Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy, the beloved creations of Charles M. Schulz, will feature prominently in certain farms across the US and Canada as they are being celebrated in whimsical corn mazes.
More than 80 farms, spanning 35 states and provinces, from California to New York, and Ontario to Texas, have teamed up with Peanuts Worldwide to create “Peanuts”-themed mazes to celebrate the beloved comic strip’s 75th birthday this summer and fall.
The labyrinths are custom created by the world’s largest corn maze consulting company, The MAiZE Inc. Each maze is designed for the size of the farm, from 1.5 acres to 20 acres, and most of them are made out of corn, except for two which are made out of sunflowers.
Farmers selected for the free service will be welcoming visitors to take a trip down memory lane in these lush attractions.
“All of these events help keep my dad’s legacy alive,” Jill Schulz, an actor and daughter of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz, told AP News. Schulz died in 2000.
“As someone who can’t even keep houseplants alive, the fact that they can do that with a corn maze and get the artwork right and create a fun experience for all ages is pretty incredible,” she added, laughing.
The Utah-based Brett Herbst, who leads Maize Inc. and launched his first corn maze in 1996, says technology has only somewhat changed the way corn mazes are made.
“The first year we did it, we just used a weed whacker with a saw blade on it when the corn was fully grown,” he told AP. “Now we do it when it’s short and we go in and either mow it or rototill it. We design it all on a computer, but most of it we actually just go draw it out on the ground by hand.”
Over the years, he and his team have designed mazes with everything from the faces of presidential candidates, Oprah Winfrey, zombies, John Wayne and Chris LeDoux, but he says Charlie Brown and Co. works the best.
“Peanuts” made its debut Oct. 2, 1950, and eventually ran in more than 2,600 newspapers, reaching millions of readers in 75 countries.
“I think we all need a little innocence for our children right now with all the technology out there. We need a little ’put down your phone and go out and have some good old fashioned, old school family time.’ I think that’s important,” Jill said.
