NEW YORK (AP) — Visitors to corn mazes across the country discover a familiar and joyful figure in the winding labyrinth of tall stalks: Snoopy.
More than 80 farms across the U.S. and Canada have partnered with Peanuts Worldwide to create Peanuts-themed mazes to celebrate the beloved comic strip’s 75th anniversary this summer and fall.
A giant Snoopy rests on his doghouse in a maze at Dull’s Tree Farm in Thorntown, Indiana, and he is happily depicted on a pumpkin at Downey’s Farm in Caledon, Ontario.
“All of these events help keep my father’s legacy alive,” says Jill Schulz, actress and daughter of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz.
“For me, as someone who can’t even keep houseplants alive, the fact that they can do this with a corn maze, get the artwork right, and create a fun experience for all ages, is pretty incredible,” she adds with a laugh.
The mazes, which span 35 states and provinces, from California to New York, Ontario to Texas, are expected to attract more than 2 million visitors. Farmers are signing up for the free service because the mazes are part of the customer offering, along with things like hayrides, fresh produce and pumpkin carving.
Each maze is designed to fit the size of the farm—from 1.5 to 20 acres—and is made primarily of corn, but also includes sunflowers. They are custom-built by The MAiZE Inc., the world’s largest corn maze consulting company.
Utah-based Brett Herbst, who runs the company and launched his first corn maze in 1996, says technology has only partially changed the way corn mazes are made.
“The first year we just used a brush cutter with a saw blade when the corn was fully grown,” he says. “Now we do it when the corn is short and go in and mow or plow it. We design everything on the computer, but most of it we just draw by hand on the ground.”
Over the years, he and his team have designed mazes with the faces of presidential candidates, Oprah Winfrey, zombies, John Wayne and Chris LeDoux. This year is the first time they’ve devoted such an intensive focus to Charlie Brown and co.
“It’s very nostalgic and it seemed natural from the beginning to do that with ‘Peanuts,'” he says. “It’s harvest time. It’s kind of become this iconic thing.”
Building a labyrinth is both an art and a science. You have to find the balance between maintaining the integrity of the image and creating a real labyrinth that people can actually get lost in. “It’s definitely a challenge,” says Herbst. “You want to achieve both as best as possible.”
“Peanuts” was first released in cinemas on October 2, 1950. The adventures of the “little round-headed boy” Charlie Brown and his friends were eventually published in over 2,600 newspapers and reached millions of readers in 75 countries.
The comic strip features enduring images of kites in trees, Charlie Brown trying to kick a football, sharp-tongued Lucy dispensing advice for a nickel, and Snoopy occasionally taking a fanciful flight into the sky. Expressions like “comfort blanket” and “oh my goodness” are part of the global vernacular. Schulz died in 2000.
There’s something timeless about corn mazes, and that’s what Jill Schulz loves so much. They offer kids a chance to step away from their online lives and celebrate something their parents did.
“It’s great to have the opportunity to take children to traditional events because it’s also important for parents and grandparents to introduce them to something they enjoyed doing as a child,” she says.
“I think we all need a little bit of innocence for our kids today with all the technology that’s out there. We need a little bit of ‘put the phone down and go out and have some good, old-fashioned, old-fashioned family time.’ I think that’s important.”
