Zamboni® and Snoopy® Share Their Affinity for
Ice Hockey for Almost Two Decades

The Frank J. Zamboni Company, best known as the inventor and producer of ice resurfacing machines, has had the honor of being featured in the Peanuts® comic strips for over 20 years.

Snoopy, along with Charlie Brown and his friends, have long been favorites of the Zamboni Company. Charles Schulz first included the Zamboni in his famous Peanuts comic strip in January of 1980 and Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Marcie, and peppermint Patty have often commented on the machine with Snoopy and Woodstock becoming two of the most famous Zamboni drivers...in fact, outstanding and unquestioned talent as a Zamboni operator won him the prestigious World's Top Zamboni Driver award in 1991.

Since 1980, Schulz has included Zamboni in close to 50 of his timeless and fun-filled cartoons. Zamboni even played a part in the Charlie Brown film special, "She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown." In this story, which tells of Peppermint Patty's struggle to attain skating stardom, Charlie states that, "there are three things in life that people like to stare at: a flowing stream, a crackling fire, and a Zamboni clearing the ice," as Snoopy artfully maneuvers the resurfacer around the rink.

Charles Schulz is not just a casual observer to ice skating. As a hockey player himself, he opened his own ice rink in Santa Rosa, California (50 miles north of San Francisco) in 1968. The facility has been given unique attention to detail with leaded glass windows in the lobby depicting the Peanuts Characters and a picturesque Tyrolean interior surrounding the ice surface. The Redwood Empire Ice Arena brings enjoyment through architectural detail to its ice sport enthusiasts. Schulz hosts an annual tournament for senior hockey teams that draws groups from around the world, and the facility is quite active with their youth hockey teams. Each year, the facility stages an incredible ice show featuring champion figure skaters for the Christmas season.

Zamboni is proud to be associated with Charlie Brown and his Team. While Charlie Brown often has difficulty getting the respect he deserves, he certainly has the respect of the Zamboni Company as he and the Peanuts Team have chosen to celebrate the very best in the equipment they use to resurface their ponds and rinks.