Schulz saw Charlie Brown as a line of poetry, capturing readers' feelings better than they could themselves. Charlie Brown's defeats made him incredibly relatable, becoming a symbol for those feeling defeated. Reflecting on Charlie Brown's evolution, Schulz recognized him as an enduring icon representing perseverance.

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz once identified the "purpose" of his famous character Charlie Brown, perfectly encapsulating why the character has appealed to generations of readers, taking an indelible position in the world's pop culture consciousness in the process. In other words, Schulz explained what made his creation an all-time great character.

In the 1977 the 1977 BBC documentary Everyman: Happiness is a Warm Puppy, Schulz used a personal anecdote to highlight the cultural impact of Charlie Brown, nearly three decades into Peanuts' publication. As he explained, the way his secretary's son related to Charlie Brown struck the character's creator as the essential reason for the character's existence.