As I sit at Starbucks sipping a pumpkin spice latte, I glance down at my Apple Watch. Much to my delight, I see Snoopy and Woodstock up to… something. It’s really unclear what they were just doing: I caught them mid-act and it seems to me like they were chasing each other, or Snoopy was chasing Woodstock, or vice versa. Either way, something happened, and all the rushing around my screen makes me glad I upgraded to watchOS 10 so I could enjoy these charasmatic characters right on my wrist.
If you haven’t heard, with the update to watchOS 10, the Apple Watch picked up a new Snoopy watch face that features the iconic beagle from Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts comic strips, brought to life in spectacular and–oftentimes–unexpectedly playful animations that also feature the pup’s trusty companion, Woodstock. I recently switched to the face full-time and I’m delighted each time I watch it play out on my wrist, but as the days get darker and the coffee gets more spiced and mocha-fied, a burning desire ignites in my head: I really hope this face gets a holiday makeover.
There are 148 different animations in the Snoopy face, all of which are contextual to what you’re doing with your watch. If you’re just chilling out, so is Snoopy, lying atop is dog house. If you’re going for a swim, Snoopy’s coming with his scuba gear. If you’re moving around a lot, you might catch the beagle at the gym or flying into enemy territory as the Red Barron. These animations come to life throughout the day and can even adjust themselves based on the position of the clock’s hands. I read an amazing summary of how the watch face came to life in GQ, which I think everyone should check out.
In that piece, the designers went over their process for developing the Snoopy face for Apple Watch and the challenges that came with it. They also mentioned just how many versions of the watch face there were–148, like I said earlier–and noted how they all play very well within the square confines of the Apple Watch’s screen. But there’s one detail that was missing from the piece and, for that matter, everyone else’s coverage of the new face: a list of the different scenarios you’ll find Snoopy in.
You could keep track of them over time and write up your own list, sure, but who has time for that? Instead, I sifted through dozens of articles covering the new watch face and couldn’t find an exact list of all the scenarios you’ll find Snoopy and Woodstock in. That’s a bummer since it would be cool to see all the different ways Snoopy will pop up on your wrist, and it further mystifies the question of whether Snoopy will don a pilgrim’s uniform or Santa’s suit come the holiday season.
After all, these scenarios are some of the most iconic for Charlie Brown’s dog in the watch world. Timex has had a partnership with the Schulz estate for decades, allowing them to ship Peanuts-themed watches with Snoopy front and center for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, the 4th of July, and even Valentine’s Day. There hasn’t been enough time between now and watchOS 10’s release for us to see if the Snoopy face will include special animations for those occasions, and I can’t seem to find any proof that those variations exist.
So, consider this my public plea for the Snoopy face on the Apple Watch to dress itself up for the holiday season. So far, I haven’t seen him walk proudly with his musket and capotain,or red suit and jingle bells, though it’s still early. I hope that one day in the coming weeks, I catch a glimpse at Snoopy doing something festive for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It would instill that same charm of the Timex watch collection, and it would make rocking the Snoopy face all the more worth while.
If you work at Apple and know whether there are holiday-themed Snoopy animations, write me a line. I’d love to know either way.
