‘Peanuts’ artwork stolen from Costa Mesa gallery

A Charlie Brown burglary was perpetrated at a Costa Mesa gallery where thieves took three pieces of artwork depicting characters from the iconic comic strip “Peanuts.”

But the drawings aren’t worth peanuts. In fact, the gallery’s owner put a $7,900 price on the lot.

A security guard patrolling South Coast Collection and the OC Mix on Thursday morning noticed a smashed glass door at the Chuck Jones Gallery.

“It appears that the break-in occurred during the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day when the open-air mall was closed,” Scott Dicken, vice president of retail sales for the gallery’s parent company, said in a statement. “We’re thankful that no one was hurt during the break-in.”

No other art was taken from the gallery, Dicken said.

The missing pieces include “Wishful Thinking No. 8” by Tom Everhart, which depicts Charlie Brown slipping; “Rats!” a limited-edition print by 21st Century Publishing that shows Snoopy unsuccessfully piloting his flying doghouse; and “Hey Linus, Guess Who’s Back?” by Sopwith Productions and Bill Melendez Studios, which depicts the blanket-toting character fending off Snoopy.

Anyone with information about the case can call the Costa Mesa Police Department’s Investigations Bureau at (714) 754-5637.

Daniel Langhorne is a contributor to Times Community News.