There's more to Peanuts than the weekly comic strip in the Sunday paper. Peanuts has become an easily recognizable symbol of American childhood and entertainment. Charles Schulz's creative creation has taken on various forms throughout its half-century history, including books, movies, special soundtracks, and Broadway musicals. Here we explore a few of the major forms of art beyond the comic strip in the 1950s and 1960s, and invite you to take a glimpse into the wide world of Peanuts.

The permeation of Peanuts images into American culture doesn't stop with visual media, however. United Media Syndicate has created a powerful entertainment empire through the marketing of Peanuts memorabelia and image liscensing, using Schulz' characters to represent corporations and drive advertising campaigns. In particular, the high-profile use of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Lucy's characters to advertise for MetLife for the past twenty years shows the high degree to which Schulz' images have fully permeated American culture.