Snoopy vs. the Red Baron (song)

"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" is a novelty song written by Phil Gernhard and Dick Holler and recorded in 1966 by the Florida-based pop group The Royal Guardsmen. The song was recorded at the Charles Fuller Productions studio in Tampa, Florida, and was released as a single on Laurie Records. Debuting at No.122 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 on December 10, 1966, the single moved to No.30 on December 17, 1966, entered the Top-10 at No.7 on December 24, 1966 and peaked at No.2 on the Hot 100 during the week of December 31, 1966 (behind the Monkees' "I'm a Believer"); made No.6 on the Record Retailer (UK) chart in February 1967; was No.1 in Australia for 5 weeks from February 1967; and No.1 for 3 weeks in Canada. On the Hot 100, "Believer" at No.1 kept "Snoopy" at No.2 from reaching the Hot 100 summit from December 31, 1966, through January 21, 1967, after which "Snoopy" fell off. It also spent one week at the top of the Record World charts. The song sold close to three million copies.

The Royal Guardsmen went on to record several other Snoopy-themed songs, including two follow-ups to "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" – "The Return of the Red Baron" and "Snoopy's Christmas" – together with other tunes such as "Snoopy for President". In 2006, they released "Snoopy vs Osama".