The season of love is among us! And what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by curling up on the couch to reunite with everyone’s favorite, hopeless romantic, Charlie Brown?

On Friday, Feb. 12, ABC will air a back-to-back Peanuts holiday special — that means audiences can get double the dose of Charles M. Schulz’s animated cartoon. “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” will kick off the hour-long, heart-fluttering feature at 8 p.m. EST on ABC, while “A Charlie Brown Valentine” will follow at 8:30 p.m. EST.

But before you tune in to watch the beloved blockhead try his best at winning the red haired little girl’s heart, check out these interesting facts about the Valentine’s Day-theme installments:

  1. According to Vanity Fair, Charlie Brown's red headed crush is based on Donna Wold — a former flame of the cartoonist who had “violently red” hair.
  2. “A Charlie Brown Valentine” was the first new Peanuts special to air on TV since 1996’s “It Was My Best Birthday, Ever Charlie Brown.”
  3. Following Schulz’s death in February 2000, “A Charlie Brown Valentine” was the first original special to be televised.
  4. Animator Bill Mendelson revealed that after “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” aired, viewers felt so poorly for the candy-less kid that they sent a heap of sweet treats to the studio addressed to Charlie Brown. Additionally, audiences also felt sympathy for Chuck during “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” when his classmates neglected to send him Valentine's Day cards on Feb. 14. So, Charlie Brown received dozens of love notes at the studio from fans.
  5. At the end of “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown,” Snoopy holds up caricatures of everyone who worked on the holiday special from Schulz to the cast and crew.
  6. Audiences may notice something similar about the scene where the kids disperse from school in “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.” It happens to be the same scene from the 1972 animation “You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown,” which aired on CBS three years before the Valentine’s Day-themed installment.
  7. “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” was the last special that voice-over actors Stephen Shea, who portrayed Linus, and Lynn Mortensen, who played Sally, were involved in. The children who then took their places were Liam Martin and Gail M. Davis who made their debut in the 1975 special “You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown.”

“Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Valentine” will air back-to-back on ABC Friday, Feb. 12, beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

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