Everybody loves Charles Schulz’s Snoopy and Charlie Brown on newspaper comics pages, but what about the 400-pound version of the “Peanuts” characters cast in bronze by Long Beach sculptor Stan Pawlowski?
“We love that, too,” said Mary Munk, founder of the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans in La Jolla. “The sculpture is so touching, such a special honor and tribute to Charles Schulz.”
Her late husband, Walter Munk, called the “Einstein of the Oceans” and world renown for his pioneer work in physical oceanography, was a longtime professor at the Scripps Institute at UC San Diego.
From left, Willie Ito, Mary Munk holding a Snoopy cookie, and Stan Pawlowski at the 25th anniversary celebration party in Long Beach of Pawlowski’s Peanuts sculpture on display in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo courtesy of Stephen Russo)
Some of the friends helping Stan Pawlowski (seated in the middle) celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Peanuts sculpture on display in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo courtesy of Stephen Russo)
From left, Willie Ito, Maddie Suss and Stan Pawlowski at the 25th anniversary celebration party in Long Beach of Pawlowski’s Peanuts sculpture on display in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo courtesy of Stephen Russo)
Stan Pawlowski stands by a photo of the unveiling of his Peanuts bronze sculpture in Santa Rosa 25 years ago. (Photo courtesy of Stephen Russo)
Stan Pawlowski unveils his bronze Peanuts sculpture in Santa Rosa on March 3, 2001. (Courtesy Stan Pawlowski)
A bronze sculpture of Snoopy titled “Retired,” on display at Stan Pawlowski’s home in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Show Caption
1 of 6
From left, Willie Ito, Mary Munk holding a Snoopy cookie, and Stan Pawlowski at the 25th anniversary celebration party in Long Beach of Pawlowski’s Peanuts sculpture on display in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo courtesy of Stephen Russo)
Munk was one of many of Pawlowski’s friends who came to a party in Long Beach this month to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the 4-foot statue in 2001 in Santa Rosa, the longtime adopted home of Schulz in Northern California.
The statue forever captures a smiling Charlie Brown with his arm around Snoopy, his beloved beagle, who is holding a rose in his paw. The statue is in the historic Railroad Square area of downtown Santa Rosa.
Pawlowski had two statues cast of his bronze masterpiece, one residing in Santa Rosa and the other in Pawlowski’s Long Beach home.
Laura Claveran, an attorney and estate planner, has been a friend of Pawlowski’s for years and decided to have a celebration at her home to honor the sculptor.
“I was truly flattered by the congratulations and the great comments about the sculpture after all these years,” Pawlowski said. “It was very humbling to me.”
The sculpture in Santa Rosa has Snoopy and Charlie Brown standing on top of stone and surrounded by an octagonal fence, with eight bronze discs depicting other scenes and characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip.
When the city decided to have a sculpture to honor Schulz, the comic said Pawlowski, a close friend, had to do it.
At the unveiling 25 years ago, Janet Condron, former mayor of Santa Rosa, said she hoped that the hundreds of attendees there and many generations to come “will look at this statue and smile because that’s what it’s all about.”
Everyone was smiling at the party at Claveran’s house, near Alamitos Bay, earlier this month.
Willie Ito, 91, a legendary animator, cartoonist and illustrator who worked at Disney, Warner Bros. Cartoons and Hanna-Barbera, said he came to the party to recognize his old friend, Pawlowski, and his beautiful artistry.
“We have been friends for a long time,” Ito said. “He does great work. The sculpture of Snoopy and Charlie Brown is a wonderful example of what he can do.”
Pawlowski, who also worked at Disney, said he met Ito 55 years ago while going around to antique toy shows.
“Then we both loaned part of our collections to the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana for Mickey Mouse’s 50th birthday exhibit and got to know each other more,” Pawlowski said. “He is fantastic.”
Also at the party was Maddie Suss, a senior at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, who will attend Chapman University in the fall.
“I have been teaching her sculpture, metal casing, hard soldering, etc., for several years now since she was little,” Pawlowski said. “She is truly amazing in what she can sculpt. She is in the top of her class. She also wants to get into film production.”
Suss talked about how much she learned from Pawlowski and what a great teacher he was.
Pawlowski said he has tried to inspire many young people over the years.
“Now, many have grown and they come back to tell me how I impacted and influenced their lives in a positive way,” he said. “That makes it all worthwhile.”
During the party, everyone ate shortbread cookies in the shape of Snoopy. They were brought by Mary Munk, who said she got them from the owners of Girard Gourmet in La Jolla.
“They are a great couple who are big fans of Snoopy,” she said.
Pawlowski said he met Munk and her late husband many years ago.
“My husband thought Stan was an incredibly wonderful artist,” Munk said. “I agree that Stan is a creative and brilliant person and artist. People like him don’t come around that often.”
When the party was over, hostess Claveran said Long Beach was fortunate to have an artist of Pawlowski’s ability and reputation.
“I wish his work could be on display at an exhibit in Long Beach,” she said, “so more people could see it and appreciate his absolutely incredible artistry and talent.”