For sale: Michigan woman's life-sized Charlie Brown woodcarving

Krystal Nurse, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read
Jennifer Kalacanic from Lansing talks about her heavy wooden sculpture of Charlie Brown she had commissioned a couple of years ago Thursday, April 20, 2023. She is selling the statue and says she has seen some interest in it.
Jennifer Kalacanic from Lansing talks about her heavy wooden sculpture of Charlie Brown she had commissioned a couple of years ago Thursday, April 20, 2023. She is selling the statue and says she has seen some interest in it.

LANSING — The 5-foot-tall, 700-pound statue of Charlie Brown in his iconic yellow and black outfit has been a fixture in Jennifer Kalacanic's yard since 2021.

But the West Mount Hope Avenue resident said it's time she parted ways with the famous Peanuts character.

Kalacanic has lived in her home since 2019. She updated the older home's shingle-siding from a bleak tan and white color to a deep navy finish, set off with white trim. She wasn't done and in the midst of the pandemic in 2021, she set out for a significant landscaping upgrade — the large woodcarving of Charlie Brown.

"There are parents here with children with disabilities-related barriers and they're kids," Kalacanic said. "They like to drive by and it cheers them up. But I've got a lot of bills and stuff I gotta take care of."

So she listed Charlie for sale on Facebook Marketplace Wednesday night for $1,000. Anyone who wants to take Charlie home will need several strong people to help, and a trailer. It took five men to haul the sculpture into her yard, she noted.

Jennifer Kalacanic from Lansing, is selling her heavy, wooden sculpture of Charlie Brown to free up some money for bills. Thursday, April 20, 2023.
Jennifer Kalacanic from Lansing, is selling her heavy, wooden sculpture of Charlie Brown to free up some money for bills. Thursday, April 20, 2023.

She considered commissioning other Peanuts characters for her yard, but she doubted the small space could accommodate Charlie's friends. L and M Custom Carvings in Manchester, where she said she bought the $2,000 carving, took a month to cut out Charlie.

As the seasons have passed, she repaints him so he continues to look sharp in his iconic yellow and black outfit. She's amazed at the feedback she's received and said he gets notoriety every so often on Facebook.

"Last year and the year before he's been shared in an abandoned old house group and they're like 'This isn't an abandoned house but this is really cool. We drive by him every day,'" Kalacanic recalled.

Several people expressed interest, but no one has offered to purchase yet.

Jennifer Kalacanic from Lansing is selling her heavy, wooden sculpture of Charlie Brown and says she has seen some interest in the piece Thursday, April 20, 2023.
Jennifer Kalacanic from Lansing is selling her heavy, wooden sculpture of Charlie Brown and says she has seen some interest in the piece Thursday, April 20, 2023.

A postal carrier handed her mail on Thursday and said he hopes to see Charlie inside Impression 5 Science Center to entertain more children.

She plans to take care of other errands around her home once the carving is sold. Whether or not she'll fill the space Charlie leaves is untold, but she's not sad to lose him.

"I'm not sad about it," Kalacanic said. "I think it'll make somebody else really happy for a really, really, really, really long time."

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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan woman's life-sized Charlie Brown woodcarving for sale