A scene from “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Credit: (Apple/TNS).

Every October, the familiar faces of Linus Van Pelt, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts crew return to television screens in a story for audiences of all ages of childlike wonder, hope and Halloween festivities.?

As “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” celebrates its 60th anniversary Tuesday, Columbus experts are reflecting on the animation, soundtrack and nostalgic impact of the autumnal television special.

“There’s something [from the movie] for everyone,” said Anne Drozd, the museum coordinator at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. “You all get something different out of it, and then as you grow up and you continue watching it, you get something different from it every time.”

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” originally released in 1966, follows Linus as he anxiously awaits for the arrival of the mythical Great Pumpkin, whom he believes will fly to his pumpkin patch and deliver presents. The show was created by Charles Schulz, who created the original “Peanuts” comic strip.

While Linus is preoccupied in the pumpkin patch, Charlie Brown, Lucy and the rest of his friends are out trick-or-treating, with Charlie Brown famously receiving rocks instead of candy.

Since its first broadcast 60 years ago, the special has aired annually on varying television stations, with thousands of people tuning in year after year.

Drozd said the special has remained relevant across generations because of Schulz’s storytelling and character design.?

“They have this simplicity in line and style, but a complexity in thought and how they express emotion,” Drozd said. “They’re really character-driven about their relationships. I think that the animated specials, especially the Christmas special, that came before [“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,”] and the Halloween special, really keep that simplicity and complexity balanced.”

Drozd said that Schulz’s portrayal of the Peanuts characters realistically captures the dynamic of childhood relationships — including moments when children are not kind to one another.

“What I took away as a kid, remembering, is that even though Lucy is being so mean to Linus and ridiculing him for believing in the Great Pumpkin, at the end of the episode at four in the morning, she notices he’s not in bed and gets up, goes out and gets him and takes him inside,” Drozd said. “You know that the characters love and care for each other, but there’s still this power play and they’re poking fun at each other and also being kids.”

Drozd said she would watch the Halloween special with her family as a child, as there used to only be a few television channels, leading everybody in her house to watch the same thing together.

“Everybody gets something different out of it, with the different levels of storytelling,” Drozd said. “I remember when I was a kid, I had no idea what was going on with Snoopy when he was the World War I flying ace. I still loved it because it was Snoopy, but I was like, ‘I have no idea.’ I’m sure that my grandparents, they probably knew more about what was going on when they were watching it when it first came out, and my parents as well.”

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” became as popular and iconic as it did, Drozd said, because the Peanuts were already established and well-known.?

The Peanuts comics were created in 1950, Drozd said, with “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” airing 16 years after the fanbase’s initial establishment.?

“Everybody knew and loved Peanuts and Snoopy and Charlie Brown,” Drozd said. “There was just the familiarity with the characters [that], I think, really made that unique.”

Besides its animation and Halloween-themed nostalgia, the short’s iconic jazz soundtrack, composed by jazz pianist and Peanuts veteran Vince Guaraldi, also added to the film’s warm and aesthetic appeal.

Greg Hall, owner of Used Kids Records, located at 2500 Summit St., said he puts the vinyl soundtrack of the film out in early September, and particularly strong sales occur throughout September and October.

The soundtrack features a unique shape and design, Hall said. The disc is orange and shaped like a pumpkin.

“Part of it is the novelty of it, but we do sell that well,” Hall said.?

According to Hall, the soundtrack has made an impact across all generations, with the music commemorating the stories and characters that audiences grew up with.

“The music reminds them of the story, so I think it’s the storyline that carries the weight,” Hall said. “I think it’s the stories within the films themselves and animation, it is not necessarily a young person thing. Every Saturday afternoon sat in front of a TV vegging out, this is when you had to stand up and change the dial by hand. You know those days. We’d watch cartoons all day.”

Schulz wrote and illustrated the Peanuts comics for 50 years, according to the Schulz Museum website. His work earned multiple Emmy awards for his animated specials, and his characters inspired a concert performance at Carnegie Hall. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” also received an Emmy nomination in 1967, according to a Craft Records article.?

For Drozd, she said the special’s lasting appeal comes down to the shared experiences it creates.

“There’s just that [aspect of] sharing with family and friends, and the gathering together with traditions, and really, it’s showing what we all grew up knowing,” Drozd said.