The advertising surrounding "Ever and Never: The Art of Peanuts" focuses on the cutest character from the classic American comic strip. So much so, promotions for this exhibition at the Mori Arts Center Gallery has been dubbed the "Snoopy Exhibit," a title that also graces the Twitter and Facebook accounts associated with "Ever and Never." It's not a bad strategy. Snoopy is in the same cartoon-icon tier as Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny — and he's especially popular in Japan.
Thankfully, the world's most famous beagle is treated as just one part of the "Peanuts'" story at "Ever and Never," which offers a well-rounded look at the cartoon's creator, Charles M. Schulz, and the evolution of the Peanuts gang over the years. It features hundreds of comic strips and personal items from Schulz' life, curated by the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. "Ever and Never" is a must-see for any "Peanuts" fan in Tokyo, and is an overall great overview of one of the most important cartoons of all time.
Schulz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1922, and "Ever and Never" devotes one-third of its space to his background. This section features objects from Schulz' youth, ranging from a childhood baseball glove to letters he wrote while serving in World War II. Plenty of space is also devoted to the works that influenced Schulz alongside his pre-Peanuts work, including his Peanuts-in-chrysalis "Li'l Folks" strip for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. There's even a life-size replica of his work office at the show.