Hallmark's Spaceman Snoopy Celebrates the Beagle's Relationship With NASA

NASA has been a passion of my dad’s all his life, and everybody in my family loves Snoopy, so when I spotted 2007’s Spaceman Snoopy ornament, the tenth in Hallmark’s Spotlight on Snoopy series, I couldn’t resist buying it for him. Shortly thereafter, Hallmark released a plush Snoopy in astronaut gear, which I also bought for Dad. I’ve gotten him a couple of Flying Ace figures over the years, and it seemed to me a natural progression from fighter pilot to astronaut.

Within the strip itself, there have been a few references to space exploration in association with Snoopy, and outside of the strip, he has a long history with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Though the ornament doesn’t specifically indicate this, I’m guessing that it may have been timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Apollo 1, the module that was destroyed in a fire in January of 1967 before it could be launched. Following this disaster, which killed three astronauts, Snoopy became the official mascot of Apollo, with several Astrobeagle tie-in products introduced with his image, which was used to promote aerospace safety and the rebuilding of the program.

A statue of him in astronaut gear stands at the Kennedy Space Center. Snoopy was the nickname of the Apollo 10 lunar module; the command module was nicknamed Charlie Brown. The Silver Snoopy Award is a special commendation given to NASA employees by astronauts; to date, there have been more than 12,000 recipients, all of whom have received a sterling silver pin in Snoopy’s likeness designed by Charles Schulz. Clearly, Snoopy and space go together well.

In this ornament, Snoopy is all dressed up in a NASA spacesuit. The only part of his body that is not obscured by his heavy clothing is his face, which can be seen through the clear space helmet. Though his ears are hidden, his squinty eyes peek out, and his round nose is clearly visible. It’s a detailed, attractive suit, and Snoopy looks very official in it. One gloved hand holds a silver pole, at the top of which is the American flag. He stands just over two inches tall, and the rocky landscape on which he is located is nearly two inches long.

It looks as though Snoopy has made it to Mars, judging by the brownish color of the ground, and sitting calmly in a crater is a friendly-looking Woodstock with green antennae. The two seem perfectly comfortable in one another’s company. The ornament stands flat extremely well, and it would make a perfect addition to the office of a NASA enthusiast year-round. But it also hangs on the tree easily, tilting just a little bit as it dangles.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Snoopy ornament I didn’t like, but considering Snoopy’s importance to the space program, I find this one especially cool. Snoopy has won over fans all around the world; why not expand his reach into outer space as well?