The Complete History of Peanuts on Parade - A Tribute to Charles M. Schulz

Book excerpt: PEANUTS On Parade was the biggest tribute to PEANUTS creator, Charles Schulz, as it spanned over nine years in two states with over eight hundred statues of PEANUTS characters. Hosted by St. Paul, MN (2000–04) and Santa Rosa, CA (2005–07, '10), over five million fans from all fifty states and over sixty different countries searched for nearly eight hundred unique and individually designed five-foot statues of the Peanuts gang; each year featuring a different character. Go behind the scenes from the first discussions in the Mayor's office in 2000 to the final statues of 2010. Every step of PEANUTS on Parade is contained in these books. It all began as a modest tribute in St. Paul, MN as they wanted to honor one of their hometown heroes and was only slated to run for a single year. But the public demand was so overwhelming, it continued to run for another four years. After that, the tribute moved to Santa Rosa, California, home of the Charles Schulz Museum, where it ran for another three continuous years through 2007 plus an "encore" year in 2010. Each year wrapped up with an auction in which several statues went up for bids, each selling for thousands of dollars. The money raised paid for permanent bronze statues in both St. Paul and Santa Rosa, and began an art scholarship program in Schulz name which is still active today. Volume Two continues the Charles Schulz tribute after relocating to Santa Rosa. Charlie Brown, Woodstock, and Snoopy as Joe Cool were each highlighted in consecutive years in the city Charles Schulz called home for almost half of his life. This collection contains photos of every statue, an explanation behind each piece of art, and the history of the project itself; all straight from hundreds of artists, sponsors, organizers, and celebrities. Slide in additional research from the author, auction results, current location of dozens of statues, collectables, and trivia, and you have the complete history of Peanuts on Parade.