Mooks – that is, items with magazine-like content but sold more like a book – are popular in Japan. Many of them come bundled with extra items, and there have been a fair number with Peanuts items. Most often these are bags – a handbag or a tote of some sort. Since I was ordering some Peanuts books from Japan anyway, I reckoned that I should get myself a mook.

As received, it was a bundle rubber-banded together, with the main publication, a bonus publication, and a cardboard box with an envelope inside that held my prize.

The magazine itself  displayed the free gift enclosed, and had a bit more Snoopy imagery as well. The inside, however, had very little Peanuts – just a translated reprint of one Sunday page, and an ad pushing this and another Peanuts-gift-based issue, that one with a calendar. So what is the magazine? It’s what would be traditionally classed as a “Women’s magazine” in America. Most of it is recipes (with some hunger-inducing photographs), some guides to sweets you can buy, a guide for getting a good fit on sweaters, and so forth. There’s a section of comics, but even there, the longest one appears to be a guide to making a certain dish. (Remember, all my interpretation is limited by not knowing the language a lick.)

The bag itself is a nice, fairly large nylon (I think) bag, and was quickly glommed up by my daughter.

If you’re interested in mooks, here are a few currently available through Amazon Japan (ciick the picture to get to the listing — and no, I don’t make a cut off of these.)

Comes with a wooden serving board!

Oooh, a tote! The listing for this upcoming item says it;s a 200 page magazine, but the entire descriptor is about the tote.

This, on the other hand, isn’t listed as a mook, but as an 8 page book, the Snoopy Minimal Wallet Book. But ooh, that wallet looks nice!

A watch with two bands! The magazine supposedly shows how Snoopy plays sports.

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