Peanuts Collectibles

Brandon asks, “I was given this ‘snoopy’ from my grandfather who flew for the US Air Force in World War II. Based on what stories he told me before he passed away, I believe this is at least 50+ years old. It’s made of leather, and old fabric for the ears, eyes, mouth, tongue and scarf. The only marking on it is a small tag that says ‘Made in Japan’ on the bottom. I have never seen anything like it and I was wondering if you knew anything about it or a value?”

Thanks for sharing your Snoopy Doll with us, Brandon! Unfortunately, this is what collectors call “unlicensed”. Businesses wanted to cash in on Snoopy’s popularity without having to pay for the rights to his image. There are many of examples of black and white dogs that are easily mistaken for Snoopy. The easiest way to tell if an item is licensed is by the copyright. If a Snoopy item says Copyright United Feature Syndicate (UFS) 1958, then it’s the geniune article.

So, what is Brandon’s Snoopy Dog? Luckily, I have a few more clues. In 1957, the President of Dakin toys was sent a train set. For some odd reason, they used small velveteen animals as packing material. The President liked them and ordered more. This is how Dream Pets were born. By the end of 1979 there were over 2,000 different Dream Pets characters. Twenty-four of the characters were re-issued in 2004. View a few favorites here…

Like any popular toy, there were copy-cats being made. Luckily, I rescued some of these dolls from my aunts a few years back, so I have an example to share (see photo below). A few of them say “Made in Japan” only on their tags and may be from the same factory as Brandon’s Snoopy.

A licensed version of a Snoopy dream-pets-copy-cat was released by Determined Productions in 1971 (See below, middle). It uses similar velveteen fabric, felt feature and sawdust stuffing as the original Dream Pets.

For clues to when Brandon’s Snoopy Doll was produced, we turn again to Peanuts. The Snoopy WWI Flying Ace character was introduced into the Peanuts Comic strip in 1966. Therefore, this doll was most likely produced sometime after that. If the goggles aren’t original to the piece, it’s possible the doll was produced earlier than 1966.

Finally, the value. Without knowing its real origins, I would look to the current Dream Pets and their copy-cats. The current market for most animal dolls from this era is around $5-20 depending on rarity and condition. The real value of Brandon’s Snoopy is the memories of his Grandfather he brings back.

If anyone has any clues or information on Brandon’s Snoopy Leather Doll, let us know!

Have a Peanuts collectible you’d like to know more about? Want to share a story about your Peanuts collectible? Send us a photo and any information you have to info@collectpeanuts.com.

Brenda asks, “Good Day: I am looking for any information available on this item. I have never seen another one after searching on the internet in the past couple of years. Anything you may able to tell me about it would be very much appreciated.”

Thanks for sharing your keychain with us, Brenda! Aviva produced a variety of keychains in different materials throughout the 1970′s. The brass figural keychains came out in 1979. They were sold loose or in blister packaging. A 1″ heavy gauge metal ring that matched the brass color of the fob came with it. As for the date on the back of the keychain, that refers to the copyright of the Snoopy character, not the item itself. For more information on that subject, read our story on Dating an Item.

As a collector, I would expect to pay between $4-6 for this keychain style in very good – mint condition. If it was in the original package, around $8-10. Since the ring is not original, it may detract from the value. Everything depends on the buyer.

Below are a few more examples of the Aviva Brass keychains. View more Aviva keychains…

Have a Peanuts collectible you’d like to know more about? Want to share a story about your Peanuts collectible? Send us a photo and any information you have to info@collectpeanuts.com.

Jack asks, “I have one of these that was given to my daughter by Andrea Podley the co-author of the “Official Guide to Peanuts Collectibles”. She had mentioned years ago that this would be worth quite a bit. Do you know the value?”

Thanks for sharing your daughter’s necklace with us, Jack! Aviva produced many varieties of products from the late 1960′s to the mid 1980′s, including this necklace. Their jewelry lines included pins, necklaces, earrings, keychains, rings, belt buckles, charm bracelets, money clips, bobby pins, barrettes, tie tacks, cuff links and more. These products were also advertised in the backs of Fawcett Crest Peanuts paperbacks.

Your necklace is a cloisonne piece. The thin strips of metal are laid down and then colored enamel paste is put into the spaces. The piece is then fired to melt the enamel. I have a variety of similar necklaces (see below). Based on the subject matter of the Snoopy hobo pack version, I would guess this line of necklaces was produced around 1972 when the movie “Snoopy Come Home” was released. A few other cowboy jewelry pieces also came out around that time.

None of my collector guides mentions this particular piece or pieces just like it. Due to the overwhelming variety of Peanuts jewelry, I’m not surprised. It’s hard to cover every piece of Peanuts memorabilia. From my experience, I don’t see them too often, but when I do I typically pay around $10-$20 for a piece in Very Good to Mint condition and including an original chain.

Have a Peanuts collectible you’d like to know more about? Want to share a story about your Peanuts collectible? Send us a photo and any information you have to info@collectpeanuts.com.