Peanuts Tribute

This bronze statue of Charlie Brown was commissioned by the Cossetta and Mancini families of Saint Paul. It was created by the Tivoli Too studios using the same design as the Charlie Brown About Town series that were displayed across the city in 2001. Here we see Charlie wearing period clothes, a hat, and carrying a suitcase. Woodstock the bird is similarly outfitted.

Named Charlie Andiamo Americano, the statue is a tribute to the people of Italian ancestry who settled in the Levee area of Saint Paul in the early 1900s. The park is located near Irvine Park and the Science Museum where Chestnut Street, Eagle Street, and Ryan Avenue converge.

Five different statues were produced for public display and later sold as a fundraiser over the course of 5 summers in the early 2000s. An example of each statue, sponsored by Meritex Enterprises, Inc., is on display in Lafayette Park along 7th Street East just east of I-94.

Peanuts On Parade debuted in 2000 with statues of Snoopy. This statue is called Fishin' Snoopy and was designed by artist Cary Allen Armstead.

The Snoopy statues were so popular that it was repeated in the summer of 2001 with Charlie Brown Around Town. This statue is called Tugboat Charlie and was designed by artist Carol Halloran.

Looking For Lucy followed in the summer of 2002. This statue is called Queen For A Play and was designed by artist Carol Halloran.

The 2003 event Linus Blankets Saint Paul featured Lucy's little brother, Linus van Pelt. This statue is called Limericks By Linus and was designed by artist Carol Halloran.

The final Charles Schultz tribute in 2004, Doghouse Days Of Summer, featured Snoopy and Woodstock and Snoopy's famous doghouse. This statue is called Bird In Paradise and was designed by artist Carol Halloran.

After the successful Peanuts tributes in the early 2000s, the City of Saint Paul decided to install a permanent tribute to the characters created by Charles Schulz. A series of bronze figures of between three and four feet tall were commissioned. Unlike the mass produced fiberglass statues, these figures would be shown in poses typical of what was seen in past cartoon strips. In addition, the figures would have smooth surfaces to be kid friendly. Patty and Marcie are on the east side of Rice Park, while Chuck, Schroeder, Lucy, Linus, and Sally are across the street in Landmark Park, both located in downtown Saint Paul.

There is no relationship quite like that between a boy and his dog. Charlie Brown is sitting under a huge tree enjoying the shade and spending time with Snoopy, while Snoopy is dreaming of being a World War I Flying Ace, a world famous writer, or of being the first beagle to land on the moon.

Marcie Johnson is Peppermint Patty's best friend. While Patty is an athlete, Marcie is an intellectual. It would not be uncommon to see her reading a book even on a warm summer afternoon. In the view below, we see Woodstock (the bird) is reading over Marcie's shoulder.

Peppermint Patty is a star athlete. While her baseball team regularly beats, trounces, and even destroys Charlie Brown's team, in this scene, we see Patty playing football.

Above we see Sally Brown (left), Charlie Brown's little sister, and Linus van Pelt (right) discussing the events of the day. Linus likes to see himself as a mentor. Sally is in love with Linus. In the view below, we see that Sally has a gift for her 'sweet babboo', but Linus will have no part of it.

Lucy van Pelt (right) is seen listening to Schroeder (left) play the piano. Lucy is in love with Schroeder, but Schroeder's love is playing the music of Beethoven.

The Peanuts tribute statues have been sold and dispersed into private collections following each event. A few remain on public display, such as Lucy Barton, designed by artists Jodi Metz and Lynne Weber. It is sponsored by the American Red Cross, where it is on display at 176 South Robert Street in Saint Paul.

This Snoopy statue is Sir Lunch-A-Lot, designed by artist Gene Olson and sponsored by O'Gara's Bar & Grill. It is currently on display at the Associated Bank at the corner of Snelling and Selby in Saint Paul.

This Linus statue is named Sew Much Love. It was designed by artists Julie Skluzacek, Tracy Leivermann, and Todd Hanks. It is sponsored by Associated Sewing, where it is on display in front of their store located at 690 North Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul. This statue has been repainted since it was created in 2003, and the original accessories are no longer displayed with the statue.

A colorful doghouse statue is located near the entrance of the offices of District Energy at 76 Kellogg Boulevard West in downtown Saint Paul. This statue, named Dog Gone Green, was designed by artist Marla Gamble and is sponsored by District Energy.

This is one of two statues on display outside of the Premier Bank at the corner of White Bear Avenue and Beam Avenue. This statue is named Remember, Restore, Rejoice by artist Richard Blue. It has been repainted in the Premier Bank colors. Charlie originally wore a white shirt with suspenders, and was dressed as a construction worker. The statue, sponsored by the McGough Companies, was designed as a tribute to the Saint Paul Cathedral.

The statue Bound To Be Linus is on display at the Premier Bank in Maplewood. Designed by artist A. Emily Heaney, the statue originally featured Linus with a yellow shirt carrying a book bag, in honor of its sponsor, Bound To Be Read. It has since been repainted with the bank logo.

Super Star Lucy is one of there Peanuts statues to be designed by Neil Boltik and sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair. All three are on display at the fairgrounds. This Lucy is on display outside of the Libby Conference Center just south of the main fair entrance.

State Fair Snoopy is enjoying a state fair classic, food on a stick. Recent state fairs have featured over 70 different items available on stick, however, Snoopy has selected a corn dog, the original food on a stick. Snoopy is also located outside of the Libby Conference Center.

Here we see Snoopy and Woodstock enjoying a warm summer afternoon lounging on top of Snoopy's doghouse. This piece, designed by artist Neil Boltik has artwork that exactly matches the scenery of the green space outside of the Admin Too building. The effect works very well.

The Real Linus statue is on display in front of the public library in the south-central Minnesota town of Sleepy Eye. Sleepy Eye is the hometown of Linus Maurer, a nationally known cartoon artist. Maurer attended a Minneapolis art school where Charles Schultz was an instructor, and the two became close friends. Schultz named his character Linus van Pelt after Maurer.

The Linus Blankets Saint Paul series consisted of 91 statues. An additional statue was commissioned by a group from the city of Sleepy Eye to be a tribute to Maurer. This statue included a figure of Snoopy sleeping on Linus's blanket. Linus had a heart on his shirt, and was holding a large red heart that included the words I Love Sleepy Eye. An unknown vandal stole the heart and Snoopy's nose in May, 2009. The Sleepy Eye Police Department is offering a reward for any information on this crime.

NASA recruited Snoopy as a mascot for the space program in the late 1960s. Charles Schulz was honored by the NASA request and granted NASA free use of Snoopy. The Apollo 10 mission to the moon was named after Schulz's characters, with the command module being named Charlie Brown and the lunar lander named Snoopy. While Apollo 10 was flying a dress rehearsal of the moon landing, Snoopy was atop his dog house dreaming of being an astronaut. Since the lander descended to within 10,000 feet of the lunar surface, Snoopy very nearly fulfilled his wish to be the first beagle to set paws on the moon. This statue of Snoopy The Astronaut is located at the gift shop at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.