© 1970 Hallmark, Inc./ Peanuts Worldwide, LLC.

LUCY VAN PELT: DIRECTOR OF EVERYTHING

Fri 5 November 2021 - Sun 6 February 2022

The Heong Gallery

About the Exhibition
Lucy Van Pelt is one of the most enduring female characters in the 'Peanuts' universe, having made her first appearance in the comic strip in March 1952. Charles M. Schulz soon realised that Lucy, a character he initially disliked for her ‘cold-blooded’ self-sufficiency, would be the perfect antidote to Charlie Brown’s self-doubt and childhood anxieties. Lucy is the model of self-belief, whether it be in her frustration with the perceived shortcomings of others, or with her readiness to dispense advice. A disaster on the baseball field, Lucy is always ready with a justification for why she didn’t catch the ball. The football gag, where Lucy convinces Charlie Brown to run up and kick the ball before pulling it away, could only work for nearly fifty years because the reader looks forward to each ingenious ruse. It is in the makeshift psychiatric booth that Lucy truly comes into her own, charging 5 cents for the advice that she otherwise dispenses free and, frequently, unsolicited.

By creating a character who is so outspoken, Schulz made space in the comic to address feminism, mental health, religion, and the frustrations of childhood in frank and sophisticated ways that had not been attempted in the comic strip form.

About 'Peanuts'
Drawn by Charles M. Schulz, 'Peanuts' was syndicated in newspapers from 1950 to 2000, gaining a global following amongst fans of all ages. The everyday struggles and ponderings of a group of perpetual pre-teens in an unnamed midwestern town captured the zeitgeist over five decades, while maintaining the childlike innocence of its characters. Working within the strict gag-a-day format of newspaper funnies, Schulz was able to create complex characters who were given the space to follow their thoughts while still delivering the laughs and the running gags.

The Peanuts gang appeared in several television specials and films, books, and promotional materials and the strip has been cited widely as an inspiration for comic strip artists who followed.

Cost: Free