There they are – a smiling Charlie Brown with his arm around Snoopy, his beloved beagle, who is holding a rose in his paw – two of the world’s most popular cartoon characters forever captured in a 4-foot bronze statue by Long Beach sculptor Stan Pawlowski.
On a springlike day 25 years ago this month, the “Peanuts” pals were unveiled March 3, 2001, by Pawlowski before hundreds of fans in Santa Rosa, the Northern California city that was the longtime adopted home of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz. The location of the new statue was in the historic Railroad Square area of downtown Santa Rosa.
Schulz was known to friends as Sparky because of his love for Spark Plug, a horse in an old comic strip Schulz read as a boy when he lived in Minneapolis.
Schulz died in Santa Rosa at age 77 in 2000, his death coming hours before his last comic strip appeared after 50 years. Santa Rosa had commissioned a bronze statue as a tribute to the famous cartoonist before Schulz died. Schulz, however, did not want a sculpture of himself — but he approved the characters in concept.
Who should do the sculpture? There was little doubt.
A vintage photograph of Stan Pawlowski unveiling his Charlie Brown & Snoopy bronze sculpture in Santa Rosa on display at his home in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Stan Pawlowski unveils his bronze Peanuts sculpture in Santa Rosa on March 3, 2001. (Courtesy Stan Pawlowski)
Stan Pawlowski poses for a photograph with his bronze sculpture of Charlie Brown & Snoopy in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Stan Pawlowski poses for a photograph with the Cartoon Art Museum’s Sparky Award at his home in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Stan Pawlowski poses for a photograph at his home in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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)
Stan Pawlowski poses for a photograph at his home in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Stan Pawlowski poses for a photograph with the Cartoon Art Museum’s Sparky Award in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Stan Pawlowski with Rich Archbold holding a plate of the ugly but delicious cookies the former baked. They are standing next to the Charlie Brown and Snoopy bronze sculpture that is an original duplicate of the public statue in Santa Rosa, California. (Courtesy photo)
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A vintage photograph of Stan Pawlowski unveiling his Charlie Brown & Snoopy bronze sculpture in Santa Rosa on display at his home in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
“When they decided to do a sculpture here in Railroad Square,” Schulz’s wife, Jean, said at the unveiling, “Sparky said, ‘Well, Stan has to do it.’ ”
Janet Condron, former mayor of Santa Rosa, added at the unveiling that there was only one person Schulz would approve: Pawlowski.
“It has been my honor to have met and gotten to know the artist, Stan Pawlowski,” Condron said.
Pawlowski, a Long Beach resident, had a deep friendship with Schulz.
A garrulous storyteller, in addition to being a world-class sculptor, Pawlowski enjoys reciting the tale of how he met Schulz in 1981.
Pawlowski had been making products for several cartoon character companies, including Walt Disney, when a friend said Pawlowski should show his wares to Schulz.
“I will never forget when Charles Schulz first walked into the conference room,” Pawlowski said.
“He liked my samples, and he took me to lunch at the Warm Puppy, the restaurant inside his ice arena.”
The ice rink is part of the Schulz Campus in Santa Rosa, which also includes a children’s museum and a museum of the artist’s life and work. Pawlowski became a “Peanuts” licensee and a close friend of Schulz.
“Sparky was so easy to talk to,” Pawlowski said from his house/studio in East Long Beach. “My life was greatly enriched by knowing him. He always treated me like a prince.”
The sculpture in Santa Rosa is a 4-foot bronze statue of 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.
“I am hoping you and many generations will look at this statue and smile,” Condron said at the dedication, “because that’s what it’s all about.”
“Sparky wanted people to be happy, and I think, when you see the sculpture, you’ll realize that everyone who comes to look at it will feel happy,” Jean Schulz added. “Our family is delighted that we will have this statue to memorialize Spark’s characters and his spirit.”
In a note a few days after the unveiling, Jean wrote to Pawlowski: “The sculpture looks better than I could have imagined. It’s beautiful at night, too. I’ll go rub Snoopy’s nose tomorrow! Love, Jeannie.”
A plaque on the sculpture reads: “In celebration of the life and works of Charles M. Schulz from the people of Santa Rosa and his fans across the world.”
Fortunately, Pawlowski had two statues cast of his bronze masterpiece, one residing in Santa Rosa and the other in Pawlowski’s Long Beach home, which is a veritable museum of “Peanuts” and Disney memorabilia.
“The duplicate I created of the Charlie Brown and Snoopy Bronze sculpture, also known as the Charles M. Schulz Memorial sculpture,” Pawlowski said, “was made at the same time as the one dedicated to him on March 3, 200l, in Santa Rosa.”
I have seen both statues — and they both make you smile and feel happy.
Pawlowski called himself “a crazy collector” as he proudly showed off his memorabilia, including an antique barber chair (“my mother’s favorite”), an old department store cash register and many movie posters and photos.
Pawlowski is proud that he is a Long Beach native, born in Seaside Hospital, now MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center. He grew up in Wilmington, where he started working with clay figures when he was 6 years old.
He began crafting “Peanuts” characters when he was 17, using newspaper strips as a model to create characters in clay. He never imagined he would someday create work for Schulz personally.
He said he was extremely honored that Schulz himself asked him in 1996 to create the bronze Snoopy Award sculpture that became known as the Charles M. Schulz Award, also known as the Sparky Award, to be given to cartoonists and animators for excellence in fine art.
This sculpture shows Snoopy holding a fountain pen with an old-fashioned inkwell. Pawlowski had the honor of presenting the first Sparky Award to Schulz himself in 1998.
Pawlowski is also proud of “Retired,” a bronze piece he created when Schulz announced he was retiring his 50-year-old strip. In the 25-pound, 7-inch-high sculpture, Snoopy is resting comfortably in an overstuffed chair with his feet up on an ottoman.
It is signed by Schulz and carries a certificate signed by Pawlowski: “Thank you, Sparky, for bringing so much joy to the world and for being a dear friend.”
Pawlowski also said he is proud of another sculpture depicting Snoopy at rest under a maple tree with his bird sidekick, Woodstock, ensconced in the tree. He calls this sculpture “Dreaming.”
In 2003, Pawlowski completed and installed the gravesite memorial for Schulz, depicting four characters etched into the back of a several-ton granite bench with words from Schulz’s final strip along the front of the seat: “Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy … How Can I Forget Them.”
Pawlowski noted that many “Peanuts” and Snoopy collectors have traveled great distances to visit him in Long Beach to see and take photos next to his sculpture of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He pointed out these collectors:
Lisa and Marc Ridley. He said Lisa has the largest Snoopy collection in the world and has made the journey to his home all the way from Sydney several times.
Scott Blanchard from Michigan and Karen Simon from Chrisman, Illinois, also made a special trip together, driving here to celebrate Pawlowski’s birthday, the anniversary of his Charlie Brown-Snoopy sculpture and the 75th anniversary of Peanuts.
Miki Onodera has made multiple trips with her family from Fukaya-shi, Saitama, Japan, for more than 20 years.
Earlier this month, on the 25th anniversary of the sculpture unveiling, Jean Schulz texted Pawlowski with a note: “This is a wonderful memory, Stan.”
What’s in Pawlowski’s future?
He is 73 and slowing down a little from back problems and arthritis in his fingers.
But Pawlowski is the eternal optimist and helper. Above his computer is a sign saying, “Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”
He loves people, and, like Charles Schulz, he loves making people happy.
“I am just someone who likes to bring smiles to people’s faces with my sculptural artwork and my cookies,” he said.
He makes the best chocolate cookies, in addition to his sculptural talents. He bakes hundreds of those cookies, using a secret recipe, which are gifted to his many friends at Christmas time.
At the unveiling of his great Charlie Brown-Snoopy sculpture, Pawlowski thanked Charles Schulz, who, he said, “is watching us now and smiling.”
As the former mayor of Santa Rosa said, “Smiling is what it’s all about.”