Deep Dive into Snoopy Finds at Mitsuwa Marketplace
A weekend trip to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, Illinois, turned into a fun Peanuts collecting adventure, even if it didn’t go quite as I expected. Alan and I stopped by Kinokuniya Bookstore, hoping to find some unique Japanese Peanuts merchandise, but most of the Peanuts items were products already available in the American market. That was a little disappointing, but I still found a few things I’d been wanting to try, including Ooly Scratch Art Kits, Ooly double-ended brush and stamp markers, and some glittery Tattly tattoos that might make an appearance at Midwest Collector Fest or Beaglefest later this year.
Of course, I couldn’t leave without picking up something collectible. I took a chance on a Pantasy brick blind box and was thrilled to end up with the Snoopy donut design I had been hoping for. Unfortunately, building it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as opening it. The model was surprisingly frustrating to assemble, with awkward gaps and tiny pieces that made it more of a challenge than I expected. I also spent some time testing the Ooly markers, trying out both the brush tips and the stamp ends to see how they performed. While they were fun to experiment with, I found that some of the stamps worked better than others depending on the paper.
One of the biggest surprises of the trip was discovering Peanuts Gashapon machines inside Mitsuwa Marketplace. I picked up several capsule toys, including adorable Snoopy bread and Snoopy donut squishy keychains that are destined for my bag. Along the way, I also share a look at what Mitsuwa Marketplace has to offer beyond shopping, including its Japanese grocery store, food court, bakery, manga, stationery, anime merchandise, and more. Even though I didn’t find the Japanese-exclusive Peanuts collectibles I was hoping for, it was still a worthwhile visit filled with fun finds.
