Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz Became Synonymous with A Feeling
Though his "purpose" was not particularly unique to him, Charlie Brown's "purpose" was rather one of the fundamental ones art, in all media, can accomplish. The author's account of it suggests that his character was an absolutely outstanding model of this...
Peanuts started publication in 1950; by the time the BBC created the Everyman: Happiness is a Warm Puppy documentary special on Charles Schulz in 1977, generations of viewers had already devoured the artist's work. For many people who grew up in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, Peanuts was a basic component of their cultural background. When he thought back on his own work, Schulz focused especially on the element that kept Charlie Brown, in particular, always relevant to viewers.
Charlie Brown's Perennial Suffering Made Him Most Relatable
Though beloved as Peanuts characters like Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang are, Charlie Brown stands out for the way he has come to embody a particular feeling.
Charlie Brown became famous mostly because, as a character, he was achingly normal. He was also routinely hapless and often depressed; he was a put-upon figure, routinely attacked and sometimes even physically abused by his classmates. Since he came to be associated with loss, all of these traits were absolutely necessary for his success. Peanut treatment of Charlie Brown was never overly harsh, but as mild as it was, he was always the butt of the joke and therefore came to represent everyone who felt that way about themselves.
Charlie Brown's "Purpose" Is Peak Success for Peanuts
As Charles Schulz observed, the "reason for Charlie Brown's existence" was a high one; so, it is crucial to evaluate how successfully Charlie Brown fulfilled what Schulz judged to be his purpose...when trying to measure the artist's legacy.
Peanuts would have been extensively syndicated, reaching a sizable readership and appealing to readers across decades even without Charlie Brown performing his core "purpose," which is really reasonable to assume. Having said that, one wonders how its effect on viewers might have differed. Though it's a topic without a clear-cut response, it's one that will highlight readers' own ideas on the impact Peanuts had on American culture. It is thus worth considering just for this reason.
Charles Schulz explained why generations of readers love Charlie Brown: "This Is The Purpose Of Charlie Brown".
Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, once said in a 1977 interview the "purpose" of his well-known character Charlie Brown, precisely capturing why the character has resonated with readers for decades, so establishing an enduring position in the world's pop cultural consciousness in the process. Stated differently, Schulz clarified what set his work to be an all-time great character.
Nearly three decades after Peanuts' debut, Schulz highlighted the cultural influence of Charlie Brown in the 1977 BBC documentary Everyman: Happiness is a Warm Puppy using a personal story. As he said, the key reason Charlie Brown's existence existed was the way his secretary's son connected to the character.
The Documentary Everyman: Happiness Is a Warm Puppy
Inspired by Lucy spoofing the Beatles lyric "happiness is a warm gun" by holding Snoopy and exclaiming, "happiness is a warm puppy," the documentary Everyman: happy is a Warm Puppy takes its subtitle from one of the most memorable Peanuts punchlines of the 1960s.
Just a few years beyond the mid-way point of what would amount to a fifty-year run in publication, in the late '70s Peanuts had already produced many of its most beloved animated specials; the adaptations helped to cement its legendary status in popular culture. The 1977 BBC interview came at an interesting point in the history of the strip. Still, there seemed to be no doubt in Charles Schulz's mind that he would keep creating the Peanut comic strip, maybe because of its essential creative goal.
Appearance of Charlie Brown in the Very First Peanuts Strip
Though it marked everything to come for the character, Charlie Brown's entrance in the first Peanuts strip might have been an unfortunate beginning.
Speaking in Everyman, Schulz passionately described, at least in his view, what made Peanuts a long-standing success. He answered:
My secretary recently reported that her small kid had come home from school the previous afternoon, removed his jacket, and thrown it down on the living room couch and had exclaimed, "Mom, I feel just like Charlie Brown."
And suddenly it dawned on me, following all these years, this is Charlie Brown's mission. Charlie Brown reminds one of a piece of poetry. That small boy stopped having to share his emotions at that point. The mother could absolutely relate to him. And I guess this explains Charlie Brown's existence as well. Should someone tell you, "boy, I feel just like Charlie Brown today," you understand their perspective.
