Part of a continuing oddly-titled DVD series, Happiness Is… Peanuts: Team Snoopy provides two TV shows with Charlie Brown and his pals. We find 2003’s “Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown” and Episode 15 of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show from 1985.

With “Traded” (25:28), Charlie Brown (voiced by Wesley Singerman) decides that his baseball team will finally be able to win some games if he loses the weakest link: right fielder Lucy (Serena Berman). After a few misfires, Charlie Brown swaps Lucy for Marcie (Melissa Montoya) from Peppermint Patty’s (Daniel Hansen) team.

To call “Traded” a nondescript show would be an understatement. In terms of story, it tells a decent little tale. Granted, it feels like a short series of comic strips expanded to a 25-minute special – which is probably what it was – but it’s a good concept for a show.

“Traded” simply lacks any real gusto. It provides a watchable piece with an occasional chuckle, and it remains consistently professional. I’d find it tough to highlight any true flaws here, but I also can’t identify any strengths. “Traded” turns into a likable but forgettable show.

In “Episode 15” (22:30), we get three short segments. During “The Pelicans”, Peppermint Patty (Gini Holtzman) recruits Charlie Brown (Brett Johnson) for her team… to sell popcorn. This upsets Charlie Brown, who badly wants to play for Patty’s winning team.

“The Great Pumpkin” features Linus’s (Jeremy Schoenberg) quest to greet the Great Pumpkin on Halloween. Charlie Brown also competes with Peppermint Patty at a bowling tournament. Finally, “Spike” includes a visit from Snoopy’s brother Spike.

Though one might expect each of the three segments to each fill about one-third of the show, that doesn’t prove to be the case. “Pelicans” takes up nearly half of its running time and “Pumpkin” occupies six and a half minutes, which leaves barely four and a half minutes for “Spike”.

Not surprisingly, “Pelicans” becomes the most satisfying of the shorts. It’s not tremendously creative but it gets in a few decent laughs along the way, and the semi-extended running time gives it a little breathing room. “Pumpkin” is okay; it works too hard to integrate its two plot elements – and doesn’t really explain why so many kids are bowling on Halloween – but it works reasonably well. “Spike” is more of a dud simply because it’s so brief and it doesn’t go much of anywhere.

As a whole, I probably prefer “Episode 15” to “Traded”. The episodic nature of the former allows it to move more quickly and it gets in better gags. It still doesn’t excel, however, so don’t expect a lot from it.

Happiness Is… Peanuts: Team Snoopy appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on this single-sided, single-layered DVD. Due to those dimensions, the image has NOT been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Created about 20 years apart, the two specials found here offered distinctly different visual experiences.

Unsurprisingly, the more modern “Traded” looked much better. It exhibited consistently nice definition and clarity, with only a smidgen of blockiness at times. Source flaws were virtually non-existent, and the show provided a peppy, lively palette. Blacks were dark and tight, and the whole thing delivered very nice visuals that merited a solid “B+”.

On the other hand, “Episode 15” more obviously showed its age. Sharpness tended to be drab, as the image was consistently flat and without much crispness. I noticed artifacts and some jaggies as well as occasional specks. Colors were bland and mushy, while blacks appeared dull. This was a mediocre presentation, so when I combined the two, I ended up with a “B-“ for the whole DVD.

I found a tale of two soundtracks via the DVD’s Dolby Surround 2.0 audio. Actually, only “Traded” provided sound that broadened from the center, as “Episode 15” was clearly monaural. Though “Traded” didn’t give us a great soundscape, it contributed decent spread. Music showed gentle stereo presence, and a few effects – such as gusty winds – used the side and surrounds to minor advantage. Nothing impressed, but at least the track opened up the spectrum in a modest manner.

In terms of audio quality, “Traded” held up better. Recorded less than a decade ago, speech was distinctive and both music and effects seemed clear and fairly accurate. “Episode 15” suffered more obvious problems, however. It didn’t come across as badly flawed, but it seemed lackluster at best. Music was thin and wan, while effects showed a similar lack of punch. Speech was intelligible but without especially natural qualities, and the lines showed some roughness. As with the visuals, I thought the good of “Traded” and the mediocre of “Episode 15” mixed to merit a “B-“ for the overall DVD.

The disc opens with ads for Scooby-Doo: Big Top Scooby-Doo and “Dr. Seuss Classics”. Additional promos for Happiness Is… Peanuts: Snoopy’s Adventures and Tom and Jerry: Around the Worldshow up under Trailers. No other extras appear here.

Will fans of the Charles Schulz empire delight in the contents of Happiness Is… Peanuts: Team Snoopy? Probably not, as the programs featured here seem to be pretty average. They’re moderately enjoyable but not better than that. The newer parts of the DVD offer very good picture and audio, while the older elements tend to be somewhat bland and messy. The set included virtually no supplements. This is a passable diversion for Peanuts buffs but it doesn’t do much for me.