Charlie Brown's Baseball Team: (after Charlie Brown failed to catch the baseball) YOU BLOCKHEAD, CHARLIE BROWN!!!
The second Peanuts animated special, Charlie Brown's All-Stars! originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1966 (six months after the first special).
In this special, Charlie Brown's whole baseball team quits on him after their humiliating 999th defeat. But Charlie Brown learns a way to win his team back when he hears Mr. Hennessy, the owner of the hardware store, wants to sponsor Charlie Brown's team, outfit them with real uniforms and incorporate them into a real league. All seems great and the team wants to play for him again... until Charlie Brown learns if he wants the uniforms, he has to kick the girls and Snoopy off the team, which he refuses. So Charlie Brown needs to win their next game to prevent everyone from getting mad at him.
Charlie Brown's All-Stars! contains examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: In the original comic strip (more specifically, the arc where the players are encouraged to grit their teeth before batting) Charlie Brown never hits the ball himself. In this special he finally manages to score a hit.
- Agony of the Feet: As Snoopy steps up to bat, he taps the bat on his foot... without wearing cleats. Cue Hurt Foot Hop.
- Baseball Episode: The first special based on the baseball comics.
- Bittersweet Ending: Charlie Brown declines an offer for his team to be sponsored into a real league, the team loses their next game, and everyone gets mad at Charlie Brown to giving up their sponsorship and uniforms, but then Linus angrily tells them it's because the league wouldn't allow girls or dogs on the team, and, out of remorse for their unjustified anger, they make Charlie Brown his own uniform (out of Linus' blanket).
- Determinator: Charlie Brown will NOT give up on the baseball team, ever. Even when he knows his friends wrath will turn on him when it's revealed he gave up the league sponsorship, he still refuses to abandon ship.Linus: I don't know, Charlie Brown. Perhaps you should just leave town.
Charlie Brown: No, Linus. I know we can do this. We can win if we really try!
[Charlie Brown walks off]
Linus: Good ol' Charlie Brown. He never gives up! - Epic Fail:
- The opening scene has Charlie Brown racing to catch a pop fly. With everyone watching, he stands under the ball, catches it... and it falls right out of his hands.
- When Charlie Brown tries to steal home base from third, he doesn't just get out... he didn't even make it halfway to the home plate and overshot by thirty feet!
- Even the Dog Is Ashamed: Provides the Trope Image.
- Hypocrite: Hypocrisy is a running theme throughout this special. To wit:
- The girls use this as an excuse to not shout encouragement to the other players while they're on the field. According to their logic, they full well know Charlie Brown can't pitch to save his life, so saying otherwise would make them hypocrites.
- Schroder's "Reason You Suck" Speech to the girls below falls into this given that he and the other boys also gave Charlie Brown a hard time for giving up on the league.
- Finally, the girls decide to make up for hurting Charlie Brown's feelings by making him a uniform. They do so by stealing Linus' blanket, not giving a damn about how upset Linus feels about this. Worse still, they even make Linus pose for the fitting.
- Idiot Ball: After stealing his way to third base, Charlie Brown forgoes patience and runs for home before the next hitter comes to bat. Needless to say, it doesn't go very well.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While the kids acted pretty mean in walking out of the baseball team, they are correct to point out to Charlie Brown that they just want to enjoy their summer. So why should they waste it playing a sport none of them particularly like and they always lose at?
- Pet the Dog: Upon finding out the reason Charlie Brown turned down Mr. Hennessy's deal on getting uniforms — the reason being the league wouldn't have allowed girls and dogs on a team — the girls and Snoopy feel guilty for hurting Charlie Brown's feelings and decide to make him a uniform out of Linus' blanket.
- Psychological Projection: Shermy of all people states to Charlie Brown that his failures as a manager is what always costs the team in the end, thanks to this trope.Shermy: I think you get a neurotic pleasure out of losing all the time.
Charlie Brown: That's all I need! Little League psychology! - "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Schroeder dishes one to the girls who quit Charlie Brown's team after he had told them they wouldn't be getting uniforms:Schroeder: I think we were pretty rough on Charlie Brown. You girls are very thoughtless. Don't you think Charlie Brown has feelings? All of you are the most thoughtless bunch I've ever known! You don't care anything about Charlie Brown! He's been loyal to you because he thinks you're his friends. But do you ever act like friends? No! Those uniforms meant as much to Charlie Brown as they did to you! Probably more!
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After losing yet another baseball game, Charlie Brown's team full on quits.
- Who Would Be Stupid Enough?:
- This exchange during the game, taken from the comic strips:Lucy: You don't think Charlie Brown will try to steal home, do you?
Patty: No way! Not even Charlie Brown is stupid enough to do that.
Charlie Brown: I wonder if I should try to steal home? - The ending recycles a joke (and the whole scene) from the comic strips:Lucy: I've never seen it rain so hard for such a long time.
Linus: I'm just glad I'm inside.
Lucy: Well, good grief. Only a real blockhead would be out in a rain like this.
[cut to Charlie Brown standing on the pitcher's mound]
Charlie Brown: Where is everybody? We're supposed to have a ballgame today!
- This exchange during the game, taken from the comic strips:
