Take a flight of fancy with Snoopy as the World War I flying ace hunting the Red Baron. Or listen in on a recital with Schroeder at the piano. Need to get your frustrations out with a good scream? Try giving Charlie Brown’s famous “Aaaaugh!” a big shout-out at the top of your lungs.
The “Peanuts” gang comes to Ala Moana Center on Friday with “The Search for Snoopy: A Peanuts Adventure,” promising a nostalgic, refreshing trip through the trials and tribulations of childhood.
“It’s a live, interactive journey where you can physically walk into the ‘Peanuts’ neighborhood and go on several adventures,” said Mark Manuel, CEO of Kilburn Live, creator of the attraction.
That neighborhood will be easily recognizable to anyone who has read the “Peanuts” comic strip or seen the holiday TV specials, which have been a staple of American pop culture since Charles Schulz’s comic strip debuted in newspapers in 1950.
The nearly 20,000-square-foot installation will feature sites like Lucy’s front lawn, complete with a psychiatrist booth “where you can pick up the phone and get her advice, which is actually made with the real Lucy voice,” and a school gym, “where you can dance like the ‘Peanuts’ characters,” Manuel said.
Four costumed “Peanuts” characters — Charlie Brown, Lucy Van Pelt, Sally Brown and Snoopy — will be on-site, said Asher Siles, site operations manager at the installation. “Our guests will be able to meet these characters and be brought into the ‘Peanuts’ world,” he said.
To search for Snoopy, visitors can download an app onto their cellphones and use it to find clues in Snoopy’s “alter ego” room to help Charlie Brown find him.
While “The Search for Snoopy” will likely attract mostly families with young children, it should also appeal to people of all ages, no matter how far removed from childhood they are, Siles said.
“It’s not just for kids, but all of us who are kids at heart,” he said. “We’ll all get to enjoy those iconic moments that made us fall in love with ‘Peanuts’ in the first place.”
The long lasting appeal of “Peanuts” is due to its universality of its characters, Manuel said. “It’s is a microcosm of us,” he said. “Most people typically identify with a ‘Peanuts’ character, because it spans so many different personalities.”
Based in Los Angeles, Kilburn Live has created similar attractions based on Barbie dolls, Dr. Seuss characters and other kid-friendly entities. It chose Honolulu for its first “Peanuts” attraction because its merchandise sells well here, Manuel said.
“There’s a vibrant ‘Peanuts’ fan base in Honolulu, and then there’s obviously a stream of tourists that come that are also big ‘Peanuts’ fans,” Manuel said. “This is our first event in Honolulu. We’re hoping it’s the first of many.”
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“The Search for Snoopy: A Peanuts Adventure”
>> Where: Ala Moana Center, Level Three, near Target
>> When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesdays to Mondays. Capacity limited; reserved time slots are available. Opens Friday; runs through the end of the year
>> Cost: $27-$34 general admission, 10% discount for kamaaina
>> For more info: searchforsnoopy.com
