Good Grief! Celebrate the Legacy of Charles Schulz and Peanuts in St. Paul, Minnesota

As one of the oldest cities in Minnesota, St. Paul is a historic town — and the capital of the Land of 10,000 Lakes — and home to Union Depot, the Cathedral of Saint Paul, and the Minnesota State Fair (in nearby Falcon Heights), among its many attractions.

But one of the most unique things about the city is its connection to some of the most famous comic strip characters of all time. 

Situated throughout St. Paul and the surrounding metro area, Minnesotans and visitors of all ages can find sculptures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and other beloved Peanuts characters. For two decades, the sculptures have been a hit, so much so that visitors go scavenger hunting for Snoopy and the gang in St. Paul.

From the Mind of a Minnesotan

In a 50-year career as a cartoonist, Peanuts creator (and Twin Cities native) Charles Schulz published nearly 18,000 comic strips. The first Peanuts strip was published in seven newspapers on October 2, 1950 — including the Minneapolis Star. During Schulz’s lifetime, a new Peanuts comic was printed every day.

DID YOU KNOW: Some of the earliest Peanuts comics featured Snoopy walking on all fours and Charlie Brown without his signature zig-zag shirt.

Schulz was born in Minneapolis in 1922, but spent his youth in St. Paul’s Mac-Groveland neighborhood and graduated from St. Paul’s Central High School, where his interest in drawing began.

His experiences in St. Paul helped shape various aspects of Schulz’s Peanuts strips: Snoopy is based on his childhood dog Spike and many of the settings and interactions of characters are based on the St. Paul experiences of his youth.

Going “Snooping” in Saint Paul

From security blankets and pulled footballs to TV specials, parade floats on Thanksgiving, and catchphrases (Good grief!), Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang have carved out an enduring legacy — especially in St. Paul.

In 2000, the Capital City Partnership in St. Paul launched the Peanuts on Parade initiative to honor Schulz — who died in 2000 — and his beloved characters. Taking their cue from Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” exhibition, St. Paul officials commissioned 50 fiberglass statues of Snoopy for the following summer.

For five summers, local artists designed and then displayed their own five-foot-tall public art renditions of beloved Peanuts characters. Each year featured a different character beginning with Snoopy and followed by Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and Snoopy with Woodstock.

DID YOU KNOW: Schulz created more than 70 different Peanuts characters during his career.

The statues proved immensely popular, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to St. Paul, who came to go “Snooping” for Snoopy or “Chucking” for Charlie Brown, taking pictures and creating colorful scrapbooks loaded with memories.

At the end of each summer, the art was sold at the Mall of America in auctions with proceeds eventually helping to fund permanent bronze Peanuts sculptures in Rice Park and Landmark Plaza.

Honoring a Beloved Legacy

It’s been many years since the Peanuts on Parade campaign, but eager travelers and diehard Peanuts fans can still find many of the statues in St. Paul and the surrounding metro area.

During the height of the campaign, artists worked to make each statue unique to the business that sponsored it and many of those businesses still proudly display their statues.

It’s estimated that more than 100 statues can still be found for those who want to go on a Peanuts scavenger hunt. Maps to the characters’ locations can be found here.

The permanent bronze sculptures at Landmark Plaza and Rice Park are the work of TivoliToo — a St. Paul custom design jeweler — and were created in 2003.

Between the two spots — which are less than a half mile apart — visitors can see Linus and Sally lounging by a fountain, Snoopy laying on Charlie Brown’s lap, Peppermint Patty kicking a football, Marcie reading a book, and Schroeder playing his famous piano as Lucy listens.

DID YOU KNOW: Charles Schulz was an avid hockey fan and the Charles M. Schulz-Highland Arena in St. Paul’s Highland neighborhood is named for him.

Discover the Legacy of Peanuts in St. Paul 

 Charles Schulz’s work and his beloved characters remain an integral part of St. Paul’s cultural heritage, attracting fans from around the globe to explore the places that inspired the iconic comic strip. The many Peanuts statues found around the St. Paul area are evidence of the city’s pride in his work and bring smiles to the faces of all who see them.