The Charles M. Schulz Museum
Celebrates 60 Years of Peanuts!

August 30, 2010—Santa Rosa, California

On October 2, 1950, the comic strip Peanuts debuted in only seven newspapers — but it became a global icon just a few years later. The Charles M. Schulz Museum is commemorating the 60th Anniversary of Peanuts with a host of activities geared toward Peanuts lovers of all ages. From exhibitions and specials events to exclusive Facebook postings (for those unable to make it to the Museum), visitors and fans can celebrate 60 years of happiness in a style fit for Charlie Brown, Linus, and of course Snoopy!

EXHIBITIONS
The Schulz Museum is opening its newest exhibition, Portraits of Schulz, on October 1, 2010 (running through February 6, 2011). This exhibition will run concurrently with the debut of Schulz’s photographic portrait in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Visitors will be treated to rare portrayals of the Peanuts creator through portraits by fellow artists and cartoonists, as well as some of Schulz’s rarely seen self-portraits.

In addition to enjoying Portraits of Schulz in the upstairs gallery, visitors will be able to enjoy classic Peanuts–themed strips in the downstairs hallway as well as highlights of five decades of Peanuts licensing and advertising artifacts in the upstairs hallway.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Cartoonist Sketch-a-Thon: Celebrate 60 Years of Peanuts with Bizarro creator Dan Piraro and over a dozen other guest cartoonists.
Saturday, September 11th
From 1-3p.m., over a dozen contemporary cartoonists will celebrate Schulz’s legacy by sharing their work, talking with visitors, and creating a tribute drawing for the Museum’s collection. Participating artists include Brent Anderson, Michael Capozzola, Rhoda Draws, Alexis Fajardo, Brian Fies, Shaenon Garrity, Pixar artist Mike Gray, Jonathan Lemon, Paul Madonna of All Over Coffee, Brian Narelle, Thien Pham, Lark Pien, and Dan Piraro. At 3:30p.m., Dan Piraro, creator of Bizarro, will give a presentation and speak about his work. Piraro recently won the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Free Day on Peanuts’ 60th Anniversary
Saturday, October 2nd, all day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
The Museum will be open with FREE admission this October 2nd.  Look for Snoopy himself between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. At 2pm, author Beverly Gherman will meet with visitors and sign copies of her newest book, Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz.

FACEBOOK
The Museum’s Facebook team is busy with daily postings of strips and trivia from each decade of Peanuts. A different decade is highlighted each month, leading up to the 60th Anniversary in October. In September, strips from the 1990s and early 2000 will be showcased. Then on October 2, look for the Peanuts strip that started it all. Facebook users can visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum’s Facebook page and click on the “Like” button for this special treat.

PEANUTS’ 60th ANNIVERSARY NATIONWIDE
In addition to finding the Schulz Museum on Facebook, a myriad of 60th Anniversary celebration opportunities are happening throughout the country! This summer and into the fall, all eleven Cedar Point theme parks in the US will celebrate 60 years of Peanuts with a variety of special Peanuts birthday-themed attractions.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONS
On October 1 (and for six weeks following), in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery will present and display a photographic portrait of Charles Schulz by the legendary photographer, Yousuf Karsh. The presentation ceremony on October 1 will be followed on Saturday, October 2 by a Family Day with a multitude of Peanuts-themed craft activities, live appearances by Snoopy, and a showing of the classic Peanuts animated film, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

In the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s “Thanks for the Memory” Gallery, objects from Schulz—including drawing utensils, an animation cell from the television special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and two comic panels that show the cartoon’s progression from rough pencil sketches to finished ink strips—will be on display.

ABOUT THE CHARLES M. SCHULZ MUSEUM AND RESEARCH CENTER
The Charles M. Schulz Museum opened in August 2002 to fulfill its mission of preserving, displaying, and interpreting the art of Charles M. Schulz. The Museum carries out this mission through changing exhibitions and programming that build an understanding of cartoonists and cartoon art; illustrate the scope of Schulz’s multi-faceted career; communicate the stories, inspirations, and influences of Charles Schulz; and celebrate the life of Charles Schulz and the Peanuts characters.

PEANUTS IMAGES
If you would like the image in this release at a higher resolution to print in a publication or on a web site, contact Gina Huntsinger at gina@schulzmuseum.org or (707) 284-1268.