Perhaps the most beloved beagle in the world, Snoopy has set up his famous doghouse in Texarkana’s Regional Arts Center.

Comic strip reproductions depict Snoopy’s many glorious and frustrating days as the World War I Flying Ace fighting his nemesis, the Red Baron.

Brought to Texarkana through Exhibits USA, “Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace” shows the whimsical imagination of both Snoopy himself and his creator, Charles M. Schulz.

“It’s 28 panels spanning from his debut all the way up to the final one in 1999,” said Bryan Phillips, community programs coordinator for the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council.

Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace first appeared on Sunday, Oct. 10, 1965, even though the Snoopy character was part of Peanuts since it was first published widely in newspapers in 1950.

His doghouse was no ordinary home from then on out; it became a Sopwith Camel airplane, the perfect perch for a proud fighter pilot like Snoopy.

“It’s really interesting seeing the evolution of it. Originally, Snoopy was fighting the Red Baron and his imaginary doghouse was getting full of bullet holes and things like that from the Red Baron,” said Phillips. “Up until the Vietnam time, it was becoming kind of political, so Schulz quit making Snoopy fight the Red Baron. And he was basically schmoozing the ladies in the French cafés and the bars and things like that.”

Snoopy transformed into more of a lover than a fighter, said Phillips, who also points out that the doghouse is never seen up in the air (and always attached to the ground), thereby solidifying how this is the beagle’s dream.

Text panels beside the comic strip reproductions (in the size and scale Schulz, who used pen and ink, drew them) explain some of the background to the Snoopy character as it evolved over time and the history of Peanuts.

Snoopy’s “Flying Ace” incarnation ultimately appeared in the strip more than 400 times.

Phillips points out the accessibility of Snoopy’s imaginative daydreams.

“You’ve got this great imagination aspect of it, but it’s great for the adults too because it has some of the subversive themes. It’s really subliminal and you kind of have to think about it. It’s a very intellectual kind of comic strip,” he said.

Schulz drew many of his characters from his own real-world experiences and people he knew. For example, the comic strip artist himself fought in World War II.

“And I think that’s something that really makes Peanuts so memorable,” said Phillips. The continuity helps people relate to the characters, he believes.

He said Snoopy became so big that Schulz had to eventually tone down his appearances in the comic strip.

Schulz once said of his famous beagle: “Like Snoopy, most people turn to fantasy for fun and refuge. I have always believed that his flights of fancy are what help him to survive, and we must admit that a dog’s life is not an easy life.”

Snoopy and Schulz’s other Peanuts characters all developed distinctive personalities over time.

“They did evolve. All the characters sort of started off kind of like how you read a character in a book. You start off one way and that character has to build on you,” said Phillips, noting it takes the interaction of characters and time for them to develop their own path and personality.

“It’s the way Schulz approaches it that makes it unique. It’s a very clever humor ... you take it in, you soak it in,” he said.

Along with the high-resolution iris prints, there are photos of Schulz and books about Snoopy to accompany the comic strip reproductions.

This traveling exhibit runs here through Jan. 3.



(The Regional Arts Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a 7 p.m. close on Thursday. Admission is free. More info: 903-792-8681.)