FRANKLIN FROM 'PEANUTS' GETS TO SHINE IN THE SPOTLIGHT OF A NEW ANIMATED APPLE TV+ SPECIAL

The mild-mannered Franklin — the first Black character in the “Peanuts” comic strip — gets to shine in his own animated Apple TV+ special this month in a story about friendship.

Franklin is a newcomer who bonds with Charlie Brown and is welcomed to the Peanuts universe in “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin,” which premieres on Friday.

Co-writer Robb Armstrong, the cartoonist behind the “Jump Start” strip., says he’s building on the blueprints that “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz left. “Whenever you start with good ingredients, you have to work hard to make a bad cake out of it,” he says.

Race is never explicitly mentioned but Armstrong and co-writer Scott Montgomery make a subtle nod when Franklin surveys the kids in his new town and remarks, “One thing was for sure: There was a lack of variety in this place.”

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FRANKLIN FROM ‘PEANUTS’

First appearance: On July 31, 1968, on a beach, Franklin brings back a wayward beach ball to a grateful Charlie Brown.

What prompted his arrival: Creator Charles Schulz exchanged letters with Harriet Glickman, a teacher and advocate, regarding the addition of a Black character in “Peanuts” in the wake of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Schulz agreed.

Franklin’s life: He plays baseball and is learning guitar, he’s a member of a swim club and of 4H. He goes to school with Peppermint Patty and Marcie but visits his friend Charlie Brown in a nearby neighborhood.

What’s new: The new Franklin special is co-written by cartoonist Robb Armstrong, who is Franklin Armstrong’s namesake and now plays a key part in Peanuts Worldwide’s The Armstrong Project.