Museum of Science and Industry

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For nearly 50 years, Charles Schulz researched, wrote, designed, and drew each Peanuts strip that appeared in daily and Sunday newspapers. He may never have liked the name—assigned by the syndicator over his original title, L'il Folks—but Schulz poured himself into Peanuts. In achieving his boyhood dream of drawing a comic strip, he also wound up spawning an industry, bringing existential dilemmas to the funnies and conducting a master art class in the process.

Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit explores Schulz’s personal history and his role as the sole inspiration and artistic talent behind Peanuts and its unique cast of characters. Through original cartoons, as well as reproductions and related Peanuts memorabilia, you will see how characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy were developed and how they evolved over decades in print and popular culture. A recreation of Schulz’s Santa Rosa, Calif. studio is presented on tour for the first time, where the real tools and mementos he kept there provide a deeper look into what fueled his creative process.

Take a Peanuts tour of holidays—Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day—celebrated so famously by these characters. Enter the recreation of Snoopy's doghouse interior, never shown in the strip, to see the eclectic belongings of this unique dog. Exercise your own Schulz-like creativity with activities like making animations for a zoetrope, tapping out a tune on Schroeder's piano or donning a Joe Cool costume.

A trove of beloved memories and a fascinating study of creativity, Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit presents one man's life and his work… which just happens to be about life.

Explore the Exhibit