‘To the Moon With Snoopy’: Uplifting ‘Peanuts’ characters arrive in Seoul

Lotte Museum of Art’s exhibition featuring the “Peanuts” gang will satisfy not just family visitors but also fans of fine art and pop art.

“To the Moon With Snoopy” shows a wide range of works, from the original cartoon and animation works by Charles M. Schulz and Snoopy-themed decorations to contemporary Korean artists’ works featuring the “Peanuts” characters. 

The first section of the show celebrates the 50th anniversary of Snoopy’s collaboration with NASA.

The collaboration by the unlikely pair began in 1969 when NASA chose Snoopy as the mascot for its Apollo 10 mission, in an effort to remind the project’s workers to follow safety precautions after a fire that killed three Apollo 1 astronauts in January 1967. It was also a way to make the space project more relatable to the public.

A photo that captures the iconic moment of Apollo 10 mission commander Thomas P. Stafford patting the nose of a Snoopy doll as he moves to the launch pad is on display in this section of the exhibition.

Also shown is Schulz’s 1969 comic strip depicting Snoopy on the moon.

Korean artists’ works using “Peanuts” characters -- including Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and others -- are shown in the next section. Gwon O-sang presents two sculptures made using photographs: “Snoopy With Kids” is a sculpture of kids lined up behind Charlie Brown. “Ulaanbaatar” is a sculpture of a hiker, with Snoopy sticking his head out of the hiker’s backpack.

Snoopy-themed street art is found in the hallways, and a separate section features neon lights, theatrical fog and trendy music shows where the “Peanuts” gang wears costumes designed by local fashion designers.

Snoopy animation footage is shown in a room where a small gramophone in a corner plays the “Peanuts Greatest Hits” album, performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.

Miniature Snoopy figures decorated with different patterns, colors and drawings by local celebrities and artists, such as Seo Samuel and Park Chan-yeol, among others, are showcased as well.

The miniature figures are up for auction and the successful bidders will be announced in January, with all proceeds going to World Vision. 

The exhibition, which runs through March 1, also celebrates the 70th anniversary of the “Peanuts” comic strip, which continued until Schulz died in 2000.

Between 1950 and 2000, the cartoonist drew about 18,000 strips. In the 1920s, at the height of its popularity, the comic strip appeared in 2,600 publications in 75 countries in 21 languages.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)