Kite-Eating Tree
Encyclopedia
The Kite-Eating Tree is a fiction
al tree
featured in the comic strip
Peanuts
created by Charles M. Schulz
.
A Kite-Eating Tree is a deciduous
tree of indeterminate type, once referred to as a "Kiteus Eatemupus". According to Charlie Brown
, it is impossible to tell a kite-eating tree from non-kite-eating trees by sight until it catches a kite in its branches, which it slowly devours. Charlie Brown often envisioned such a tree with a huge grin on its "face".
Many of the kites that Charlie Brown attempted to fly were eaten by a particular Kite-Eating Tree, which he frequently engaged in one-sided dialogue. Once Lucy van Pelt
threw Schroeder's
piano
into the Kite-Eating Tree, which it also ate, proving that the phenomenon was not simply a product of Charlie Brown's imagination.
Besides being able to eat inedible objects, the Kite-Eating Tree has some other strange characteristics. It is apparently not rooted to the ground, seeing as on one occasion it walked straight up to Charlie Brown's front door, which Charlie Brown says that he hates.
Apparently the Kite-Eating Tree can even distinguish between different "flavors" of kites; in a 1982 strip, Charlie Brown wonders what "flavor" kite he should give the tree this year, and finally settles on lemon
, since he took strawberry
the year before. On one occasion, the tree visibly shuddered at the notion of Charlie Brown giving up kite-flying.
In a 1995 strip, Linus shows great concern because of the tree's presence, wondering what kind of world he was living in that a Kite-Eating Tree could exist. Later that year, Lucy threatens to throw Linus' blanket into the tree; not long afterwards, she actually did; she did the same with Schroeder's piano, which resulted in a failed rescue attempt by Snoopy's "World Famous Rescue Specialist" character (he failed because he couldn't climb trees).
One notable storyline features Charlie Brown threatening the Kite-Eating Tree to the effect that if it took a bite out of his kite, he would bite it, which he did, thus getting himself in trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency
. He ran away to avoid being sent to jail and became the coach of a baseball team of very small children. Later, Linus van Pelt
convinced Charlie Brown that it was safe to come home, because the tree had fallen over in a rainstorm; nonetheless, the Kite-Eating Tree, or another of its species, later returned. (This storyline was adapted into animation in It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown
.)
It is unclear quite how the Kite-Eating Tree actually eats the kites, although it makes audible "munching" sounds as it does so. Charlie Brown once said that the sight of a Kite-Eating Tree eating a kite was "the most gruesome thing [he had] ever seen." The sight of a Kite-Eating Tree eating a kite also caused Lucy to scream and fall to the ground. However, in neither incident was it stated that the kite-eating process was completed in only the few seconds during which either character watched the process.
Once, after the tree ate yet another of Charlie Brown's kites, Lucy shouted at it so loudly that it regurgitated not only that kite but also a flood of other people's kites, suggesting that, no matter how many kites the tree holds, it only eats one at a time, saving the rest for future feasts.
Charlie Brown has told Linus that Kite-Eating Trees "eat the paper like it was fried chicken
, and spit out the sticks like bones!" Charlie Brown may have, in his frustration, been exaggerating, for no sticks have been seen lying around the Kite-Eating Tree (possibly it moves around so it might be in a different place every time it eats).
Evidently kite-eating trees have physiologies somewhat similar to animals, since Charlie Brown once threatened to kick the Kite-Eating Tree right in the "stomach". However, when he kicked its "stomach", Charlie Brown hurt his foot, remarking that Kite-Eating Trees "have hard stomachs".
, falling on Brown in an attempt to gain the bounty on his head, and parody series Robot Chicken
s "Vegetable Fun Fest" episode, where it is seen eating The Great Pumpkin
.
"Kite-Eating Tree" is the title of a song by the band Help She Can't Swim
, appearing on their album The Death of Nightlife
.
British indie-pop band The All New Adventures Of Us have a song called "Me Me Me, Said The Kite-Eating Tree; As He Took Breakfast From Little Katy" on their 2008 album Best Loved Goodnight Tales.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
featured in the comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
created by Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
.
A Kite-Eating Tree is a deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree of indeterminate type, once referred to as a "Kiteus Eatemupus". According to Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
, it is impossible to tell a kite-eating tree from non-kite-eating trees by sight until it catches a kite in its branches, which it slowly devours. Charlie Brown often envisioned such a tree with a huge grin on its "face".
Many of the kites that Charlie Brown attempted to fly were eaten by a particular Kite-Eating Tree, which he frequently engaged in one-sided dialogue. Once Lucy van Pelt
Lucy van Pelt
Lucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
threw Schroeder's
Schroeder (Peanuts)
Schroeder is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. He is distinguished by his precocious skill at playing the toy piano, as well as by his love of classical music and the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in particular...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
into the Kite-Eating Tree, which it also ate, proving that the phenomenon was not simply a product of Charlie Brown's imagination.
Besides being able to eat inedible objects, the Kite-Eating Tree has some other strange characteristics. It is apparently not rooted to the ground, seeing as on one occasion it walked straight up to Charlie Brown's front door, which Charlie Brown says that he hates.
Apparently the Kite-Eating Tree can even distinguish between different "flavors" of kites; in a 1982 strip, Charlie Brown wonders what "flavor" kite he should give the tree this year, and finally settles on lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
, since he took strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
the year before. On one occasion, the tree visibly shuddered at the notion of Charlie Brown giving up kite-flying.
In a 1995 strip, Linus shows great concern because of the tree's presence, wondering what kind of world he was living in that a Kite-Eating Tree could exist. Later that year, Lucy threatens to throw Linus' blanket into the tree; not long afterwards, she actually did; she did the same with Schroeder's piano, which resulted in a failed rescue attempt by Snoopy's "World Famous Rescue Specialist" character (he failed because he couldn't climb trees).
One notable storyline features Charlie Brown threatening the Kite-Eating Tree to the effect that if it took a bite out of his kite, he would bite it, which he did, thus getting himself in trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
. He ran away to avoid being sent to jail and became the coach of a baseball team of very small children. Later, Linus van Pelt
Linus van Pelt
Linus van Pelt is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared on September 19, 1952; however, he was not mentioned by name until three days later....
convinced Charlie Brown that it was safe to come home, because the tree had fallen over in a rainstorm; nonetheless, the Kite-Eating Tree, or another of its species, later returned. (This storyline was adapted into animation in It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown
It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown
It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown is the 25th prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on May 16, 1983...
.)
Digestion of kites
Once, after the tree ate yet another of Charlie Brown's kites, Lucy shouted at it so loudly that it regurgitated not only that kite but also a flood of other people's kites, suggesting that, no matter how many kites the tree holds, it only eats one at a time, saving the rest for future feasts.
Charlie Brown has told Linus that Kite-Eating Trees "eat the paper like it was fried chicken
Fried chicken
Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...
, and spit out the sticks like bones!" Charlie Brown may have, in his frustration, been exaggerating, for no sticks have been seen lying around the Kite-Eating Tree (possibly it moves around so it might be in a different place every time it eats).
Evidently kite-eating trees have physiologies somewhat similar to animals, since Charlie Brown once threatened to kick the Kite-Eating Tree right in the "stomach". However, when he kicked its "stomach", Charlie Brown hurt his foot, remarking that Kite-Eating Trees "have hard stomachs".
Other media
The Kite-Eating Tree appears in the parody film Bring Me the Head of Charlie BrownBring Me the Head of Charlie Brown
Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown is an animated short directed and animated by Jim Reardon, who would later become director and storyboard consultant for The Simpsons. The cartoon was made in 1986 while he was at CalArts...
, falling on Brown in an attempt to gain the bounty on his head, and parody series Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
s "Vegetable Fun Fest" episode, where it is seen eating The Great Pumpkin
The Great Pumpkin
The Great Pumpkin is an imaginary character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.The Great Pumpkin is a holiday figure that seems to exist only in the imagination of Linus van Pelt. Every year, Linus sits in a pumpkin patch on Halloween night waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear...
.
"Kite-Eating Tree" is the title of a song by the band Help She Can't Swim
Help She Can't Swim
Help She Can't Swim were an English indie/art rock band, formed in Southampton in 2003. They released a number of singles on Fantastic Plastic Records, along with an EP and two albums. Before signing to Fantastic Plastic, they had released one EP entitled Suck Our Band on the Vacuous Pop label...
, appearing on their album The Death of Nightlife
The Death of Nightlife
The Death of Nightlife is the second album by British indie/art rock band Help She Can't Swim, released in May 2007 on Fantastic Plastic Records. The album is available on 12" vinyl, CD, and download formats. The vinyl album includes an extra track, "Why Don't We Just Hurt Ourselves" which is...
.
British indie-pop band The All New Adventures Of Us have a song called "Me Me Me, Said The Kite-Eating Tree; As He Took Breakfast From Little Katy" on their 2008 album Best Loved Goodnight Tales.