World-Famous Beagle—in 8-Inch Plush Form—Was
"Floating On Air" with Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir as They Sent Greetings from the
International Space Station to Millions of Parade Viewers
Nationwide, While a New 49-Foot Tall Astronaut Snoopy Macy's Parade
Balloon Soared Over Manhattan
Along the Parade Route, Two Former NASA
Astronauts Joined the Peanuts Gang Aboard the Snoopy's Doghouse
Float, Highlighting a Peanuts-NASA Relationship That Promotes STEM
Education for Students As NASA Prepares to Go Back to the Moon and On to Mars
Snoopy, the Longest-Running Character Balloon in
the Macy's Parade, soared for his 40th flight down the
Streets of Manhattan and his
Second time as Astronaut Snoopy (he First Wore a Space Suit for the
1969 Parade). This time sporting a Brand-New Orange Spacesuit
Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the First Moon
Landing
NEW YORK, Nov. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - As more than 50
million viewers watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® in
amazement nationwide, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, accompanied by an 8-inch plush of
Astronaut Snoopy in a bright orange spacesuit, offered greetings to
the 93rd annual Parade from the International Space Station,
traveling 17,000 miles per hour more than 200 miles above the
Earth.
Koch and Meir wished viewers a Happy Thanksgiving as part of the
Peanuts-NASA partnership that emphasizes science education for
students, as NASA's new Artemis program prepares to send the first
woman and the next man to the Moon. Then it's "on to Mars!" said
Koch. (In Greek mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and
goddess of the Moon.)
Koch, Meir, and the Snoopy plush concluded the greeting by
waving while floating out of view in the microgravity atmosphere of
the Space Station.
Meanwhile, as fans thronged the sidewalks of Manhattan, former NASA astronauts Kay Hire and Dr. Janet
Kavandi joined Charlie Brown
aboard the Snoopy's Doghouse float. The float featured a telescope
atop Snoopy's doghouse and a satellite antenna, along with such
iconic Peanuts visuals as Charlie
Brown's infamous football—and, of course, Snoopy's red
supper dish.
"It is Peanuts meeting history – what a thrill to see our
Peanuts gang join four extraordinary astronauts (both current and
former) as we celebrate historic accomplishments in space
exploration— and, even more thrilling, as we anticipate the future
discoveries that still await us," said Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts creator
Charles M. "Sparky" Schulz. "My only
wish is that Sparky could have been here to see this. He was an
enormous admirer of NASA and the extraordinary men and women who
work at the agency. He celebrated their work in his comic strips
long before the moon landing. He would be proud to know that his
beloved characters continue to inspire young people to engage in
science education and follow tomorrow's astronauts to the moon and
on to Mars."
Starting as early as 1959, NASA advocate Charles Schulz began incorporating
space-exploration themes into his comic strip. During the Apollo
missions, Schulz gave NASA permission to use Snoopy on its safety
materials. The relationship reached new heights in 1969, when
NASA sent Peanuts into space, through the formation of the Silver
Snoopy award. In July 2018, NASA and
Peanuts Worldwide looked to the future with the signing of a
multi-year, formal Space Act Agreement, supporting fresh
entertainment content plus STEM-based educational materials for the
next generation.
About Peanuts
Charles M. Schulz first
introduced the world to the Peanuts characters in
1950, when the Peanuts comic strip debuted in seven
newspapers. Since then, Charlie
Brown, Snoopy and the rest of
the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on
popular culture. The new series Snoopy in
Space launched on AppleTV+ on November 1,
2019. Peanuts animated specials and series air on
major networks and streaming services, including ABC, Cartoon
Network and Boomerang in the U.S., Family Channel in Canada, and the WildBrain Spark network on
YouTube. Fans also enjoy Peanuts through thousands
of consumer products around the world, amusement parks attractions,
cultural events, social media, and a daily comic strip available in
all formats from traditional to digital. In 2018, Peanuts partnered
with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a
passion for space exploration and STEM among the next generation of
students. The Peanuts characters and related
intellectual property are 41% owned by WildBrain (TSX: DHX, NASDAQ:
DHXM), 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by family of
Charles M. Schulz.
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SOURCE DHX Media Ltd. (dba WildBrain)
