It’s been 65 years since Snoopy and his friends brought smiles to the faces of kids and adults alike, one comic strip at a time. To celebrate the occasion – and in conjunction with The Peanuts Movie that’s opening this week – the Singapore Philatelic Museum is currently staging an exhibition that looks at the life and legacy of the beloved beagle. Here, we ask the museum’s senior curator and self-professed Snoopy fan, Lucille Yap, to share more about five of her favourite exhibits.
‘The first Peanuts-themed stamps were issued by Portugal. The stamps celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strips, which made their appearance on October 2, 1950. It’s also to commemorate the creator Charles Schulz, who passed away on February 12, 2000.’
‘This is the second issue of stamps featuring Peanuts, which was issued by Japan. The theme of the stamps is letter writing, which is something that regularly crops up throughout the Peanuts comic strips. Charles Schulz used letter writing to express his thoughts and to depict the personalities of the comic characters.’
‘The first time that American stamps featured Snoopy was in 2001, and it depicts one of the most popular fantastical identities of Snoopy: the Flying Ace of World War I. He sits on top of his doghouse – while claiming it is a Sopwith Camel biplane – to do battle with [his arch-rival] Red Baron.’
‘Here’s a great quote from Charles Schulz about the concept: “My son Monte was very interested in making World War I model airplanes. And one day I was just sitting at my drawing board and he came in with his latest model plane. While we were talking about World War I planes, I drew a little helmet on Snoopy and suddenly got the idea for it, and put him on top of the doghouse. I asked Monte to get one of his books about World War I planes he’d been reading. I thumbed through the book until we found the name – Sopwith Camel. That seemed to be the best. And that’s how it all started. It really began as a parody of World War I movies.”’
‘These stamps, which came out in America in October this year, mark the 65th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip and the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas TV classic. The ten frames show Charlie Brown searching for the true meaning of Christmas. All around him, his friends are enjoying themselves, but he is bothered by the season’s commercialism. He chooses to decorate a small tree and was disappointed when it collapses under the weight of one ornament. His friends come to the rescue, turning the sapling into a glimmering masterpiece.’
‘Ending things on a more playful note, this giant Snoopy is very soft and lovely to hug! He is displayed as the star prize for the exhibition. To stand a chance to win this 1-metre-tall soft toy, just count the number of times Snoopy appears on postage stamps.’
With Love from Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang is at the Singapore Philatelic Museum until Apr 30.