I was walking in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District with my parents a couple of years ago when we all started squealing—the section of the covered sidewalk we were passing through had immersed us in a Peanuts wonderland. Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Linus, Schroeder, Franklin, and Lucy were lined up along the wall while a giant Snoopy skateboarded above. Sure, cutesy stores are common in Taiwan, but this wasn’t a memorabilia shop—it was a 7-11, or as locals refer to it, simply “Seven.”
All across Taiwan, certain 7-11 stores have taken on themed personas, as You Trip Singapore shared in a social media post. In Taipei, you’ll find there are shops decked out in Mickey Mouse, Sanrio and Hello Kitty, Summiko Gurashi, Maserti, and even Lay’s Potato Chips themes.
And we’re not just talking about wallpaper. These stores go all in, with oversized Snoopy and Kanahei Small Animals characters sitting in seats alongside customers, a display case made in the shape of a Lays van, and to-go cups themed around favorite characters. There’s plenty of merch for sale, too. In short, it’s like a mini theme park which doubles as a 7-11.
On top of that, convenience stores in Taiwan are nothing like their counterparts in the U.S. Convenience stores like 7-11 (as well as similar shops like FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and OK Mart), aren’t just plentiful in Taiwan, they’re an important part of daily life. Need to pay your parking ticket? Buy a concert or train ticket? Send a package between cities? I’ve done all of these things, as well as pop in for a morning ginger shot or a late-night soft-service ice cream at a 7-11.
Plus, you can always count on the 7-11 having a clean restroom and a quiet place to rest. It truly is a convenience store.
During my two months in Taiwan in 2023, it wasn’t unusual for me to pop into a convenience store three to five times a day. The prices are low, the quality is high, and everything is about ease. Plus, there’s nothing to complain about when it comes to customer service—staffers go above and beyond. When I bought too many souvenirs in my grandmother’s hometown of Beigang and wanted to ship some back to Taipei, they helped me with packaging and taping—and the box got to the capital before I did. When I bought a ticket to see one of my favorite Irish boy bands Westlife play at the Taipei Music Center, I couldn’t figure out how to get my tickets on the automated machine, and they walked me through it. When my dad and I were craving soft serve after midnight, but the machine was off, the 7-11 employee made sure we got our sweet treat.
Since these stores are so integrated into daily Taiwanese culture, it’s no wonder that the island nation started adding a dose of whimsical fun to certain locations. Though the cute collaborations reportedly originated in Taiwan—and there’s no doubt that the island has the most themed stores—now the trend is spreading around the globe with a boat-shaped 7-11 in Pattaya, Thailand, and a bigger-is-better one in Texas.
But being from a family of Snoopy fans (who have nerded out at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Snoopy Home Ice in Santa Rosa, California) the Snoopy 7-11 has a special place in my family’s heart, since it combined two of our obsessions: convenience and fun.
