Bowling for Peanuts Exhibit Now Showing at the International Bowling Museum

Written By: bowlingball.com | Written On: Tuesday, November 8, 2016

10/18/2016
ARLINGTON, Texas - Beginning September 13 the International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame will be displaying the Bowling for Peanuts exhibit which will run through January 14, 2017. Charles Schulz's cartoon Peanuts has been a part of American culture for nearly 70 years. Schulz's keen observations and ability to parallel his own life experiences into the strip have been credited with its success. Snoopy was based on his family dog, Spike. Lucy's inclination to pull a football away from Charlie Brown was inspired by childhood pranks. The Little Red- Haired Girl, the source of Charlie Brown's romantic anguish, was drawn from an old girlfriend who had rejected Schulz's marriage proposal. The term of endearment "sweet babboo" was used by Schulz's wife, and became Sally's preferred nickname for Linus. Charlie Brown himself is named after a fellow Art Instruction School instructor.
In the same way that people can connect to the observations included in Peanuts, they can relate to the sport of bowling. As the number one participatory sport in the world bowling is introduced to children at a young age whether as a family-outing, a birthday party, or even by joining a league. It, too, has become engendered in our culture and was natural for Schulz to include bowling as a part of every- day life. As a league bowler himself in the 1960s, Charles Schulz once again channeled his experiences into his cartoons. The comic strips contained in this exhibit were generously donated to the museum by Charles Schulz himself.
"The Museum is proud to be hosting an exhibit by the world's most beloved cartoonist, Charles Schulz" said Bob Gudorf, IBMHF President. "Jessica [Bell, IBMHF Curator] has done an amazing job putting the display together and I am sure every bowler and Peanuts fan will enjoy visiting the exhibit."
Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 - February 12, 2000), nicknamed Sparky, was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip Peanuts, which featured the characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy, among others. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential cartoonists of all time, cited as a major influence by many later cartoonists, including Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson.
At its height, Peanuts was published daily in 2,600 papers in 75 countries, in 21 languages. Over the nearly 50 years that Peanuts was published, Schulz drew nearly 18,000 strips. The strips themselves, plus merchandise and product endorsements, produced revenues of more than $1 billion per year, with Schulz earning an estimated $30 million to $40 million annually. During the life of the strip, Schulz took only one vacation, a five-week break in late 1997 to celebrate his 75th birthday; reruns of the strip ran during his vacation, the only time reruns occurred while Schulz was alive.
The International Bowling Museum & Hall of fame is located inside the International Bowling Campus at 621 Six Flags Drive in Arlington, Texas. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday from noon to 6:00 pm (Closed Monday). Group Tours are also available. For complete information log on to bowlingmuseum.com.
Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com