Visiting Milan in October, my first stop was the Museo del Fumetto (fumetto is the Italian word for cartoon).

I wanted to see their very large and very well-done Peanuts exhibition. Above are Business International Company (B.I.C.) principals Oscar and Gabriella Massari and their son, Claudio (our agents in Italy for the past 30 years); Melissa Menta from Peanuts Worldwide (peeking through Snoopy’s ears); and Museum staff.

This beautifully covered chest is on loan to the Museum from its creator.

One of the highlights of my visit to the Museum was the analysis they bring to the comic strip. Here you see a mathematical comparison between Charlie Brown and a peanut! The exhibition also included a discussion by a psychiatrist about children and their blanket fixations which was displayed on a large text panel.

Here they show American baseball to Italian visitors, with a text panel next to it explaining and comparing the game with Italian sports.

Trading comic cards was a very popular hobby in the 1970’s.

Oscar Massari (right) and Frederico Fiecconi. Frederico came to Santa Rosa early in his journalistic career, when he was 24 years old, and arranged an interview with Sparky. Sparky generously gave him two comic strips, which he loaned to the exhibition.

I timed my visit to coincide with the opening of Snoopy and Belle in Fashion, which features Snoopy and his sister dressed in one-of-a-kind outfits created by well-known fashion designers. This  designer doll exhibition started in New York in September 2014, and has been to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, and Milan, and will next head to Tokyo.

Here is an overview of one of the rooms in the exhibit.

With Matt Murphy, who designed the Snoopy and Belle exhibit, and Melissa Menta, who conceived of the whole idea.

New for this show from Italian designer Christiano Burani.

Claudio Massari and I sign the Snoopy figure.

Here they are all signed.

With Oscar (right), Gabriella (center), and Claudio Massari (left).

Doing an interview with Italian press about The Peanuts Movie.

From everything I heard from the Italians, they are eagerly awaiting the opening of the movie in their cities.

–Jean Schulz