A Charlie Brown Christmas Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Charlie Brown, voiced by Peter Robbins in the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).

The Peanuts characters, created by comic book artist Charles Schulz, made their mark in the world of comics before coming to life on the small screen. Said first in print in 1952, "Good grief" soon became uniquely tied to Charlie Brown and his buddies, and it still is today.

Poor Charlie Brown isn't exactly king of the playground. He's kind of awkward, and nothing really goes right for him, ever. "Good grief" is his favorite way to say he's bummed out. It's kind of catchy, and the rest of the Peanuts characters say it, too.

This phrase really started to catch on when Charlie and his pals made the leap to television. The first Peanuts television "Specials" were all based on holidays—from Christmas to Halloween and everything in between. These specials became totally iconic, from the "wah-wah" noise the grown-ups made when they talked, to the jazz music used as the soundtrack. And, of course, what would a Charlie Brown special be without "Good Grief?"

Where you've heard it

Let's face it—you've probably never heard anyone other than your grandma mutter this one. This phrase hasn't made much of a comeback, but here's hoping it will, what with the Peanuts Movie and everything. If you want to sound disappointed without using more colorful language, try this on for size.

Additional Notable References

• There's an entire documentary series dedicated to Charles Schulz, the Peanuts' creator.
• Family Guy did a little Charlie Brown homage when they used Stewie as a football.
• Arrested Development has a string of Charlie Brown moments, and there's an actual episode called "Good Grief."

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Who could ever call good ol' Charlie Brown pretentious? Chuck this phrase out there any time you're dismayed (pun intended), but don't be surprised if people start calling you Charlie Brown.