A story is told about a boy named Sparky. For Sparky school was all but impossible.
He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school. Receiving a
flat zero in the course, he distinguished himeself as the worst physics student in the
school's history. Sparky also flunked Latin, algebra and English. He didn't do much better
in sports. Although he did manage to make the school's golf team, he promptly lost the only
important match of the season. There was a consolation match; he lost that, too.
Throughout his youth Sparky was awkward socially. He was not actually disliked by the other
students; no one cared that much. He was astonished if a classmate ever said hello to him
outside of school hours. There's no way to tell how he might have done at dating. Sparky never
once asked a girl to go out in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down.
Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates... everyone knew it. So he rolled with it. Sparky had
made up his mind early in life that if things were meant to work out, they would. Otherwise he
would content himself with what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity.
However, one thing was was important to Sparky - drawing. He was proud of his artwork. Of
course, no one else appreciated it. In his senior year of high school, he submitted some
cartoons to the editors of the yearbook. They were turned down. Despite this particularly
painful rejection, Sparky was so convinced of his ability that he decided to become a
professional artist.
Upon graduating from high school, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney Studios. He was told to
send some samples of his artwork, and the subject matter for a cartoons was suggested. Sparky
drew the proposed cartoon. He spent a great deal of time on it and on all the other drawings
he submitted. Finally the reply came from Disney Studios, he had been rejected once again.
Another loss for the loser.
So Sparky decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons. He described his childhood self -
a little-boy loser and chronic underarchiever. The cartoon character would soon become famous
worldwide. For Sparky, the boy who had failed every subject in the eight grade and whose work
was rejected again and again, was Charles Schulz. He created the "Peanuts" comic strip and the
little cartoons boy whose kite would never fly and who never succeeded in kicking the football -
Charlie Brown.
