Snoopy has got to be just about the most accomplished fictional dog out
there. He’s a flying ace. He writes novels. (Granted, they’re fine
fireplace fodder, but how many dogs do you know who can type?) His list
of unusual skills goes on and on, so it’s not much of a stretch to
imagine him playing a musical instrument. In fact, the Peanuts Wireless
Band simply would not feel complete if, say, Linus was there in his
place. Snoopy is the life of every party, so of course he has to be on
hand to play the guitar.
Snoopy is one of four figures in this
2011 Hallmark set that was released one piece at a time between October
and December. Snoopy was the last to arrive, perhaps because he is the
most popular and Hallmark figured that if he came out first, people
might just buy him and not bother with the others. But even if you love
Snoopy twice as much as any other character, you’re missing a whole lot
of the fun if you only buy one figure. What’s really great about these
is the way that they interact with each other.
Press a button
on one of them, and after a short time of solo playing, the other
figures join in the music, providing harmonies. Among the four figures,
there are eight songs, so Snoopy plays back-up guitar for six but takes
the lead for two. Of course, a flip of the switch on the bottom of the
figure can turn it off, so if you’d rather just hear Snoopy by himself,
you can do that. You can also turn off one or two of the other figures
to provide a different sound. It’s fun to experiment with different
sound patterns; another interesting variable is location, as putting
them all in the same place provides a different effect than scattering
them around the room.
Snoopy stands on a dark brown platform
with a light brown top that resembles a wooden floor. This platform is
about three inches wide, three and a half inches long and an inch high.
On the platform is a red speaker, and on top of this is Snoopy, who’s
rockin’ out - and back and forth - with a green electric guitar in his
paws. He also wears a red coat with a matching Santa hat and a green
scarf. Like Schroeder, Snoopy is smiling. He doesn’t seem to be stressed
out in the least by the task before him. It seems he should be wearing
sunglasses; his Joe Cool persona would mesh nicely with this confident
musician. But shades or not, he’s looking sharp.
Snoopy’s two songs are Jolly Old St. Nicholas and Silent Night,
one of only two religious songs in the repertoire. None of the other
characters particularly stands out to me in relation to Snoopy; they all
seem to respond to him equally well. This fellow gave me a problem when
I first got him; he was a little bit too independent to make a
successful band member. When Charlie Brown or Lucy began to play, it was
anyone’s guess whether he would join in, and he flat-out refused to
accompany Schroeder. A few times, halfway into a performance by the
trio, he would launch into a completely different song. Cacophony! But
we went back to Hallmark and switched him, and the new and improved
Snoopy is a much better team player.
I got Snoopy for $14.95,
the same price as the other figures, though technically they were priced
at $29.95, and the reduced price was a consequence of buying something
else at the same time. If you’re lucky enough to find any at a local
Hallmark store, you might even find them for less than that, but they’re
also going for considerably more online. Each comes with three AAA
batteries, and while you’ll have to replace them eventually, they lasted
a season in my house with no problems. I’m sure these figures will make
sweet music together for years to come, so it is only right that Snoopy
should be a part of a new Christmastime staple.
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