Spark Plug to Snoopy: 100 Years of Schulz
March 20—September 18, 2022
Downstairs Changing Gallery
At only a few days old, Charles M. Schulz was given the nickname “Sparky” based on the funny pages’ breakout star that year, a racehorse named Spark Plug. The comic strips of his youth continued to play a big part in his life—Popeye, Mickey Mouse, and Skippy are just some of the strips Schulz would later reference as integral to his comic career. In this exhibition, venture back to a world before Peanuts and see original work by the artists who influenced Charles Schulz to believe, “I will be a cartoonist.”
This exhibition kicks off the centennial celebration of Charles M. Schulz’s birth on November 26, 1922. A second exhibition exploring Schulz’s impact on the cartooning world, and the artists he inspired, will open in September 2022.
Peek inside the exhibition:
This exhibition is generously sponsored by UNIQLO
From the Exhibition
Peanuts comic strip first published on November 11, 1998. © Peanuts Worldwide LLC
Charles M. Schulz standing next to his rendition of Popeye at the 1974 San Diego Comic-Con.
Spark Plug doll (from the Barney Google comic strip), c. 1930s. Personal Collection of Charles M. Schulz.
