Snoopy and Belle In Fashion Exhibit Schedule and Exclusive with Jill Schulz #Snoopy #sbif-tour #PeanutsAmbassador

As a 2017 Peanuts Ambassador, and as a genuine fanatic of all things Snoopy and the gang, I am excited to share new and awesome things in 2017. Starting out the new year, I am excited to share an exclusive interview with Jill Schulz, daughter of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, on the new Snoopy & Belle In Fashion exhibit that is making its way across the country in 2017!

Joining the interview was Melissa Menta, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Peanuts Worldwide LLC, and the producer of the Snoopy and Belle In Fashion Exhibit.Melissa started the conversation giving us more insight into the exhibit and how it came about:

We’re really proud of this exhibit.  It’s a reimagination of an exhibit that first premiered in 1984.  A woman who was in charge of spearheading Peanuts merchandise in Japan went to Charles Schulz, or Sparky as he was called, and asked if she could do this exhibit.  He said “yes” and she pulled off this amazing feat of getting all the major designers in the world to design outfits for Snoopy and his sister Belle. 

The original exhibit was called “Snoopy in Fashion.”  They were plush dolls dressed by famous designers like Chanel, Betsey Johnson and everyone you could possibly imagine.  Those dolls have been travelling the world ever since.

In 2014 we decided to reimagine the exhibit and got all new designers plus some from the original exhibit.  Since then, we’ve been showing the exhibit around the world, and adding new designers.  There were 25 designers in 2014, but the current exhibit on display at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles has close to 50 sets of dolls representing almost 50 designers.  The new dolls in LA come from designers like Rachel Zoe and Academy Award winner Colleen Atwood.

I’m actually standing at the exhibit right now and it’s absolutely beautiful, so I hope whoever is local can come see it.

Some of the worlds top designers including Betsey Johnson and Diane Von Furstenberg were part of the original exhibit. I love this, as Peanuts has touched the heart of millions! Below are some of the exhibit imagines from designers previous creations including Gucci, Karl Lagerfeld, Versace and more. You can see how much time and detail goes into each display!Melissa noted that Peanuts speaks to people in different ways. “Whether you go to an amusement park or see the Peanuts movie, but it’s also a fashion brand.  If you talk to people in Europe, they see Peanuts as a fashion brand so this is a new way of showing Peanuts to be fashion forward and allowing people to enjoy the characters.” 
Jill commented that her dad, “Sparky”, would love the exhibit.

I know he would love it.  My Dad never liked to travel.  He always said, “I’ll go anywhere as long as I can be home by noon.”  So it was a great feat when he traveled to Paris to see the original exhibit at the Louvre in 1984.  It was a testament to his interest and respect to what these designers were doing with their talents in relationship to his characters.  There were many other times when he was going to be traveling overseas and would change his mind within 24 hours of leaving and not go.  But the 1984 trip was one he looked forward to.  He always had a great respect for all people, their art, and entertainment. 

She said with a chuckle that her dad was basically a “slacks and sweater guy.” He really didn’t have a fancy, celebrity lifestyle. I absolutely love this about him. While he was not much into fancy things, Jill noted he might have been a “closet fashion guy, and loved dressing up when he had the chance…” 
When asked about designers and how they infused themselves into their design for Snoopy and Belle, Melissa noted:

J. Mendel came to the exhibit in 2014 and we took a photo of him next to his Snoopy doll.  It’s kind of amazing that the same doll can be given such a unique look and personality as to match the designer.  Betsey Johnson’s doll oozes her personality.  The designers Costello Tagliapietra are a team of two men and look exactly like their dolls.  It’s been a lot of fun to see how much fun the designers are having.  They get so excited to see the finished product, especially alongside the other designs.

Elaborating more on how a designer joins in the exhibit, Melissa noted that each designer can do anything they like, only sticking to one rule – no real animal fur can be used.

 Colleen Atwood’s design has a great story behind it.

Colleen is an Academy Award winning costume designer who did Alice in Wonderland.  Her doll looks exactly like Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter from that film.  The cloth used on Snoopy is from Depp’s original costume.  For Belle, Colleen created a dress reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha.

When asked about a personal favorite Jill and Melissa were surprisingly on the same page about who they liked.

Jill:  There are so many great ones and I like them all for different reasons.  Out of the memories of the 80s, living in LA and wearing Betsey Johnson all the time, I gravitate towards her designs more.  So I would say Betsey Johnson just out of loyalty, but they’re all so great.  It’s hard to have a particular favorite.

Melissa:  Jill makes a really good point about Betsey.  She was part of the exhibit in 1984 and 2014, and when Twentieth Century Fox was preparing for the premiere of the Peanuts film, they asked me who would be good to create a look for Lucy that they could animate for the red carpet.  Like Jill, I said “Betsey Johnson.”  It was a no-brainer.  She’s a special friend to Peanuts.

Several of the blogger ambassadors were joining in on the call, including my friends Gayle (Disney Gals) and Di (FSM Media).They both had some great questions for Melissa and Jill.

Gayle:  In Sebastopol, there are large, hand painted statues of Peanuts characters, do you see a similar type of work being done to complement the fashion exhibit?

Jill:  I’m sure it could be possible, but right now all those statues are sponsored by people who bought them at auctions.  I’m not sure if people would let them go given the expense of moving such large pieces.  I don’t know if there’s anything in the works right now unless Melissa knows something I don’t.

Melissa:  Anything is possible.  Jill’s right, though, statues like that are very expensive to make and ship so something like that would have to be a reimagining of the original pieces.

Jill:  It would be possible if someone came along to spearhead it, but it would probably have to be an original work rather than using the original statues.

 

Dianne: What happens to the dolls after the exhibit is over?

Melissa:  The 1984 dolls are housed in Japan and Italy.  The 2014 dolls don’t have a home yet because they’re traveling so much.  After the US tour, we’ll be taking the exhibit abroad again.  All the 2014 designers have their own set of dolls as well. 

The 2017 U.S. tour will see the premiere of all new one-of-a-kind creations in every city, displayed via on-trend vinyl Snoopy and Belle dolls, by designers who ingeniously capture the unique style of their region.

A new Snoopy and Belle in Fashion app will guide visitors through the exhibit and provide insider information about the history of the brand and the designers. A directory within the app also allows fans to navigate locations within the Beverly Center where customers can purchase Peanuts product, as well as the designers’ wares. The exhibition will visit the following cities:

• Los Angeles/Beverly Center: February 14-March 12
• Denver/Cherry Creek: March 17-April 11
• Sarasota/The Mall at University Town Center: April 17-May 13
• Nashville/The Mall at Green Hills: May 17–June 11
• Fairfax/Fair Oaks Mall: June 23-July 18
• New York/Brookfield Place: September 7-October 1

I am excited about this exhibit and hope to see it while it is in Nashville this summer. Don’t miss out on this lifetime opportunity to see the exhibit for yourself in 2017!

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