The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving 'Cannibalism' Controversy, Explained

Fans have long debated if Woodstock the bird is a cannibal after he is depicted eating turkey in the holiday special.

By Allison Schonter

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving may be an annual viewing staple, but the wholesome Peanuts special is steeped in a terrifying debate: is Woodstock a cannibal? As the special celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the decades-long debate surrounding Woodstock's consumption of turkey at Thanksgiving dinner is still raging.

Released in 1973, the classic film sees Peppermint Patty invite everyone to Charlie Brown's house for Thanksgiving, even though he's going to see his grandmother. Towards the end of the film, the cute and yellow bird, Snoopy's well-known avian sidekick, is seen enjoying a feast with Snoopy. The main course? A large roasted turkey. Given that Woodstock is also a bird, the meal has sparked a conundrum surrounding the possibility that Woodstock is taking part in cannibalism.

As A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving returned in 2018, one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Omg Woodstock eats turkey at the end of Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, isn't that like basically cannibalism or something," with another person saying that they were "still scarred by Woodstock eating turkey in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." During a previous airing, somebody else said, "I was watching the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special last night, and when I reached the scene at the end where Snoopy and Woodstock are eating turkey, I realized something. Woodstock is a bird, and he eats a turkey, which is also a bird. So Woodstock is a cannibal."

While there remains some debate about whether Woodstock, a small yellow bird similar to a canary or a dove, is practicing cannibalism by eating turkey, an overwhelming majority seem to believe he is guilty of the crime. A poll in 2019 tallied that 59% of people believe Woodstock to be a cannibal, with 41% thinking the consumption of turkey is perfectly fine.

According to Meriam-Webster dictionary, cannibalism is "the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of the same kind," meaning that for Woodstock to truly be considered a cannibal, he would have to eat the same species of bird that he is (his exact species has never been named, though he is largely believed to be similar to a canary). Woodstock eating a turkey, a different species of bird, does not truly adhere to the true definition of cannibalism, meaning that A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving isn't as dark as social media would lead you to believe.

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