Fun Facts

1. Charles Schulz’s dog Spike influenced Snoopy.

   Charles Schulz and his family grew up with dogs, and in 1934 they adopted Spike, a black-and-white mutt. “Spike was totally uncontrollable,” Schultz told the Star Tribune in 2016. “He loved to ride in my father’s car, though, so when he’d get loose, the only way you could get him to come would be to honk the horn. Spike and Snoopy have similar markings.” Schultz also had dogs named Major, Lucy, Carmel, Dropshot, and Andy (a mixed-breed who was his favorite).

2. Snoopy was almost named Sniffy.

   If it weren’t for a comic book and Schulz’s mother, Snoopy could’ve been named Sniffy. “I was walking around the Powers [Dry Goods] department store in Minneapolis and there was a little magazine stand,” Schulz said. “I saw a comic with a dog named Sniffy and thought, ‘Oh no, there goes my dog’s name.’ Then I remembered a long time ago when my mother said: ‘If we ever have another dog, we should name it Snoopy.’”

3. There’s an original Vincent van Gogh painting hanging in Snoopy’s doghouse.

   Though we never saw the inside of Snoopy’s doghouse in the comic strip, it was revealed over the years that it held a lot of personal possessions, including records, books, an original Vincent van Gogh painting, and a pool table. In the 1981 animated special It’s Magic, Charlie Brown, the interior of his doghouse was shown for the first time and indeed featured a van Gogh painting—as well as an alchemy lab.

4. Snoopy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

   In 2015, Snoopy received a coveted star on the Walk of Fame. Appropriately, it’s located right next to Charles Schulz’s. Snoopy isn’t the only animated character to have a star; Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and Shrek are among some of the others.

5. The Charles M. Schulz Museum in California hosts several permanent Snoopy exhibitions.

   The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, located in Santa Rosa, California, contains a few permanent Snoopy exhibitions. Artist Christo’s Wrapped Snoopy House is a life-sized doghouse wrapped in tarpaulin, polyethylene, and rope. Visitors can walk through a labyrinth in the shape of Snoopy’s head, and admire Snoopy sculptures, tile murals, and Morphing Snoopy—43 layers that show the celebrity dog’s many personas.

6. There’s a Snoopy Museum in Tokyo

   In 2016, the Snoopy Museum Tokyo opened in Japan—a first for the country. However, in 2018, the museum closed to make room for a bigger one. (They filled the void with traveling exhibitions.) In December 2019, the museum reopened, but in Minamimachida Grandberry Park in Machida-city, Tokyo. Like the previous museum, it displays original Peanuts comic strips along with exclusive collections.