A milestone anniversary

All sorts of things and events will help mark this year's 75th anniversary of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts newspaper strip, but Abrams ComicArts likely will take center stage with this lavish coffee table book.

The Essential Peanuts — an opulent hardcover in a slipcase — is assembled by Mark Evanier, and presents the most iconic and essential Peanuts comic strips with fresh historical and cultural context. The book also features an introduction by Patrick McDonnell, a foreword by Jean Schulz, and contributions from 15 notable commentators. The book is designed by Chip Kidd, and includes a portfolio of collectible Peanuts ephemera: postcards, prints, an embroidered patch, stickers and a facsimile of a classic Peanuts comic book.

“Having loved Peanuts since I was about Charlie Brown's age (and no more successful at kite-flying), I was thrilled when Abrams Comic Arts asked me to spend weeks reading and writing about the comic strip that was so much more than just a comic strip,” Evanier said. “The only drawback was that I tried writing the book sitting on the roof of a doghouse, but I kept falling off.”

Evanier is the award-winning author of Kirby: King of Comics and MAD Art. A respected writer, historian and editor, he has worked extensively in the worlds of comic books and television, earning a reputation as one of the foremost authorities on comics and animation. Evanier has earned three Emmy Award nominations, and he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for animation from the Writers Guild of America.

“As we mark 75 years of Peanuts, this partnership with Abrams ComicArts is a testament to the lasting impact of Schulz’s beloved characters,” noted Craig Herman, vice-president of Global Brand Experiences, and Publishing, at Peanuts Worldwide. “Since being introduced to the world on October 2, 1950, Peanuts has been at the forefront of pop culture, and we can’t wait for fans to discover this extraordinary anniversary edition.”

The Essential Peanuts underscores how and why the comic strip transcends cultural, generational and linguistic barriers to remain relevant and beloved. By exploring Schulz's creative ambition, his wry commentary on childhood struggles and triumphs, and his enduring influence on art, literature and everyday life, Evanier not only celebrates an incomparable legacy, but also reveals the universal appeal at the heart of Peanuts.

The 15 commentators:

• Robb Armstrong

• Rob Boutilier 

• Paige Braddock

• Alberto Brambilla 

• Benjamin L. Clark 

• Ben Folds

• Sarah Gillespie 

• Chip Kidd

• Amy Lago

• Mike Massimino

• Akio Matsunaga

• Jeff Morrow

• Hilary Price

• Shuntaro Tanikawa ...

...and 5CP co-blogger Derrick Bang, who supplies the Guaraldi connection. His essay discusses how Dr. Funk became involved with Schulz's characters, via "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" being heard on the radio of Lee Mendelson's car, at an opportune moment.

Save coffee table space for this one, because you won't want to miss it. The Essential Peanuts will hit bookstores just in time for the actual 75th anniversary, on October 2, 2025. 

Peanuts rocks the vote

The Peanuts gang are no strangers to election season - Snoopy ran for President as far back as 1968 - and 2016 will be no exception.

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and friends are lending their support to Rock the Vote, the organization that encourages people to register to vote, and then go to the polls on Election Day - a sentiment we heartily endorse here at fivecentsplease.org. Read more about the Peanuts gang's and Jean Schulz's efforts in this article from the Hollywood Reporter.

As the article mentions, the gang is kicking off their campaign with a pop-up "campaign headquarters" in the Gaslight district of San Diego (226 Fifth Ave, to be precise), timed to coincide with San Diego Comic-Con, of course - see photos of it here.

There's also the Peanuts Rocks the Vote website where you can read campaign statements from, and vote for, the various Peanuts character "candidates," and get information on registering for real-life elections.

Finally, if you need a Snoopy for President bumper sticker or a Franklin for President t-shirt, visit the Peanuts "campaign merchandise" website.

And... don't forget to vote in November!

Peanuts news tidbits: ABC extends contract for specials; Harris holiday poll; Jeannie Schulz chat at Reddit

Late last week, the ABC network announced they've extended their contract to show the Peanuts holiday shows - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving; and A Charlie Brown Christmas - through 2020. The specials moved to ABC in 2001, and have consistently garnered good ratings; last week, the 48-year old A Charlie Brown Christmas attracted a larger audience than FOX's brand-new show Almost Human. You can read the full press release here.

So it's not surprising to hear that in a new Harris Interactive poll about the holidays, Americans chose A Charlie Brown Christmas as their favorite animated holiday special. You can read the full press release and poll details at Harris Interactive's website.

Finally, on Wednesday, December 11, Jean Schulz participated in an online chat at the popular site Reddit. The chat is quite lengthy; Mrs. Schulz's name is highlighted above her responses.

Schulz Museum blossoms at 10-year anniversary celebration

On Thursday, August 15, 2002, the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center opened to the public amid great fanfare. The star-studded guest list included numerous cartoonists and animators — among them Patrick McDonnell (Mutts), Greg Evans (Luann) and Sergio Aragones (Mad Magazine) — along with Peanuts-type celebrities such as Robert Short, author of The Gospel According to Peanuts and several other books. One noted special guest was Yoshiteru ("Yoshi") Otani, whose whimsical sculptures, designs and other efforts for various Snoopy Town Shops in Japan had helped inspire the new Schulz Museum's overall look.

Your FiveCents
Please bloggers were present as well, along with literally hundreds of Peanuts fans who couldn't wait to be among the museum's first visitors. The gift shop already was laden with plenty of books, plush Snoopy dolls — wearing museum T-shirts, of course — and other items designed to commemorate this event. Scott and Victor also were among the contributing writers for Derrick's first book, 50 Years of Happiness: A Tribute to Charles M. Schulz ... and you can see them standing in front of an entire shelf filled with copies of this book.

They're quite pleased by the fact that the book has remained available in this same gift shop ever since, where it remains a steady seller.

Flash-forward a decade, to Saturday, August 18, 2012: the weekend designated to celebrate the museum's 10th anniversary. Some things have changed over the years, such as the museum's staff, in part because it has grown so much. But the core message remains fixed: the celebration of Charles M. Schulz's work, and the dedication toward keeping his vision alive through an ever-changing assortment of imaginative and cleverly designed exhibits, many of which also have toured the country with stops at other museums.

The festivities began at 11 a.m. with a "cherry tree ceremony" designed to honor both the museum's anniversary, and Otani's artistic contributions and ongoing devotion to its mission. The ceremony also held a greater purpose: as part of the 2012 Japan-U.S. Centennial Cherry Blossom Tree Planting Initiative, to further enhance the friendship between these two countries. The centennial celebration looks back to 1912, when — to express appreciation for the United States' partnership in that year's Treaty of Portmouth, Japan sent 3,020 cherry trees from Tokyo, to be planted along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Cherry blossoms — sakura — are Japan's national flower.

Roughly 50 people gathered in the Schulz Museum's front courtyard on this warm August morning, where they found a young cherry blossom tree carefully wrapped for the ceremony, and planted alongside the Snoopy Labyrinth. The small but dedicated group included quite a few folks who had traveled all the way from Japan, along with (sadly) only half of your FiveCentsPlease team. Jeannie Schulz and museum director Karen Johnson gave short introductory speeches, and Jeannie presented Otani — also present for the occasion, once again wearing the eye-catching white "Snoopy jacket" that had prompted so many photographs, back in 2002 — with a lovely sculpture by Stan Pawlowski, another artist who has been a longtime friend to the Schulz family and the Peanuts empire (and whose full-size bronze statue of Charlie Brown and Snoopy continues to draw tourists to Santa Rosa's nearby Railroad Square).

A proclamation then was read aloud by San Francisco's Deputy Consul General of Japan, Michio Harada, who spoke warmly of the ongoing friendship between his country and the United States, and between Otani and the Schulz Museum. He also explained the significance of cherry trees, and the annual celebrations that take place in Japan each spring, when people have picnics beneath the flowering trees, the goal being to eat good food, drink plenty of sake and reflect upon life's blessings.

(It may be awhile before this tree grows enough to permit such an indulgence, but we'll be first in line with our picnic baskets when it does!)

Following these remarks, the ends of the tree's robe were pulled by Jeannie, Karen, Yoshi and Deputy Consul General Harada, and the tree was "introduced" to the world (or at least that small portion of it present as witnesses). All four obligingly stood during a multitude of photos, and then we all broke into informal groups (and, in several cases, for a quick lunch at the nearby Warm Puppy Café).

Two Peanuts-related articles: Baseball in the Peanuts comic strip & Jean Schulz interview

The Herald, a newspaper serving the community Rock Hill, South Carolina, recently published two nice articles of interest to Peanuts fans.  The first, On the mound, Charlie Brown was America's beloved loser, discusses the role of baseball in the comic strip.  (The article does include a quote from Derrick Bang, co-author of fivecentsplease.org, but we would have linked to it regardless - honest!)

The second article is an interview, Jean Schulz discusses why her husband's comic strip has staying power.  We thought fans might want to take a few minutes to read both!

Jean Schulz at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jean Schulz was one of the "balloon handlers" for the Snoopy Flying Ace balloon.  You can read about her experience and see her photos in her blog post on the Schulz Museum website.

"You've Got Jean Schulz" video interview

Jean Schulz, Charles Schulz's widow, talks about the Peanuts comic strip and the Charles M. Schulz Museum in a short video (1 1/2 minutes) from AOL titled "You've Got Jean Schulz."  The video also features some nice shots of the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA.