Used Kids Records will celebrate 75 years of “Peanuts” with a Vince Guaraldi listening party Saturday. Credit: Photo courtesy of Aaron Beck
The first “Peanuts” comic strip debuted in seven newspapers across the country on Oct. 2, 1950, according to the Charles M. Schulz Museum’s website. This month marks the 75th anniversary of the beloved comics.
Used Kids Records — located at 2500 Summit St. — will host a celebratory listening party in honor of the music of Vince Guaraldi, the jazz pianist and composer best known for his involvement in the soundtracks of the Peanuts television adaptations, according to a Jazzwise article.
The event will kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday, and will run for about an hour, according to Greg Hall, owner of Used Kids Records.
Throughout the listening party, the record store will feature Guaraldi’s music from titles such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown” and more, Hall said.
Hall said the “Peanuts” listening party is a national event hosted by many record stores nationwide.
“It’s specifically focused on independent record stores,” Hall said. “We’re really aggressive about signing up for all the listening parties that come out … we, constantly, are doing them.”
Hall said the music of “Peanuts” is culturally iconic, as it represents the lasting impact that the tunes we grow up with can have on our psyches.
“The ‘Peanuts’ theme song is definitely one that if you start to whistle it, everybody knows it,” Hall said. “And certainly, the ‘Peanuts’ songs are typically kind of fun and uplifting.”
Caitlin McGurk, curator of comics and cartoon art at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, said she was excited to hear a local record store would be participating in the nationwide effort to celebrate the music of “Peanuts.”
“The ‘Peanuts’ comic strips and films were just so essential to American culture,” McGurk said. “This work isn’t being newly created — it still continues to have a life of its own … I think it’s really great that they’re making these efforts to try to get it in front of new audiences and bring people together.”
The 75th anniversary comes at a time where “Peanuts,” and specifically Snoopy, is having a wide resurgence across social media platforms, McGurk said.
“Snoopy is having a renaissance right now, and is bigger than ever,” McGurk said. “It goes to show how powerful these characters are that Schulz created — that they are continuing to attract people and capture people’s interest generation after generation.”
At the listening party, in between Guaraldi’s tracks, the store will play a mix that features explanations of what certain songs are about. These snippets will be voiced over by Jason and Sean Mendelson — sons of “Peanuts” animation executive Lee Mendelson, according to their TalkShopLive channel.
“The playback will be not just listening to the songs, but there will also be knowledge passed on,” Hall said. “It’s going to be not only fun, but also informative, and the folks get some free stuff.”
Every attendee of the event will receive a free sticker, and can also receive a free poster upon purchase of two “Peanuts” vinyl records, Hall said.
Used Kids Records has one primary goal as both a record store and a beloved event host — to energize the local Columbus community through music-themed events, Hall said.
“I like to think of the store as a cultural hub … I like to make a lot of stuff happen at the store, just to keep it exciting, keep it interesting. Listening parties are definitely part of that.”
The 75th anniversary is also being celebrated across campus. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has a long-standing relationship with the Schulz family, and has previously held an exhibit called “Celebrating Sparky” in honor of the 100th anniversary of Schulz’s artwork, McGurk said.
“We have tons of ‘Peanuts’ original art by Charles Schulz,” McGurk said. “Right now, there is at least one ‘Peanuts’ original on display in our gallery.”
McGurk said she hopes the event inspires students to engage with and learn more about the history of “Peanuts.”
“We do have the Billy Ireland [Cartoon Library & Museum] here on campus, which is the largest collection of comics and cartoon art in the entire world,” McGurk said. “We have this really rich history and connection to comics here at Ohio State.”
