Volkswagen Snoopy Classic Car Custom Color Christmas Blanket

The centre panel is the scene everyone notices first. Snoopy, in a Santa hat and scarf, drives a classic Volkswagen Beetle through the snow with a Christmas tree and presents strapped on top and Woodstock in his own little hat beside him. A wreath with a bow hangs on the front bumper, and huge cream lettering spells "Volkswagen" above the round VW emblem.

Smaller panels frame it on both sides. On the left, Snoopy rides on a VW bus, a peace symbol is wrapped in holly, Snoopy in sunglasses and Woodstock take a drive, and a little tree stands decorated with VW ornaments. On the right, a signpost points to "Peace," "Love," "VW" and "Christmas," Snoopy and Woodstock share presents, a bus carries another tree, and Snoopy watches a winter sunset. A border of poinsettias, bows, snowflakes and VW roundels runs all the way around.

The red version, with Snoopy driving the Beetle home with the tree.

The Beetle on this blanket is the car that ran from 1938 to 2003

The original Volkswagen Type 1, the car everyone calls the Beetle, entered production in 1938 and stayed in production for 65 years. The last one rolled off the line in Puebla, Mexico, in July 2003, by which time more than 21 million had been built, more than any other single car design of its era.

Its rounded shape, separate fenders and round headlights are exactly what the artwork captures. The Beetle became a symbol of simple, affordable motoring and later of 1960s counterculture, which is why a beagle and a bird driving one to collect a tree feels so natural.

The bus and the peace sign come from the same era

The VW Type 2, the bus shown in two side panels, followed in 1950 and became the vehicle of road trips, surf runs and festival weekends. The peace symbol beside it was designed in 1958 by British artist Gerald Holtom for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and spread worldwide within a decade.

Put them on a Christmas blanket with a "Peace" and "Love" signpost and the message is clear and gentle: a holiday about warmth and good company rather than shopping. It turns a branded design into something closer to a mood.

The green version, with the same Beetle scene and side panels.

Snoopy has been on the road since 1950, and Woodstock got his name in 1970

Charles M. Schulz launched Peanuts on 2 October 1950, and Snoopy was there from the first week. Woodstock arrived later as one of a pair of little birds and only received his name in June 1970, borrowed from the 1969 music festival, another link to the peace-and-love era the blanket celebrates.

The pairing works because Snoopy's imagination always did the driving. He has been a World War I flying ace, a novelist and a skater, so a beagle at the wheel of a Beetle is just one more role for him. For a matching tree decoration, the Snoopy Sleeping on Doghouse Christmas Ornament carries the same character into December.

Red, green or blue changes the whole feel of the room

The design comes in three colourways, picked with the colour option above. Red is the traditional choice, closest to the poinsettias and wreaths in the border. Green leans toward the tree and the holly and looks calm on a cream sofa. Blue swaps the Beetle and the background to winter blue with white snowflakes, a cooler look that stays seasonal well past New Year.

All three keep the same Snoopy, Woodstock and VW details. Spread one over a couch for movie nights, fold it at the foot of a bed, or give it to the friend who still talks about the Beetle they drove at seventeen.

The blue version, a cooler winter take on the same design.

Written by Imogen Hale, Home & Textiles Specialist at DoesignUs.