Charles Schulz Museum Visit - 2024

An overwhelmingly amazing weekend at Snoopy's House.

I've tried several times to start this post, but every attempt gets tangled up in just how much this subject means to me. Charles Schulz has always been a huge influence in my life, so being invited to do a signing at the Schulz Museum feels momentous.

The first time I visited the museum, I was there to give a talk and host a couple of workshops. My wife, my father, and my good friend Robert Khoo were with me. When I asked the museum director, Jessica, for a hotel recommendation, she let me know that Jeannie Schulz had offered to host us in her guest house.

Yes, that’s the Jeannie Schulz—the widow of Charles Schulz.

Staying there was one of those rare, surreal experiences in my life and career, made even more meaningful by sharing it with some of the most important people in my life. The memories from that trip remain vivid and indelible. I worried that returning might somehow dilute the magic—that any new experience couldn’t possibly be as special as my first visit.

I needn’t have worried. Being invited back was a beautiful continuation of that journey and a reminder of just how much that first experience meant—and still means—to me.

Joining us on our trip was my oldest friend Rob Schebel and his wife Heather. I’ve known Rob for 40 years. He was there in the 4th grade when I decided to become a cartoonist. If you’ve read Table Titans Club, you’ve kind of met Rob. The character of Alan Fisher is based on the Rob I knew back then (I was Andrew).

So much happened during our weekend in Santa Rosa that it would be impossible for me to recall it all, but here are some of the highlights:

• Jeannie’s guest house has a basketball half-court attached, and when we walked in, she pointed to a Pac-Man arcade cabinet that she said she recently purchased but wasn’t sure she liked. We assured her it would get a lot of use this weekend. The cabinet had Pac-Man, Mappy, Dig-Dug, and Galaga (Rob’s favorite). We shot a lot of hoops and recorded several high scores.

• The first night, a small quail flew smack into the sliding glass door. Boom! It dropped dead on the back porch. We stood in shock, but Jeannie just moved the bird to the bushes, calmly assuring us that someone would handle it. Nothing fazes Jeannie—she’s a powerhouse.

• Jeannie brought us groceries—eggs, bread, cheese, wine. When she realized she’d forgotten butter, she ran over with a stick, likely straight from her own fridge. We kept telling her we could get our own groceries in town, but she wouldn’t hear it.

• Saturday morning before my signing, we toured the Creative Associates office—the hub of Peanuts licensing. Staff artist Mary Shyne led us through, and I got emotional walking into Sparky’s old studio. At the end, Mary offered me one of Sparky’s cherished Esterbrook 914 crow-quill nibs. When Charles Schulz learned they were discontinuing his favorite nib, he bought out the remaining stock. It had been a while since I’d used traditional media, but dipping that nib in ink was incredible.

• Mary is a kid-lit author herself and her book ‘You and me on Repeat’ is available for preorder now.

• The signing was a huge success—we sold half the books Copperfield’s brought. One boy, Chance, came back about 40 minutes after picking up a copy to tell me he loved it. The pages were already bent, wrinkled, and worn, like he’d owned it for a year.

• Jeannie joined me for part of the signing, and we had a fantastic chat about life, cartooning, and Sparky’s legacy. She mentioned a panel at an NCS Reuben weekend that had stuck with her. I told her I’d given that talk, and she said she was impressed by how I’d built a career as an independent cartoonist.

• Next to the museum is Snoopy’s Home Ice and the Warm Puppy Cafe. Sparky loved hockey so much he built his own rink. It was packed, but the weather was nice, so I had a chicken sandwich while the girls shopped at the gallery. Rob posed for a picture outside.

• Sunday morning, Jeannie invited us over for coffee and gave us a tour of her home. We relaxed in her living room and tried (unsuccessfully) to teach her how to switch to Apple TV on her home theater system. Later, we spent the day in town, wine tasting and shopping. When we returned to the guest house, we found Jeannie had left us some pomegranates from her backyard tree.

• I can’t express what a force of nature Jeannie Schulz is. She tirelessly carries Sparky’s legacy on her shoulders and never stops. She was an incredible host and took great care of us. When she hugged me goodbye, I called her “Mom,” and she didn’t flinch—just laughed and argued she was old enough to be our granny (though she’s actually my dad’s age).

• After returning the rental car, we took an air tram to SFO. Rob and Heather were in a different terminal, so we made some hurried goodbyes. When I got off, Rob pressed his hand to the glass, making the “live long and prosper” sign as the tram pulled away. That son of a bitch made me cry.

• We arrived two hours early for our flights, so Rob and Heather walked over to our gate. Rob and I joked about having to say goodbye all over again. It’s tough not living in the same place as my best friend, and goodbyes are still painful for us. Sure, we got some extra time together, but come on—we're men with big emotions.

• As a perfect topper to our visit, Heather found Table Titans Club in the airport bookstore.