Snoopy, probably the world’s most famous beagle, is having another moment. Created by US cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, the character from the Peanuts comic strip has lately been adorning all manner of merchandise, from pimple patches to luxury handbags.
The spike in Snoopy products has been especially pronounced with the 75th anniversary of Peanuts, aka Snoopy’s 75th birthday, in 2025. But the grip Snoopy has on pop culture and the retail industry runs deeper than anniversary buzz. According to Sony, which recently acquired majority ownership of the Peanuts franchise, the IP is worth half a billion US dollars.
Snoopy has always been a pop culture darling. Despite his owner, Charlie Brown, being the Peanuts strip’s main character and the namesake for most of the franchise’s adaptations, Snoopy was inarguably its breakout star. He was the winner of a 2001 New York Times poll about readers’ favourite Peanuts characters, with 35 per cent of the vote.
