Have things like The Great Pumpkin Countdown and promotional contests taken a front seat for the time being?
I think with the Great Pumpkin Countdown, it’s about people having fun. That is awareness. It’s reminding people what the fun of all the things in “Peanuts” are, and in October it’s the Great Pumpkin. The rest of it, like the books, are to satisfy people’s interest in “Peanuts.” People desire to know more information and get not just the daily comic strip but the daily strip along with some additional background, tidbits and everything else. What’s it been like to have a portrait of Charles in the National Portrait Gallery? That seems a very high honor. It is very exciting. We were down there in April for a Christo retrospective in the American Art part of the museum, and it and the Portrait Gallery share the old Patent Office. It’s a beautiful space. It’s a great honor and, I think, a well-deserved honor. I think that Sparky is someone who is a true cultural icon in America and deserves to be there. When “Peanuts” launched 60 years ago, comic strips were very much thought of as a tran
