The Real Chicago

Top Menu

  • Home
  • E-newsletter
  • Contact

Main Menu

  • Home
  • The Big City Blog
  • General Features
  • Around Town
    • First Look – Reviews
    • Hidden Gems
    • Inside Scoop
  • Eat. Drink. Shop.
    • Good Eats
    • Signature Dishes
    • A Round of Drinks
    • Shop Around the Corner
  • The Local Angle
    • Chicago Insider
    • The Local Corner
    • My Chicago
  • Interviews
  • Forum
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Home
  • E-newsletter
  • Contact

logo

Header Banner

The Real Chicago

  • Home
  • The Big City Blog
  • General Features
  • Around Town
    • First Look – Reviews
    • Hidden Gems
    • Inside Scoop
  • Eat. Drink. Shop.
    • Good Eats
    • Signature Dishes
    • A Round of Drinks
    • Shop Around the Corner
  • The Local Angle
    • Chicago Insider
    • The Local Corner
    • My Chicago
  • Interviews
  • Forum
  • Chicago’s hidden gems: Kiss Kiss Cabaret, Unabridged Bookstore, Lulu Belle’s Pancake House and TNT at The Annoyance

  • New on the scene: Recapping recent restaurant and bar openings in Chicago

  • The Big City Blog: A Chicago summer bucket list

  • Outdoor drinking: A guide to some of our favorite beer gardens and rooftops in Chicago

  • A day at the museum: Exploring the iconic Field Museum in Chicago

First Look - Reviews
Home›featured-blogs›First Look - Reviews›First Look: “Charlie Brown and The Great Exhibit” at the Museum of Science & Industry

First Look: “Charlie Brown and The Great Exhibit” at the Museum of Science & Industry

By TheRealChicagoOnline
November 8, 2012
1561
0
Share:

Charles Schulz’s classic Peanuts cartoon characters take over the Museum of Science and Industry

By Zak Waltner

The exhibit: The Museum of Science and Industry and Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, Calif., have collaborated to bring “Charlie Brown and The Great Exhibit” to Chicago. The exhibit looks at the life and work of Charles Schulz, the creator and main inspiration behind the classic Peanuts comic strip.

Original cartoons, reproductions and Peanuts-related memorabilia (like an Emmy award and the Silver Snoopy pin that was worn in orbit aboard Apollo 10) allow guests to see how their favorite characters like Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy have evolved over time.

Why check it out: Everyone knows Charlie Brown — he’s the loveable loser we can all identify and sympathize with. This exhibit gives kids, young and old, the chance to visualize the progression of their favorite comic strip and characters and exercise their inner-Schulzian creativity.

“The exhibit is really hands on,” Beth Boston of the MSI said. “There’s a lot of interactive elements and kids activities, as well as a great history of the Peanuts and Charles Schulz.”

Activities include learning how to draw your favorite Peanuts character, a functional, oversized “Schroeder” piano, and Snoopy’s Imagination Land for the young ones. There’s even a chance to make a zoetrope and create some animation of your own.

There’s a ton of Peanuts history on display, too. The exhibit will take fans on a journey from 1950, when the gang appeared in only seven newspapers, up until Schulz’s retirement in 1999, when they could be found in more than 2,600 papers spanning 76 countries.

You’ll also be taken on a tour of the holidays, Peanuts style. The most memorable strips from Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, Christmas and Valentine’s Day each have their own wall-sized display.

What stood out: The Great Exhibit makes a point of focusing on the man behind the drawings. The first part of the exhibit examines Charles Schulz the person, even showcasing some of his childhood effects.

And for the first time on tour, Schulz’s personal studio in California has been recreated, and it is one of the coolest things on display. Complete with his photographs, sports equipment and art supplies, this part of the exhibit gives people an intimate look into the personal life of the beloved illustrator.

Did you know? In 1934, the Schulz family was given a black and white dog named Spike. The pup was incredibly intelligent, with the ability to understand about 50 words, and it would later become the inspiration for Snoopy.

Charles Schulz originally wanted to name his comic strip L’il Folks, but his first publisher insisted on the name Peanuts, a term of endearment for small children.

Schulz got the idea for the character Pigpen from a friend in Colorado who referred to his children by strange names, Pigpen being one of them.

Exhibit information: “Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit” at the Museum of Science and Industry runs through Feb. 18, 2013. The museum is open daily (excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas day), 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., with extended hours until 5:30 p.m. offered Nov. 16-18, Nov. 23-25 and Dec. 8-9.

The exhibit is not included with the museum’s general admission and requires an additional timed-entry ticket — $3 for children 3-11 and $5 for adults.

Museum of Science & Industry
5700 S. Lakeshore Dr.
www.msichicago.org

 

TagsCharles SchulzCharlie Brown and The Great ExhibitMuseum of Science and IndustryPeanutsSnoopyThe Real ChicagoZak Waltner
Previous Article

Chicago’s signature dishes: La Madia & Riverview ...

Next Article

First Look review: City Winery’s Klezmer Brunch

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

TheRealChicagoOnline

Related articles More from author

  • First Look - Reviews

    First Look review: The entertaining “Lottery Day” at the Goodman Theatre holds a magnifying glass to Chicago, revealing both pleasures ...

    April 11, 2019
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • First Look - Reviews

    First Look review: Paul Heyer’s multi-sensory exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art invites us into a fantastical existence

    February 17, 2018
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • Shop Around the Corner

    Shop Around the Corner: Equal parts accessory store and art studio, One Strange Bird is a unique Wicker Park destination

    March 11, 2016
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • The Local Corner

    The Local Corner: Exploring the Armitage and Bissell intersection in Lincoln Park

    March 12, 2015
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • Signature Dishes

    Chicago’s signature dishes: The brioche cinnamon roll and fennel sausage and egg pizza at Osteria La Madia

    June 1, 2016
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • Chicago Insider

    Chicago Insider: Bob Klees on the big flavors at De Quay, Andersonville shopping and Chicago’s First Lady cruises

    June 27, 2017
    By TheRealChicagoOnline

You might be interested

  • Around TownGeneral Features

    Top Chef, Chicago style: Analyzing the city’s hottest restaurants

  • Around TownMy Chicago

    My Chicago: If you can only eat out once this spring, where are you going and what are you ordering?

  • Around TownGeneral Features

    Tastebud Tours: A walking tour of Chicago that includes generous portions of the city’s best grub? Count us in

Originally launched in 2006, The Real Chicago — as a glossy entertainment magazine, website and email newsletter — has consistently provided the very best insider information, features and reviews to help both tourists and active locals get the most out of exploring the greatest city on Earth.
© Copyright The Real Chicago. All rights reserved.