Snoopy in Space (1969)

 

So a slightly different post today. This is from a 2010 publisher's promotional catalog for The Peanuts Collection. It had a nice section on Peanuts in Space and I wanted to share it and my memories.

I was a huge Peanuts fan in the 1960s as a child. I was fascinated with spaceflight and was thrilled when "Peanuts" joined the space program. I really like Snoopy as an astronaut and the Charlie Brown and Snoopy designation for the Apollo 10 Command Module and Lunar Module. (see here for more https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/blog/snoopy-charlie-brown-and-apollo-10 )

I begged to get this Snoopy doll and had a Peanuts Calendar on my wall.

Peanuts and Snoopy were central to my experience of watching people land on the Moon.

Funny Toys (1969)

 

A couple of pages from a "paper-craft" book published in Estonia. I love the style of these rocket images.

Eva Lootsar. Drawings by Lilian Harm. Funny Toys. Tallinn : Kunst. 12 p. 28 x 21 cm. 1969.

There is no text in the book except a short introduction about crafting with paper.

The Main Star Man (1969)

 

 This book was based on the cartoon of the same name by Soyuzmultfilm studio. It is a fictional story of two brothers learning about astronomy and the history of looking in the sky. It is full of wonderful painted images.

G. Sapgir, G. Tsyferov. Drawn by V. Savydov and A. Vinokurov. The Main Star Man. Moscow : Bureau of Propaganda of Soviet Cinema. 20 p. 13 x 21 cm. 1969.

Exploring the Moon: A Space Trip Into the Future (1969)

 

Happy Moon Day!

This is the cover of the April 1969 issue of Children's Digest. They would publish short book excepts and articles for children. I thought I would celebrate this day by sharing an article about the coming landing written from the perspective of a couple of years before.

The cover artwork was by the famous space artist Robert McCall.

The article is excepted from a 1965 Book called "The Question and Answer Book of Space". I blogged about it back in 2009 here: https://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/06/question-and-answer-book-of-space-1965.html

So this is exactly the kind of thing I was reading at ages 7 and 8. It was lacking in many details but I knew what was coming by the time July 1969 arrived. So join me on a little throw-back to a far-away time.

This last little box in the article brings it all back to me....

Flight to The Moon (1969)

 Flight to the Moon is based on the animated film of the same name from Soyuzmultfilm studio. I had not seen this comic before and love the illustrations.

Flight to the moon. Drawn by G. Kozlov. (12 pp.) 1969.

Note the symbol of the Soviet Union they are carrying.

Spacetrack :Watchdog of the Skies (1969)

 

Spacetrack is an unusual children's book. Still typical of Charles Coombs' illustrated military and space technology book but it is basically all about NORAD and the Deep Space Network. I find it fascinating that "Space War" was being contemplated  at this time and shared with children. Was this the roots of the new branch of the military "The Space Force?"

Coombs, Charles. Spacetrack: Watchdog of the Skies. New York: William Morrow and Co. (128 p.) 1969.