Thursday, July 25, 2024

Cowabunga!

 

If you live in Santa Rosa, California, you can hardly avoid one of the most famous dogs in the world, a gang of kids and the man who brought them to life - Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" cartoon.

Schulz was born in November 1922 in Minneapolis and in 1958 he moved with his family to Sonoma County, first to Sebastopol and then to Santa Rosa, where he lived and worked until his death in February 2000. Two years later, in August 2002, the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center was opened in Santa Rosa. I still remember those early days when I also met his second wife, Jean, during one of the very first events. Later, during middle and high school, Kaefer regularly worked there as a volunteer in the education room and as a camp counselor for several years. This museum is part of our family memories.

So when there was a special surfing exhibition in the museum, the Geek and I had to go. It was a very enjoyable way to escape the heat for a few hours.

But why "Cowabunga"? 

The Press Democrat, our local paper, wrote on April 24, 1990:

"The word 'cowabunga", created for a character on the Howdy Dowdy TV show in the mid-1950s, was adopted by the generation of kids who grew up watching the program and as teenagers used it as a term of excitement, especially among surfers. By the late 1980s it was being shouted by popular characters like Bart Simpson, an avid skateboarder, and Michaelangelo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who uses surfer slang."

And so does Snoopy.


According to the museum, "Charles Schulz was not a surfer but enjoyed living near the Pacific Ocean. He also always had his ears open for funny words and phrases. He never recorded when or where he first encountered surfer slang, but he used it to comedic effect as early as 1965. He may have heard it from his older children and their friends or perhaps in one of the many beach party films that were then popular." 

Even though Schulz, whose nickname "Sparky" is still used in Santa Rosa, did not surf, there is a very endearing photo of him on a skateboard together with his daughter Amy in the driveway of their Sebastopol home. The other photo is of him and two of his five children at the ocean where he frequently went.

To my knowledge, no one else of the Peanuts gang surfed and so Snoopy became the lone surfing beagle. Not many of those are around, I assume.


I liked the way many of the comic strips were displayed in the museum, giving it the beach, sand and ocean atmosphere (I'm not mentioning the sun here, because that shiny ball often hides above the marine layer at our coast).

There were also a few sketches that Sparky did before creating the actual comic of the day. They always landed in the waste basket, but his secretaries would often retrieve and collect them.

There is way more to write about our visit to the Schulz Museum, but I will leave this for a later post. This has already become very long. Since there are so many faces, much beloved around the world, I will join Nicole for this week's Friday Face Off.



23 comments:

Tom said...

...he created legends with his pen!

Elephant's Child said...

Thanks for the reminiscent smiles. He was certainly a part of my childhood - and something I remember fondly.

roentare said...

The reminder of Snoopy is so nostalgic for me

David M. Gascoigne, said...

He was a good hockey player, too. It is amazing how these simple cartoons have become a global phenomenon and continue to be popular long after his death. Their message is universal and enduring I suppose, and at one level or another speaks to all of us. Bravo, Charles Schultz. Hugs - David.

Valerie-Jael said...

How wonderful to have a museum dedicated to Peanuts, what a fabulous idea! Thanks for sharing,, hugs, Valerie

My name is Erika. said...

Snoopy's a favorite character of mine, and this looks like such a fun exhibit. I've only been through Santa Rosa once, and I wanted to stop and visit the museum, but sadly we didn't have time. Next time I'm in the area I guess. So thank you for sharing these photos. It was fun to see them. And can I end this post saying Cowabunga? Have a great weekend. hugs-Erika

Mae Travels said...

Definitely COWABUNGA is a Howdy Doody word! I remember it well.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

DVArtist said...

A post full of memories. Thank you for sharing with FFO and have a great weekend.

Iris Flavia said...

Kathy LIEBT Snoopy, ich schicke ihr mal deinen Link, ja?

Christine said...

Fun post

Violetta said...

Liebe Carola,
Super Post, ich liebe Snoopy und seine Bande, ist aber schon lange her, daß ich das gelesen oder gesehen habe. Aber jedesmal, wenn mir dieser eigenartige Beagle unter die Augen kommt muss ich schmunzeln.
Danke für Deinen netten Blogbesuch.
Alles Liebe und eine gute Zeit
Violetta

peppylady (Dora) said...

My dad was quite snoopy fan.

Frau Mayer said...

Servus Carola, zufällig bin ich auf deinen Blog getroffen und gleich Snoppy gefunden. Klassiker und immer noch lustig.
LG aus Wien

kathyinozarks said...

I Love Snoopy, awesome post Iris let me know

Veronica Lee said...

I loved reading about your visit to the Charles M. Schulz Museum! It’s fascinating to hear how Schulz used surfing slang in his comics, especially with Snoopy. The beach-themed display must have been a delight to see. Thank you for sharing this nostalgic and fun post!

Veronica Lee said...

I loved reading about your visit to the Charles M. Schulz Museum! It’s fascinating to hear how Schulz used surfing slang in his comics, especially with Snoopy. The beach-themed display must have been a delight to see. Thank you for sharing this nostalgic and fun post!

John's Island said...

Carola, I love the way your blog focuses on art. (bARTz 😊) … This time, historically so. Thank you for taking us along to the Schulz Museum. Fascinating bit of info: “There were also a few sketches that Sparky did before creating the actual comic of the day. They always landed in the waste basket, but his secretaries would often retrieve and collect them.” I would love to visit the Museum in person someday. It’s always a pleasure to stop by your blog. Thank you, Carola, for sharing. Happy week ahead to you and the Geek! Hugs, John

Teresa said...

Muy interesante tu entrada. Besos.

Barwitzki said...

Großartige Zeichnungen, die die ganze Welt begeistern...
wie schön, daß es sogar dieses fantastische Museum gibt.
Danke für deinen Bericht - eine Freude.
Viele Grüsse zu dir mit einer fröhlichen Umarmung.
Viola

Jeanie said...

I've always loved the Peanuts kids -- and they hold up perfectly today. Timeless. Of course Snoopy is a favorite and it was fun to revisit some I remember, along with some I'd forgotten too! Thanks for this -- it's a wonderful visit and a spot I'd like to visit in person. I hope you share more from the museum later!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Carola, I grew up watching the Howdy Dowdy show and also remember “cowabunga” so this post brought back that memory. This looks like a wonderful museum and the Peanuts gang and Snoopy are so identifiable worldwide. Thanks for all the background info.

Rostrose said...

Liebe Carola,
wie gut, dass "Sparkys" Sekretärinnen die Skizzen oft aus dem Papierkorb herausholten und aufbewahrten. Ich glaube, mit den Peanuts sind viele Kinder aufgewachsen - in der Tageszeitung, die meine Eltern abonniert hatten, waren diese Comics auch regelmäßig drin (wenn ich mich richtig erinnere, abwechselnd mit Superman- und Hägar-der-Schreckliche-Strips ;-D)
Mit Surfen oder Skateboarden habe ich nichts am Hut, meine Talente liegen anderswo ;-) aber über die Snoopy-Geschichten dazu habe ich mich jetzt sehr amüsiert. Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, dass ich diese Strips schon früher gesehen oder jemals den Begriff "Cowabunga" gehört / gelesen hätte, vielleicht ließ man Surf-Geschichten in Österreichs Zeitungen einfach aus, weil das in der Alpenregion einst noch niemand wirklich kannte ;-) Oder ich hab's einfach vergessen...
Auf jeden Fall freue ich mich, wenn du in deinem Blog noch weiteres aus dem Schulz-Museum zeigst.
Alles Liebe, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/07/ruckschau-auf-den-rest-vom-mai-2024-und.html

Soma @ InkTorrents.com said...

I had no idea he lived here in Santa Rosa and that there is a museum too. That's fabulous!

-Soma