Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang are some of the most relatable comic book characters because of their childlike innocence, average lifestyle, and susceptibility to failure. Every Charlie Brown special contrasts devastating disappointments with feel-good solutions. Each character must face their own challenges and weaknesses, and audiences can learn from their mistakes along the way. There are few things more inspiring than watching people like us overcome challenges similar to ours.
Charlie Brown struggles in school, love, and sports. He is often considered the underdog of his neighborhood, and even his own dog is ashamed of him sometimes. Nevertheless, Charlie Brown's enduring optimism help him to overcome all of life's disappointments. Here are the top ten times that Charlie Brown and his friends taught us how to tackle disappointment.
Charlie Brown Didn't Dance With the Red-Haired Girl on News Years Eve
Sometimes even the perfect opportunities cannot produce the right outcome. Charlie Brown works hard to finish his book report before the New Year's Eve party hoping to dance with the Little Red-Haired Girl at midnight. When his best friend Linus dances with the girl instead, Charlie Brown is devastated. Even though the night ends in disaster, Charlie Brown still takes pride in his sincere effort and hard work. Even if hard work ultimately ends in disappointment, we can all take satisfaction in the learning experience.
Lucy Never Wins Over Schroeder
If unrequited love wasn't disappointing enough, Charles Schulz added a broken piano. Loving someone who doesn't love you back only becomes more heartbreaking with age. Lucy employs every effort to get Schroeder's attention, but he never breaks away from his piano. Eventually Lucy destroys Schroeder's toy piano in outrage. Even though heartbreak is hard, destruction of property never makes it better. Luckily, Lucy and Schroeder also had friends they could rely on in their emotionally challenging times.
Easter Scams with Snoopy
Now that so many things have been digitized in the post-COVID-19 world, digital scams are becoming more creative and more disappointing. The members of Charlie Brown's neighborhood all eagerly await the Easter Beagle. When Snoopy simply hands back the eggs that each child painted, they are upset that they didn't really gain anything special. Children and adults alike must be vigilant to avoid scams of any kind.
Snoopy's Thanksgiving Dinner
Not having our expectations met is the definition of disappointment. Peppermint Patty expects a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at Charlie Brown's house complete with turkey and pumpkin pie. When she finds toast and popcorn instead, she reprimands Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Likewise, Charlie Brown and Snoopy are disappointed that nobody likes their cooking. Peppermint Patty apologizes to Charlie Brown, and the two learn to forgive the others' weaknesses. Sometimes expectations need to be flexible to avoid disappointment.
Lucy Getting Shown up by Snoopy
Everyone loves a taste of the spotlight, so getting shown up by someone else is disappointing to say the least. Lucy likes to put herself in charge and has a great time giving orders at the school play. When Snoopy starts impersonating her, mocking her, and eventually licking her, Lucy panics. Even though it is a disappointing experience for her, it is cathartic for the audience. While nobody enjoys these experiences, sometimes disappointments are necessarily humbling.
Sally Misses Trick-or-Treating
Working holidays and missing vacation days are as disappointing to adults as missing out on Trick-or-Treating is to kids. In It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Sally spends Halloween waiting in the pumpkin patch for The Great Pumpkin. Even though Linus swears The Great Pumpkin is real, Sally only finds her own dog. Even though this is disappointing at the time, it becomes a laughable memory in other Charlie Brown Holliday specials. Sometimes the best cure for disappointment simply is humor.
Charlie Brown Can't Kick the Football
The betrayal of a friend cuts deeper than most other types of disappointment. One of the most consistently repeated gags of Shultz comics is Lucy holding a football for Charlie Brown. Thinking that this time will be different, Charlie almost always agrees to give it a try, but in the end Lucy always pulls the ball away. Lucy is left laughing while Charlie is flat on his back looking up at the sky. Repeating the same thing over and over again while expecting different results is often considered the definition of insanity.
This stems from larger issues where Charlie Brown and Lucy do not get along. In Charles Schulz' comics, Charlie Brown eventually bribes Lucy with pizza, and she lets him kick the football. The two continue to learn about and understand each other better as the comics progress. With a little bit of time, even the most unlikely friends can form mutual respect.
Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree
Public ridicule is a disappointment that Charlie Brown faces most often. In Charlie's most popular holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, he picks out a tree for the school Christmas play. When Charlie Brown reveals his small and sad looking tree to his friends, they laugh at his poor taste in trees calling him dumb, and hopeless. But in time the other students see the tree's potential the way that Charlie Brown did. The same friends that mocked him eventually help him. Even if it is frustrating to admit our weaknesses, we all need a little help from our friends to overcome them.
Charlie Brown's Book Report
Working hard without recognition is one of the most common types of disappointment there is. In The Peanuts Movie, Charlie Brown becomes book report parterres with the little red haired girl. While the girl is out of town, Charlie Brown spends all weekend reading Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace and writes the best book report ever. Right before turning in the project, a gust of wind blows the paper away. Charlie Brown never gets to turn in the paper, but his efforts still win over the heart of the Little Red-Haired Girl. Perhaps no other scenario on this list quite captures the optimistic outlook of Peanuts. Even if our efforts are met with temporary disappointment, success can still come in unexpected ways.