Snoopy and the Red Baron Exhibit on Display at Military Aviation Musesum
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (PRWEB) July 20, 2018 -- Snoopy and the Red Baron, a traveling exhibition on view at the Military Aviation Museum, from July 21 - October 14th, 2018, celebrates one of Snoopy’s most recognized personas. Learn about this favorite storyline in Peanuts through high quality reproductions of original comic strips and discover the rich World War I history Schulz used in nearly every strip.
Visitors can also step into character as the Flying Ace by donning flying caps and goggles for a photo-op next to Snoopy’s doghouse.
When asked about the origins of Snoopy’s aviator role, Charles Schulz credited his son Monte’s interest in making plastic airplane models as his chief inspiration. Schulz described drawing a little helmet on Snoopy after seeing Monte’s World War I aircraft models, and “suddenly got the idea for it.” He also cited 1960s events that commemorated the start of World War I, and movies such as The Dawn Patrol. He immediately recognized the potential of the Flying Ace, acknowledging, “I knew I had one of the best things I had thought of in a long time.”
Throughout the decades, Snoopy comically embraced his fighter pilot role for delighted Peanuts readers. As Snoopy envisioned himself soaring through the clouds in pursuit of his nemesis, the infamous Red Baron, he sat atop his doghouse, which he imagined to be a real British biplane known as a Sopwith Camel (Schulz once said, “Can you think of a funnier name for an airplane?”). He wandered through parts of Europe that World War I aviators genuinely traversed, stopping in cafés to quaff root beers and flirt with French mademoiselles. In everything he cartooned, Schulz strove for authenticity, a point made especially clear by his Flying Ace storylines.
Beyond the comic strip, Snoopy as the Flying Ace prompted the manufacture of countless memorabilia items, including toys, games, music boxes, and puppets. Fans dressed up their dogs in flying caps and goggles, and Air Force squadrons adopted Snoopy as a symbol of their patriotism. This most famous of all Snoopy’s personas continues to bring humor and nostalgic joy to Peanuts fans all over the world.
“I don’t think there has been an animal character in a long time that has done the different things that Snoopy has done,” Schulz once reflected. “He’s an attorney. He’s a surgeon. He’s the World War I Flying Ace.”
On July 21, in celebration of the exhibit opening, the museum will be giving a flight demonstration of the Fokker DR1, the iconic aircraft of the Red Baron. The Military Aviation Museum is home to nearly 30 flight worthy WWI era aircraft, making it one of the largest collections of its type in the nation. This exhibit is included with general admission and is free for museum members. The Military Aviation Museum is open every day 9am-5pm, with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Snoopy and the Red Baron is organized and toured by the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Santa Rosa, California.
Attached Peanuts Image Use:
You have Peanuts Worldwide LLC’s one-time permission to use the attached Peanuts daily strips and single panel images supplied to you for use in your upcoming feature on the exhibition Snoopy and the Red Baron. This permission applies for print, web or broadcast use only. Images are allowed to be posted on the web for up to 30 days. Please note that this art may not be altered. You must use the strip in its entirety. You may not compress or squeeze the art. When you enlarge or reduce its size, please do so proportionately. You may not create or change words or thought balloons for the characters. You may not flip the art, whatever direction they are facing is the way they must stay.
About the Military Aviation Museum:
A 501 ©(3) not-for-profit organization, the Military Aviation Museum is home to one of the world’s largest collections of First and Second World War, and Korean War era fighters, bombers and trainers. Each airframe has undergone painstaking restoration, using original components, whenever possible. Truly a living museum, aircraft are in restoration at facilities around the world. Besides the main Museum, the Virginia Beach complex features additional structures, including the 1934 Luftwaffe Hangar, originally from Cottbus, Germany, which now serves to house the Museum’s collection of WWII-vintage German aircraft. Additional structures include the WWI Hangar, in which resides the Museum’s genuine 1918 Curtiss JN-4D Jenny, and the original watch tower from RAF Goxhill built in England in 1942. Visit MilitaryAviationMuseum.org for more information or call 757-721-7767.
Brian Stauss, Military Aviation Museum, http://www.militaryaviationmuseum.org, +1 757-490-3151, [email protected]
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