Home Video released it as a remastered deluxe edition on DVD on October 6, 2009.
Having seen the relationship between Snoopy and Charlie Brown, Rerun van Pelt is desperate for a dog for Christmas. Unfortunately, his mother doesn't believe in him, and Lucy refuses. Frustrated, Rerun asks Charlie Brown if he can play with Snoopy. While initially cooperative, Snoopy quickly tires of Rerun's idea of fun and games, and after a while Snoopy begins to snub Rerun.
Instead, Snoopy asks his brother Spike to leave his home in the desert near Needles, California and come to visit. When Spike arrives, Lucy is appalled at his notoriously slender figure and take him in. After a short stay, Spike regains significant weight but Rerun's mother wasn't willing to have him over; however, she feels sorry for a very thin dog. Charlie Brown tries to find another home for Spike but to no avail, forcing Spike to return to his desert home.
Rerun asks Charlie Brown if Snoopy can come out and pull him on his sled. Rerun finds himself pulling Snoopy on the sled instead, which makes him come to the conclusion that dogs can be troublesome.
Charlie Brown breaks the fourth wall at the end of the special by saying, "I always lie awake wondering, when will it ever end? Then a voice tells me, 'Right after the credits.'"