SANTA ROSA (BCN) – In honor of Charlie Brown’s undying affection for a certain redhead, little and not-so-little red-haired girls will be admitted free to the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa this Valentine’s Day.

“The Little Red-Haired Girl was Charlie Brown’s unrequited love,” said Gina Huntsinger, the museum’s marketing director.

“She was never named in the cartoon strip, nor did we ever see her face in the cartoon strip,” Huntsinger said.

She did appear in the animated program “It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown” that was broadcast on CBS on Oct. 24, 1977.

“Charlie Brown must escort The Little Red-Haired Girl to the homecoming dance, even though he has trouble kicking the ball during the homecoming football game,” Huntsinger said.

The Little Red-Haired Girl’s face is seen in the program and she is identified as “Heather,” Huntsinger said.

“While Charles Schulz has later said he regretted making this decision, he did approve doing it at the time. But the show’s animators, not Charles Schulz, decided how The Little Red-Haired Girl would look,” Huntsinger said.

The famous cartoonist, who died at 77 on Feb. 12, 2000, drew 17,890 “Peanuts” strips over 50 years and once asked a red-haired woman to marry him but she turned him down, Huntsinger said.

Monday, red-haired girls and boys are being admitted free to the museum. “Today is all about making Charlie Brown happy,” Huntsinger said.

It also is Museum Monday for Little Ones. The day includes games and crafts to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Children are being given the chance to make a special Valentine’s Day card to take home or mail to Charlie Brown at the museum, paint a Valentine’s heart and make a charm bracelet.

The museum is located at 2301 Hardies Lane.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)