December 15, 2023 – Snoopy

One of the hottest toys this holiday season, thanks to TikTok, is a plush Snoopy wearing a puffy jacket that’s sold at CVS. They’re flying off the shelves and becoming harder and harder to find. They normally sell for $13.99, but right now they’re selling on eBay for $150!
Snoopy first appeared in the Peanuts comic strip on October 4, 1950, 2 days after the first strip was published. He was one of the four original characters, along with Charlie Brown, Patty, and Shermy. Snoopy was inspired by one of Charles Schulz’s childhood dogs, named Spike. He didn’t have a name for more than a month, being called Snoopy for the first time on November 10 that year.  Charlie Brown wasn’t Snoopy’s owner in early comic strips. In fact, it wasn’t made clear who, if anyone, his actual owner was. It wasn’t until September 1958 that Snoopy was specifically said to be Charlie Brown’s dog.
Snoopy has 7 siblings. 5 appeared various times in the comic strip – his brothers Spike, Andy. Marbles, and Olaf, and sister Belle. The whole family appeared together in a 1991 TV special, Snoopy’s Reunion. However, in 1987, Charles Schulz said he regretted giving Snoopy siblings, feeling that it took the uniqueness away from him.
Snoopy first appeared in balloon form at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1968. He’s been in nearly every parade since, dressed as a World War I flying ace, an ice skater, a jester, and an astronaut.
Speaking of astronauts, Snoopy has been linked with NASA since the late 1960s. In 1968, NASA wrote to Charles Schulz, asking permission to use the character as their safety mascot. That same year, NASA started giving out the Silver Snoopy Award. This highly coveted award is given by an astronaut to someone who works in the space program who has gone above and beyond in pursuit of quality and safety. For the Apollo 10 mission in 1969, the lunar module was named Snoopy and the command module Charlie Brown. They chose Snoopy because the lunar module was going to be “snooping” around the landing site. Just last year, Snoopy was launched into space aboard the Artemis I mission. Wearing a custom orange fight suit, he served as a zero-gravity indicator on the uncrewed flight.
On November 15, Snoopy was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the second Peanuts-related figure to get a star, after Schulz. Learn more here.