Watch How Charlie Brown’s Friendship With Franklin Started

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz recognized the importance of representation way back in 1968 when he introduced the character Franklin Armstrong — and finally, thanks to Apple TV+ it’s Franklin’s time to shine.

Source: Courtesy / Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s newest Peanuts offering, the special “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin,” premieres Friday, February 16. The upcoming special is the origin story for one of Peanuts’ most beloved characters, Franklin, and follows how he approaches making new friends since his family is always on the move with his dad’s military job. We’ve got an exclusive clip for your viewing pleasure RIGHT NOW!

Source: Courtesy / Apple TV+

The exclusive clip shows a glimpse into how Franklin and Charlie Brown’s friendship is built around their love for baseball, as Franklin teaches Charlie Brown about the Negro League, an important topic since Franklin was the first Black Peanuts character to be introduced in the comics in 1968.

Gotta love how this perfectly illustrates the pureness of childhood friendships.

Here’s the full synopsis of Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin:

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. 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. According to his grandfather, everyone loves a winner! He’s sure that winning the race will also mean winning over some new friends. All he needs is a partner, which he finds in Charlie Brown. 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?

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

We were lucky to screen this special early and we can’t wait for everyone to have the chance to see Franklin’s origin story. We spoke with Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin director Raymond S. Persi and co-writers Robb Armstrong and Craig Schulz (Charles Schulz’s son, who also executive produced) to get more insight behind the making of this special project and why now is the perfect time for Franklin’s story to be told.

Hit the flip for the interview!