Baseball-themed Peanuts statues join All-Star festivities in St. Paul

Ten life-size statues of Peanuts comic strip characters in full baseball regalia were unveiled Wednesday in downtown St. Paul's Rice Park as part of the festivities leading up to the Minnesota Twins hosting the All-Star Game in July in Minneapolis.

The statues of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the gang are decked out in Twins uniforms and baseball gear. Linus was given a waiver to keep a tight grip on his blanket, while one of Snoopy's depictions allows for him to clench his food dish in his mouth.

Standing between 5 and 6 feet tall and weighing from 200 to 300 pounds, the statues will reside in Rice Park until June 16 and then move to the Minneapolis Convention Center for All-Star festivities through game day on July 15.

For anyone wanting a more permanent keepsake, miniature replicas of the 10 statues will be sold through mlb.com and at the Majestic Twins Clubhouse Store beginning next week.

Also, the Twins will host "Peanuts Day" at Target Field on June 6, when the first 10,000 fans will receive a limited-edition Snoopy figure.

For years, residents and visitors to the Twin Cities have seen various statues of Peanuts characters sprinkled around in honor of the late Charles M. Schulz, the St. Paul native who did many a baseball-themed strip.

Four years ago, numerous statues of Twins catcher-turned-first baseman Joe Mauer were scattered around downtown Minneapolis as part of a fundraising effort for the Minnesota Twins Community Fund and to celebrate the team's first 50 seasons.