All involved with "A Charlie Brown Christmas" initially regarded the stunning success of the project as something of a one-time fluke, but the second official "Peanuts" television special—"Charlie Brown's All Stars!"—was televised in June 1966 to similarly high ratings and acclaim. It was at this point that Schulz, Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez focused on creating another holiday blockbuster in the vein of "A Charlie Brown Christmas", eventually titled "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". Guaraldi spent most of summer 1966 composing cues for the Halloween-themed special, strongly encouraging Mendelson to consider making "Linus and Lucy," which had been featured prominently in the Christmas special, the unofficial "Peanuts" theme. Guaraldi did not include the song in the music score for "Charlie Brown's All Stars!" and worked to correct that oversight by featuring it throughout "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". Melendez responded to Guaraldi's suggestion by beginning the special with a lengthy cold open sequence sans dialogue, employing only music and sound effects to convey Linus and Lucy's search for a pumpkin. Guaraldi recorded a fresh version of "Linus and Lucy" for the opening sequence as a sextet, featuring Budwig and Bailey, as well as trumpeter Emmanuel Klein, guitarist John Gray, and flautist Ronnie Lang. Lang's flute counterpoint was featured throughout the new version of "Linus and Lucy", resulting in the song ultimately becoming the "Peanuts" franchise signature melody.