This is it. The first museum in the world dedicated to the cartoon beagle. And it’s opening this weekend.
Located in Tokyo’s Roppongi, the museum features original and unpublished works from Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, rare memorabilia, as well as new, rotating exhibits. The only other Peanuts museum is the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.
The current exhibit is titled “My Favorite Peanuts” and features sixty comic strips selected by Jean Schulz, the artist’s wife, and she includes stories behind each of the pieces.
There is also an eatery, called Cafe Blanket, and a gift shop.
So, why is there a Snoopy museum in Japan? In the 1970s, Snoopy was popular with Japanese youth, and the character started appearing on bags. Japanese people might not have read the comic strip, but liked the character’s design and shape.
Even today, it’s not uncommon to find people who love Snoopy but who haven’t really read the comics or seen the cartoons. (This is probably why many Japanese people think Peanuts is about Snoopy, instead of the character being part of a cast that centers around the hapless Charlie Brown.)
If you are interested it visiting the Snoopy Museum Tokyo, it opens this Saturday on April 23. The official site’s here in English and it contains directions and ticket info.
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