This is the first "Peanuts" special to not have Schroeder in it.
The first part of the special is mainly composed of "blackout gags" taken almost verbatim from the comic strips. One exception is Linus and Lucy discussing the word problem with Lucy responding like a prerecorded phone message. The original characters in that strip were Franklin and Peppermint Patty, respectively. This format of using "blackout gags" would later be reused in A Charlie Brown Celebration (1982); It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown (1983); It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992); and, most notably, on The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1983).
This marks the debut of the character of Marcie in the animated specials. She appeared in the comics for the first time in 1968.