Franklin, First Black ‘Peanuts’ Character, Gets His Own Special

“Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin” is described as the “origin story” of the history-making character more than 50 years after his debut.

After more than 50 years on the sidelines, Franklin Armstrong, the first Black Peanuts character, is getting his own special.

Franklin was first introduced into the Peanuts universe in 1968, after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a retired teacher named Harriet Glickman to write a letter to Charles Schulz asking him to add a Black character to his beloved comic strip. A few months later, Franklin was born.

The new Apple TV+ special called Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin is described as the “origin story” of the history-making character as he moves to a new town and navigates new friendships.

“Franklin’s family is always on the move with his dad’s military job, and everywhere he goes Franklin finds support in a notebook filled with his grandfather’s advice on friendship,” Apple TV+’s logline teases. “But when Franklin tries his usual strategies with the Peanuts gang, he has trouble fitting in. That’s until he learns about the neighborhood Soap Box Derby race.”

Convinced that winning the Soap Box Derby race will mean winning some new friends, Franklin taps Charlie Brown to be his partner.

“Franklin and Charlie Brown work together to build a car and in the process become good buddies. But as the race nears, the pressure mounts—can their car and their newfound friendship make it to the finish line?”

The special was co-written by Robb Armstrong (the JumpStart creator who inspired Franklin’s surname), Craig and Bryan Schulz, and The Peanuts Movie executive producer Cornelius Uliano.

Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 16.

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