Snoopy Redwood Empire Ice Arena Pinback

Deep Dive into Snoopy Redwood Empire Ice Arena Pinback

I recently found a unique Snoopy Happy Birthday Redwood Empire Ice Arena pin back, and it quickly became one of my favorite Peanuts collectibles. I picked it up on eBay for about $15, which is a little more than I usually spend on a pin back, but this one stood out because of its connection to the Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, California. The pin features Snoopy with a “Happy Birthday” message and a blank space where a birthday child could write their name, making it likely that these were given out during birthday parties held at the ice arena.

The Redwood Empire Ice Arena is a special place in Peanuts history because it was built by Charles Schulz in 1969 in the community where he lived. Many Peanuts collectors have visited the arena, or have it on their list of places to see. This pin was made by Simon Simple, but it is noticeably larger than many other Simon Simple pin backs. Comparing it to a typical Simon Simple pin and a later Butterfly Originals pin shows just how different this design is from the smaller pins that are more commonly found.

What made this Snoopy pin back such a great find is that I had never seen one before, and it still had the name area blank. Finding a vintage Peanuts collectible like this without any writing or personalization is unusual, and it makes the piece even more interesting for a collection. The Snoopy Happy Birthday Redwood Empire Ice Arena pin back is a small piece of Peanuts history that connects a collectible, a special location, and the memories created there.