How I started collecting

This article was published in Peanuts Collectors Newsletter in 1993 Vol IV. 

How I started collecting Snoopy? I was 8 years old, a friend at school gave me a Snoopy metal trinket, that I treasured more than anything else. From then on, I always wanted a Snoopy doll but could not afford it. At the age of 13 my parents took me to Hong Kong for holidays and there I bought my Snoopy doll that I always wanted. 

This Snoopy doll is now 11 years old, and has had several nose operations, gone through fights with my brother and I, eaten dinner with my family resulting in all kinds of food on his white fur, has been washed, spin dried and hung by the ears on the clothesline, and yet he is still here (no longer pure white but a greyish white fur) and still very much loved, even though very much worn out. 

I only found out about the Peanuts Collectors Club in 1990, by reading a French TV Guide in France when I was studying French and holidaying in Paris.

I have a small Snoopy collection compared to Andrea Podley, but perhaps I have the largest and only one in Australia??? If anyone doubt this, please contact me? It is hard to find Snoopy things in Australia because there is hardly any Snoopy things. This is what makes my collection unique and different. I have a lot of things from Japan since I have been there eleven times, and can't wait to go again.

Japan is a wonderful place for Snoopy collectors. You can find everything you desire and things you never even thought of. From baby strollers to clothes, from jewellery to stationery, toys, dolls, kitchenware. Each department store has something Snoopy, though as the years go by it seems to be less Snoopy things as other new characters become popular. At the moment Penguin is popular. Perhaps the decrease in Snoopy things in Japan is because my collection is growing and it is hard to find something that I don't already have. Does anyone else have this situation happen to them?

You can have a Snoopy Day in Japan. Firstly you start off with a Snoopy breakfast, that is eating Snoopy cornflakes with Snoopy milk, then brush your teeth with a Snoopy toothbrush and brush your hair with a Snoopy hair brush before heading out for the day wearing a Snoopy T'shirt. 

You first stop at Sanwa Bank to collect all the information about how to set up an account and how to obtain a Snoopy Bank Card and Cheque Book, and then off to a travel agency to find out about the Snoopy ANA Ski Club. Then you may decide you need to get a haircut so you go to the hairdressers and while they cut your hair, you can watch a Snoopy video (in Japanese), though this video is really only for kids but a brave Snoopy collectors can still enjoy this if you have the nerve to ask if you can watch the video. 

After, the main event is going Snoopy shopping. That means finding all the Snoopy things in all the stores. It comes in handy if you can learn a little Japanese beforehand. This makes it quicker to find Snoopy things in those large department stores. When entering a department store I always look on the directory first to find the Toy Section or Children's Section. If not I assume it is on the 7th Floor with all the Sanrio things.

Last thing, it is advisable to wear good walking shoes, and more fun if you go with someone. That someone should be understanding of your needs for Snoopy things and be able to carry all the Snoopy things you have bought and have extra cash to possibly pay for Snoopy things for you.

In my house Snoopy things are always there to find. The first time I went to Japan I unpacked everything before Mum came home from work. My mother kept on finding Snoopy things everywhere she looked and where and when she least expected it.

My trip to Japan, I bought a Snoopy and Belle plush dolls dressed in the traditional Japanese wedding clothes and the other Snoopy and Belle dressed in Western style wedding clothes. These dolls were to commemorate the Japanese Royal wedding of the Japanese prince. This set is a limited edition but I left some still for sale for other Snoopy collectors.

Since I live in Australia it gets lonely to be so far away from all other Peanut Collectors and unable to join their meetings and sales events. I would love to hear from other Peanuts People, so please write to me, then I won't feel so crazy to be the only one to collect Snoopy things (down under).

I really hope to be able to attend the next Snoopy Beaglefest in 1997 or even the mini-Beaglefest in 1995, to meet other collectors. I will probably be the one who travelled the furthest to get there coming from the other side of the world. 

Lisa's collection has now grown to more than 1,500 items. She keeps a complete list on the computer with a Microsoft Access database. Each item is individually numbered. 

There's a few snap shots of the collection on this page.

Since my collection has grown so much I had to buy 4 new bookshelves to display my collection. Now of the clutter look I have more space to display my collection. Sorry these photos are not the best. I will take more photos since my collection has changed and hopefully better photos soon. 

I’ve yet to finish writing my 2nd letter to Peanuts People page. At least I have started yet I haven’t quite finished. So much more has happen since then. Hope I get it finished. Latest news I am expecting our first baby end of June, so I am now increasing my baby Snoopy collection and especially love Daisy Hill Puppies. They are the cutest!