New Jersey shocks Peanuts fans with its favorite Charlie Brown special

When I first heard someone did a survey to find each state’s favorite Charlie Brown holiday special I thought, "aren’t there only two?"

There’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” And for sweetness and touching moments, you’d have to go with the Christmas special. For comedy gold, you need to choose the Halloween special where Charlie keeps getting a rock instead of candy.

But then I saw there were so many others I was forgetting about. How was I not remembering “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” considering the holiday is next week? Then there’s “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown,” “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown,” and even “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown.”

Survey reveals each state’s favorite Peanuts holiday special

Highriskpay.com set out to find which states preferred which Peanuts special and each state’s favorite character. Surprising no one, the very sweet Christmas special with that beautiful Vince Guaraldi soundtrack was most beloved by 14 states. But that wasn’t No. 1, nor was it New Jersey’s favorite.

Think about a table filled with buttered toast, popcorn, jellybeans, and pretzels. Yep, here in the Garden State, we love “Happy Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown” more than any Peanuts special and it’s also loved by the most states: 17 in all.

New Jersey bucks the trend on favorite Peanuts character

Favorite character seems like a no-brainer. In a country where the No. 1 pet is a dog it has to be Snoopy. A dog so cool he dons sunglasses, who imagines being a fighter pilot and his doghouse a Sopwith Camel, a dog who hysterically mocks his own owner.

But no. Not in New Jersey. Snoopy is the favorite in only four states, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona, and California.

New Jersey loves Woodstock.

Woodstock?!? Yes, that dumb yellow bird I thought we all agreed was the equivalent of bringing Cousin Oliver onto “The Brady Bunch” when they were running out of ideas.

Guess I’m wrong because other than Charlie Brown himself who is favored by the most states at 17, Woodstock is second place. He’s New Jersey’s favorite character and the favorite in eight other states.

Huh. I feel like I just got a rock.