New ‘Peanuts’ stamps released at Charles M. Schulz Museum

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the “Peanuts” comic strip cast are truly immortal, living on in reprints, books and animated cartoons 70 years after the strip made its debut and 22 years after the death of the strip’s creator, Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz.

So what could be more appropriate than a set of commemorative “forever” stamps?

Hundreds of “Peanuts” fans and stamp collectors turned out Friday at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa for the first day of issue for 10 new stamps featuring “Peanuts” characters.

“‘Peanuts’ was celebrated for its melancholy wit and wisdom,” said Luke T. Grossman, senior vice president for finance and strategy with the United States Postal Service, during a brief dedication ceremony at noon. “The strip also embraced persistence.”

This was the third release of U.S. Postal Service stamps celebrating “Peanuts,” he noted. The first was in 2001, after Schulz’s death, and showed Snoopy in his alternate persona as the World War I flying ace. The second came out in 2015, marking the 50th anniversary of the TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” first shown in 1965.

“Forever” stamps can be used to mail a 1-ounce letter regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used and no matter how prices may change in the future.

“They will always be perfect for letters and packages, forever,” Grossman said.

The stamps are issued in a pane of 20, with two stamps each of the “Peanuts” characters Charlie Brown, Lucy, Franklin, Sally, Pigpen, Linus, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Snoopy with Woodstock, with a photo of Schulz in the center.

Fans of all ages crowded the museum Friday, many dressed in T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the images of “Peanuts” characters, mostly Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

Even Melissa Menta showed up in a Snoopy sweater. More than a fan, she’s senior vice president for marketing and communications for Peanuts Worldwide in New York City, which manages the “Peanuts” comic strip, DVDs and TV shows.

“I knew it would be too hot, but I wanted to wear this today,” she said. “This is a great way to celebrate Charles Schulz. We heard from people who wrote to us saying they wanted to use these stamps for Christmas.”

Michael Schreter, 82, of Palm Springs, was near the front of a long line stretching across the museum parking lot at 9 a.m., two hours before the museum opened.

“I came up just for this,” he said. “I knew Sparky years ago.”

The line was just as long at 2 p.m., after the dedication ceremony, as people waited to buy their sets of the stamps.

Hans Cleaver, 60, of Santa Rosa, a lifelong stamp enthusiast, proudly displayed his pane of 20 stamps to passersby.

“I was nostalgic when I read in the newspaper about these day-of-issue stamps,” he said. “I have panes of stamps for ‘Star Wars’ and the Marvel and DC superheroes. I have first-day-issue stamps from the Moon landing.”

Many of the fans in the audience were young children, delighted by the appearance of Snoopy, who participated the official unveiling of the stamps.

Wesley Alder, 41, of Manteca, was enticed to the event by his stamp collector sister and brought along his 4-year-old daughter, who was proudly wearing a T-shirt bearing an image of Snoopy holding some flowers.

“She’s so excited to see Snoopy,” he said.

The stamps were on sale at the museum and at post offices across the nation Friday.

“We thank the staff of our own downtown post office today, who are selling these stamps today,” said Schulz’s widow, Jean, during her brief opening remarks before the unveiling. (Jean Schulz is one of the principal investors in Sonoma Media Investments, owner of The Press Democrat.)

Gina Huntsinger, director of the Schulz Museum, neatly summed up the occasion neatly: “What a great honor this is for Charles Schulz … this way of celebrating his 100th year with new stamps.”

Schulz was born Nov. 26, 1922, in Minneapolis and would have turned 100 next month. He moved to Sonoma County in 1958 and died of colon cancer Feb. 12, 2000, in Santa Rosa at age 77. By the time of his death, he had written and drawn the “Peanuts” comic strip for nearly 50 years.

The “Peanuts” comic strip debuted in 1950 and garnered hundreds of millions of readers worldwide and in the 1960s spawned television specials, books and a Broadway show. At its height, the “Peanuts” strip ran in as many as 2,800 newspapers, and reprints still run in about 2,000 papers, including The Press Democrat.

While the Postal Service saluted “Peanuts,” one of the speakers returned the favor. Don’t blame the letter carriers when Charlie Brown never gets any Valentine’s Day cards, said Paige Braddock, chief creative officer of Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, which handles editorial, visual and product licensing for “Peanuts.”

“We all know that his empty mailbox is not the post office’s fault,” Braddock said.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.