When Snoopy first appeared in the "Peanuts" comic strip in 1950, his creator Charles M. Schulz couldn't have guessed that his hand-drawn beagle would spawn one of the hottest toys of 2023. The latest Gen-Z obsession is a $13.99 stuffed Snoopy toy wearing a little blue puffer and a striped hat. A CVS exclusive, the toy is sold out at the pharmacy chain's locations all over the country. Online, it's being resold on sites like eBay and Mercari for anywhere between $40 to $70. On Reddit, CVS employees swap stories about receiving dozens of daily phone calls asking if they still have the toy in stock. And on TikTok, young consumers are documenting their quests to get their hands on the stuffed beagle. "I just needed it," said Melissa Mariche, a 22-year-old college student from Madison, N.C. After seeing a video of the pufferclad Snoopy on TikTok, she embarked on a weekslong quest, visiting eight different CVS stores in search of the puffer-clad dog. Employees told her the toys sold out within hours of hitting the shelves. A spokeswoman for CVS declined to comment on sales numbers and the toy's origins, though Peanuts said CVS ordered a "significant" amount. Finally, while running an errand in late November, she decided to drop into one more CVS store. There was one Snoopy left. In a TikTok set to the sound of maniacal laughter, she filmed herself snatching the last toy off the shelf. Peanuts-related products have proliferated in recent years, and now Gen Z has caught the buzz. Snoopymania has manifested in blankets, cups, pajamas, handbags and even merch for the American Red Cross. Earlier this year, a free Snoopy T-shirt the organization offered for anyone who donated blood led to a spike in donations. He's been the main character in many memes. In a statement, Melissa Menta, senior vice president of marketing and communications for Peanuts Worldwide, said the official Snoopy TikTok account saw a 71% increase in video views from this year's second quarter to the third, as well as a 223% rise in engagement with the account. The account also gained nearly 200,000 new followers during that time."Gen Z has proven themselves to be dedicated fans and their love of Peanuts on social media continues to grow," Menta said.CVS was given an exclusive limited window of time to release their puffer-clad Snoopy, which was designed by the company Ruz, though it's not the first or only time Snoopy has appeared in a puffer on merchandise, Menta said. "The fact that puffers are so popular with Gen Z made it an obvious choice to incorporate into a plush item," Menta added. "We like to have fun with our development and create products that surprise and delight our consumers." Some consumers said that nostalgia for Snoopy and Peanuts holiday specials drove their interest in the puffer-jacket toy. Many were just excited to be part of a trend. "Honestly, the hype was exciting," said Isabella Diakomanolis, a 22-year-old stylist in Los Angeles. Diakomanolis grabbed six Snoopy toys after calling several CVS stores to ask if they were in stock."I like hunting and finding viral products," said Liv Reese, a 21-yearold TikTok influencer from Boston. "I feel like it's kind of a challenge. I'm always looking for and going after the next big things." A TikTok she posted offering to give away one of her two puffer-clad Snoopys reached five million views, she said. "People see that it's hard to get, so they want to get it," Diakomanolis said. Kate Glavan, a 25-year-old TikTok influencer known for documenting Snoopy love on social media, said the competition to get the toy marked a moment in digital history to her. "It's one of those times when you can say, 'I was there, I went out and got this doll while it was happening,'" she said. "It's a symbol that you were online when the Snoopy renaissance was happening." Glavan started seeing her TikTok feed fill up with clips of Snoopy over the summer. That led her to binge all of "The Snoopy Show," an Apple TV+ series about Snoopy's inner life whose third season premiered in June.Snoopy took on a new meaning for Glavan after her father died in September, she said. Shortly after that, she started seeing Snoopy everywhereon the chocolate bars in the hospital cafeteria, for instance, or emblazoned on a flea market tablecloth. Now, her friends send her Snoopy images all the time, and her followers tag her in dozens of Snoopy videos every day. "Snoopy has become some sort of symbol for connecting with my dad," Glavan said. "I've just seen it so much that it's become this sort of symbol. It's just like a reminder, I suppose, of him and his presence. It has become a real motif in my life now." She now owns several Snoopy plush dolls, a Vera Bradley Snoopy backpack, a Snoopy advent calendar and Snoopy shirts. A friend nabbed the puffer Snoopy for her, after she tried and failed at four CVS stores.

Question:

"Peanuts-related products have proliferated in recent years... Snoopymania has manifested in blankets, cups, pajamas, handbags..." Explain why "Snoopymania" has caused a shift in the demand curve, rather than a movement along the demand curve, for Snoopy blankets

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Snoopymania has caused a shift in the demand curve for Snoopy blankets rather than a movement along ... View the full answer