As much as we all love watching Peanuts specials, how often have you stared at the television screen, half exasperated, half furious, nearly driven to madness because Charlie Brown can not catch a break? How many times have you hoped that this kid might finally get a victory, only to have it blow up in both of your faces? Rest assured, you're not alone. However, it may provide some odd comfort to you to know that there's a reason why Charlie Brown has to lose, according to the Peanuts father himself, Charles M. Schulz. 

According to Schulz's book, Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art with Charlie Brown and Others, his main character needed to be a loser because it provided reliability to the audience. He said, "Charlie Brown has to be the one who suffers because he is a caricature of the average person. Most of us are acquainted with losing more than we are with winning."

He continued, "Winning is great, but it isn't funny. While one person is a happy winner, there may be a hundred losers using funny stories to console themselves."

As an almost stand-in for the audience, Schulz was sure to keep Charlie Brown as the heart and center of the story. He stated, "In the case of Peanuts, I like to have Charlie Brown eventually be the focal point of almost every story. No matter what happens to any of the other characters, somehow Charlie Brown is involved at the end and usually is the one who brings disaster upon one of his friends or receives the brunt of the blow.

Schulz also added some insight into Charlie Brown's character, and why so many viewers gravitate toward him, and root for him despite his inevitable journey to failure. "Readers are generally sympathetic toward a lead character who is rather gentle, sometimes put upon, and not always the brightest person. Perhaps this is the kind of person who is easiest to love."