Mayor Kelly unveils design for "DOGHOUSE DAYS OF SUMMER," Saint Paul's fifth and final statue promotion honoring Charles M. Schulz
Saint Paul, MN, February 12, 2004 -- Mayor Randy Kelly today announced the fifth and final summer statue promotion honoring hometown son and creator of the famed PEANUTS comic strip, Charles M. Schulz.
Design plans unveiled today for "DOGHOUSE DAYS OF SUMMER" at Landmark Center feature a classic pose of Snoopy lying on top of his doghouse daydreaming with Woodstock, his closest friend and confidant perched on his stomach. This classic image is unique from past tributes that featured one character alone. This design will provide artists with a new opportunity to showcase their creativity and provides the public with an opportunity to enjoy Snoopy and Woodstock along with Snoopy's infamous Doghouse. Woodstock was incorporated into this year's design because of the overwhelming request from the public.
The statues will grace the streets of Saint Paul and be placed throughout the sidewalks, plazas, parks, and boulevards of Saint Paul (similar to the past four years with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Linus statues). The past four summer art celebrations have brought nearly 2 million visitors from virtually all fifty states and from sixty countries around the world to see the statues and visit Minnesota's Capital City.
The Snoopy Doghouse statues will once again be painted by local artists and sponsored by area businesses. The Artist Paint-Off is scheduled for May 19 - 24 at RiverCentre where there will be designated public hours for families to see the artist at work and see first-hand how the statues come to life. Many events are planned surrounding the "DOGHOUSE DAYS OF SUMMER" tribute including a celebration and kick-off event before the statues are positioned in their neighborhood destinations during the first few weeks of June.
The statues will be kept by sponsors, or auctioned off, on September 19 at the Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul. Auction proceeds are funding the Charles M. Schulz Fund that was established to create and maintain permanent bronze sculptures of the PEANUTS gang and to fund scholarships for artists and emerging cartoonists at the Art Instruction School where Schulz attended and taught and at the College of Visual Arts.
The Snoopy Dog House Information Center will again be located at the Science Museum of Minnesota in downtown Saint Paul and will be open from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily. The merchandise booth, located on Ecolab Plaza, will also be open throughout the summer and operating hours will be announced soon.
"Saint Paul is proud to continue this tribute to Charles M. Schulz and the Snoopy Doghouse statues will be a great addition to the streets of Saint Paul. I look forward to another great summer filled with visitors that help foster community pride in our city. This is a very special initiative and we are happy to be able to enjoy the magic of it in Saint Paul," said Mayor Kelly.
"The Schulz family and I could not have been more pleased with the Peanuts on Parade project in Saint Paul for the last four years. Not only did we accomplish all of our goals, but we surpassed expectations. I am continually amazed by the loyalty of PEANUTS fans in the Twin Cities. Each and every year they turn out in droves to view all the elaborately painted statues. We owe a tremendous amount of thanks to all involved with this project, too numerous to mention here. In this being the fifth and closing year, it is my hope that everyone remembers the love and emotion that my father's characters gave to us all for fifty years," said Craig Schulz.
The Capital City Partnership and the City of Saint Paul in partnership with the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau, and TivoliToo Design & Sculpting Studios present "DOGHOUSE DAYS OF SUMMER." Event sponsors include: Kraus-Anderson, 3M, Best Buy and Star Tribune.
Additional "DOGHOUSE DAYS OF SUMMER" information can be found at www.doghousedaysofsummer.com or via the Snoopy Doghouse Hotline at 651-291-5608.
About UNITED MEDIA United Media (UM) is a worldwide licensing and syndication company that focuses on building brand equity around a wide range of creative content. The company recently signed the MTA (New York Metropolitan Transit Authority), SHiNE, and the Emmy award winning television series, Arthur, to its portfolio of properties. It also collaborated with fellow E.W. Scripps Company, Food Network, to build an all-new licensing programming featuring the popular cable channel. United Media licenses and/or syndicates other properties, including, PEANUTS, Precious Moments, Copyrights at United Media (The World of Beatrix Potter, Paddington Bear, etc.), Raggedy Ann & Andy, Dilbert, and 2GRRRLS. United Media is an E.W. Scripps Company.
About Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates was established by Charles M. Schulz to oversee the creative and business management of Peanuts worldwide licensing programs, in conjunction with United Media. Creative Associates provides creative art direction to over 900 Peanuts worldwide licensees and processes over 36,000 product approvals each year. Creative Associates is located in Santa Rosa, where Charles M. Schulz maintained his studio, the Redwood Empire Ice Arena ("Snoopy's Home Ice"), and Snoopy's Gallery and Gift Shop. Nearby is the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, which opened its doors in 2002 and has become a popular destination for PEANUTS fans across the globe.
