A Wonderful Tribute to Charles Schultz
I’ve been a Peanuts fan as long as I can remember. Kind of hard not to be when you grow up in Santa Rosa, where Charles Schultz lived for much of his career creating the strip. So when I saw Happy 100th, Charles M. Schulz!, the limited edition ornament that Hallmark created to honor him this year for what would have been his one hundredth birthday, I knew I had to have it. I wasn’t alone since this has proved to be the hardest ornament to get so far in 2022. I’m certainly glad I got mine.
The ornament is fairly simple to look at, but the details are fun. It is a cartoonist desk. At the bottom is a recreation of the very first Peanuts strip. It was a daily strip, and is presented in its original black and white. There’s a pencil resting on it as if the cartoonist had been working on it. While the strip is small, you can read it. It helps that there aren’t a ton of words in the strip.
In the upper right corner is the final Peanuts strip that ever ran. This was a Sunday strip, and Schulz used it to thank his fans for 50 years of support. This strip is just a little smaller, and there are lots of words, so it is impossible to read what Schulz wrote.
The upper left corner has a flaw, sadly. Sitting in the corner is a plush Snoopy, or what is supposed to be a plush Snoopy. He’s actually plastic like the rest of the ornament. Unfortunately, we can see some of the seams used to create him. Fortunately, they are only noticeable when you are looking at him closely, and when you have this ornament on a tree, I doubt you’ll notice. But it is truly disappointing that there is that flaw in an otherwise lovely ornament.
But, I’m still glad to have it. It is a wonderful tribute to Schulz and his 50 years of laughs and love. It’s hard to imagine the world without the impact his characters have had on it, isn’t it?
Since the ornament is really a miniature desk, you can set it out to be enjoyed year round. It’s fairly stable, although I wouldn’t want it in an area where it might be hit and damaged. I don’t think it could take too much abuse.
When you go to hang the ornament, you’ll find the other flaw in the ornament. It tips noticeably to the right. It will be easy enough to correct or disguise with some branches, but I’m a bit surprised you’ll need to do this. The ring to hang the ornament is on the surface of the desk, so it seems like they could have moved it to a location where the ornament was better balanced.
As I said, this has been hugely popular, so if you are a Peanuts fan and you see it, I suggest you snag Happy 100th, Charles M. Schultz! Fans won’t be truly bothered by the flaws. I know I’m not.
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