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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of 1976’s “IT’S ARBOR DAY, CHARLIE BROWN” AND the 60th Anniversary of the second Peanuts® special, 1966’s “CHARLIE BROWN’S ALL STARS,” this Extended Soundtrack is Perfect for Any Peanuts® or Guaraldi Fan.

Available For Pre-Order starting January 30th, 2026, everywhere from the Lee Mendelson Film Productions label

2026 marks the 75th Anniversary of Vince Guaraldi starting his professional music recording career, and it has also been 50 years since Guaraldi passed away unexpectedly on February 6, 1976, the same day he recorded “Arbor Day.”

“It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown / Charlie Brown All Stars! (Original Soundtrack Recordings) (50th Extended and 60th Anniversary Editions)” is sure to be another classic album. It joins the beloved and expanding Guaraldi Peanuts® discography, which includes “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the 5x platinum-certified album that Billboard called the “greatest holiday album of all time,” and:

• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (2022)
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (2023)
• It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (2024)
• You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown (2024)
• Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (2025)
• It’s the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown! (2025)
• You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (2025)

Available on 12” 33 RPM Black BioVinyl LP in a Gatefold Jacket, CD and digitally

Also Available on Forest Green 12” 33 RPM BioVinyl LP

And CD

Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is thrilled to announce the first-ever release of Vince Guaraldi’s complete soundtrack for “It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown,” the 15th animated Peanuts® special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Phil Roman, and producers Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally airing fifty years ago on March 16, 1976, on CBS-TV, the special went on to be nominated for the Emmy® for Outstanding Children’s program.

The album also includes the first-ever release of Guaraldi’s soundtrack for 1966’s “Charlie Brown’s All Stars!,” the second animated Peanuts® special, a summer baseball-themed follow-up to 1965’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” It aired June 8, 1966 on CBS-TV, and was also nominated for the Emmy® for Outstanding Children’s program. Both specials are currently available for streaming on Apple TV.

The full soundtrack album includes 24 tracks comprising the scores from both specials: 17 tracks from “Arbor Day,” including two bonus alternate tracks of “Jay Sterling Morton Jazz” and “Happy Arbor Day Charlie Brown,” and the “Charlie Brown’s All Stars!” score mixed into 7 tracks. Both scores include “Rain, Rain, Go Away,” one of the most beautiful compositions Guaraldi ever wrote, and through their book-ended presentation, allow the listener to experience the evolution of Guaraldi across the over ten years that he composed and performed for Peanuts®.

Also, out JANUARY 30th, 2026 – the first single off of the album: “Young Man’s Fancy.” This is the core theme from “It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown.” Guaraldi plays the lead melody on electric piano and adds harmony with his piano. This is a return to Guaraldi’s traditional trio sound, but he adds and plays his ARP String Ensemble synthesizer.

“Rain, Rain, Go Away (Rain Gentle Rain)” on the “Arbor Day” album was one of the final songs Guaraldi ever recorded. Laid down on the afternoon of February 6, 1976 at Wally Heider Studio in San Francisco, he unexpectedly passed away while performing at Butterfield’s in Menlo Park only a few hours later. Guaraldi was only 47. His music and legacy are preserved in the specials, and in his recordings.

Now 50 years later, you can hear his great compositions and performances from 13 years of making Peanuts® music, for the first time on record, CD, and in digital presentations of the music.

Across the two soundtracks, there are 24 tracks of music all composed and performed by Vince Guaraldi.

On “All Stars,” Guaraldi is joined by the Vince Guaraldi Sextet: Guaraldi on piano, Eugene “Puzzy” Firth on bass, Eddie Duran on guitar, John Coppola and Frank Snow on trumpet, and Lee Charlton on drums. This was recorded at Sound Recorders in San Francisco on May 13, 1966.

Vince Guaraldi returns to his original jazz trio roots on “Arbor Day,” performing with the Vince Guaraldi Trio: Guaraldi on piano, Seward McCain on bass, and Jim Zimmerman on drums. Long time bass player Seward McCain returns to upright bass for this score. They recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco on January 28, February 3 and 6, 1976.

The soundtrack was produced by Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson; “Arbor Day” was mixed at WonderWorld Studio by Grammy® and Emmy® Award-Winning mixing engineer Clark Germain, and both “Arbor Day” and “All Stars” were restored and re-mastered by Vinson Hudson (who has mastered all the LMFP releases).

The 34-minute album will be available March 20, 2026, on 12” 33 RPM Black or Forest Green BioVinyl LP in a Gatefold Jacket, CD and digitally.

To help celebrate Arbor Day and Earth Day, the Gatefold version of the record is made from BioVinyl sourced from used cooking oil or industrial waste gases to reduce our carbon footprint, and with sustainably forested paper in a compostable PLA bag. LMFP is proud to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation: for every physical copy of this album purchased in 2026, LMFP will plant one tree in a forest of need with the Arbor Day Foundation, with a minimum annual support of 12,000 trees planted. Purchases of the album will not be tax deductible.

The LPs are eco-minded and made from BioVinyl:

-Replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gasses.

-90% CO2 savings in S-PVC production rather than traditional PVC.

-ISCC PLUS certification guarantees sustainable PVC supply chain.

-100% recyclable and reusable.

-FSC-certified paper stock (jacket, insert, OBI strip, labels) for zero deforestation.

-Compostable, reusable PLA bag, made from 99% renewable material.

-Acoustic and optical quality identical to conventional vinyl records.

The CDs are made with a “Digipack Lite ™” with eco-friendly ink, 16pt FSC® certified partially recycled board stock, and a re-sealable eco-bag. Additionally, the flexi-tray that holds the CD is made from repurposed water bottles and containers, and less paper overall was used relative to a standard digipak.

For more information about our sustainability efforts, please see LMFP’s website.

The physical copies include liner notes that give a track-by-track analysis by album

producer Sean Mendelson, and notes from album producer Jason Mendelson, sons

of legendary Peanuts® producer Lee Mendelson. Derrick Bang, Guaraldi biographer

and author of “Vince Guaraldi at the Piano,” continues the tradition of providing an

historical essay for both the special and the soundtrack. The liner notes (vinyl: 6 page and

CD: 16-page booklet) contain images from the special, and rare photographs.

“Some standout hooks are present in [Guaraldi’s] melodies, but for the most part it’s a melancholic, straight-ahead jazz soundtrack.”

— From the liner notes by Sean Mendelson, producer of the album.

“Charles Schulz was particularly fond of [“It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown”]

— From the liner notes by Derrick Bang, author of “Vince Guaraldi at the Piano”

For an extended version of the press release and more information, including the

track list, click here.

Track Listing (CD/Digital):

Disc 1:

“It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown”

1. Rerun’s Lament*

2. Rerun’s Lament (Reprise)*

3. Ships Sail into Arbor

4. Laughter in the Library

5. Flatten Patten (Baseball Theme)

6. Young Man’s Fancy

7. Jay Sterling Morton Jazz

8. We’re the Visiting Team

9. Seeds for Thought (Joe Cool)

10. Don’t Forget the Shovel

11. Sprinkle Your Bird

12. Snoopy at Bat

13. Lucy’s Home Run

14. Rain, Rain, Go Away (Rain, Gentle Rain)

15. Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown

16. Jay Sterling Morton Jazz (Bonus Alternate Take)**

17. Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (Bonus Alternate Take)**

“Charlie Brown’s All Stars!”

18. Charlie’s Run*

19. Charlie Brown’s All Stars!*

20. Baseball Theme (Medley)*

21. Oh, Good Grief!*

22. Surfin’ Snoopy (Air Music)*

23. Pebble Beach*

24. Rain, Rain, Go Away*

* Tracks pulled from a 35mm negative soundtrack tape (all the rest from the original 2” 16 track session tapes)

** Bonus material not on the special

Track Listing (Gatefold double soundtrack LP):

Side A:

“It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown”

A1. Rerun’s Lament*

A2. Rerun’s Lament (Reprise)*

A3. Ships Sail into Arbor

A4. Laughter in the Library

A5. Flatten Patten (Baseball Theme)

A6. Young Man’s Fancy

A7. Jay Sterling Morton Jazz

A8. We’re the Visiting Team

A9. Seeds for Thought (Joe Cool)

A10. Don’t Forget the Shovel

A11. Sprinkle Your Bird

Side B:

B1. Snoopy at Bat

B2. Lucy’s Home Run

B3. Rain, Rain, Go Away (Rain, Gentle Rain)

B4. Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown

B5. Jay Sterling Morton Jazz (Bonus Alternate Take)**

B6. Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (Bonus Alternate Take)**

“Charlie Brown’s All Stars!”

B7. Charlie’s Run*

B8. Charlie Brown’s All Stars!*

B9. Baseball Theme (Medley)*

B10. Oh, Good Grief!*

B11. Surfin’ Snoopy (Air Music)*

B12. Pebble Beach*

B13. Rain, Rain, Go Away*

* Tracks pulled from a 35mm negative soundtrack tape (all the rest from the original 2” 16 track session tapes)

** Bonus material not on the special

About Peanuts:

The characters of Peanuts® and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts® Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain Ltd., 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by the family of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts® in 1950, when the comic strip debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts® gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture. In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts® shows and specials on Apple TV, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts® brand worldwide through thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital. In 2018, Peanuts® partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration and STEM among the next generation of students.

About Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.:

Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is the publisher of the Vince Guaraldi musical catalog associated with Peanuts®. LMFP is also the producer of the classic Peanuts® television specials, including “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,’ and “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” along with the Hollywood animation studio Bill Melendez Productions. LMFP also produced over 50 other network Peanuts® specials, 12 prime time Garfield specials, 121-program series “Garfield and Friends” and many other film and television animated, documentary and entertainment programs. Founded by the late Lee Mendelson in 1963, Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., has received 11 Emmy Awards (from 45 nominations) and four Peabody Awards, as well as producing projects that have received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.

Vince Guaraldi · It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown / Charlie Brown All Stars! (Original Soundtrack Recordings) (50th Extended and 60th Anniversary Editions)

Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.

Vinyl, CD, and Digital Release Date: March 20, 2026

For more information on Lee Mendelson Film Productions, please visit:

www.mendelsonproductions.com

http://instagram.com/leemendelsonfilmproductions/

https://www.facebook.com/people/Lee-Mendelson-Film-Productions/61552105305449/

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