Failure Is the Only Option/Newspaper Comics

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Examples of Failure Is the Only Option in Newspaper Comics include:

• Peanuts: Charlie Brown. Lucy Van Pelt. Football. At the end of the comic, Charlie Brown possibly succeeded. Lucy was called inside, when Charlie Brown was about to kick the football, so she asked Rerun to hold it. When she later asked Rerun what happened, he said: "You'll never know!"

However, Schulz said, after drawing the last strip, that he'd just realised "that little round-headed kid is never going to kick that football", we can presume the ball remains unbooted.

In 1983, there was a strip that featured him choosing to walk away from Lucy and the ball, which certainly represents a kind of victory in itself. In the last panel of the strip Charlie Brown, having walked away from Lucy, sees a number of other kids holding footballs for him. This actually would have been a poignant and fitting end to the series, though the gag would later be re-used (though not for the next three years).

There was one comic story where Snoopy took up magic tricks and turned Charlie Brown invisible. While in this state, he does manage to sneak up on Lucy and kick the football. It would be used in the animated special It's Magic, Charlie Brown.

See also Charlie Brown and baseball-playing, kite-flying, writing with an ink pen, talking to the Little Red Haired Girl, etc. Similarly, Linus and seeing the Great Pumpkin, Lucy and getting Schroeder's attention (same story with Sally and Linus), and Snoopy shooting down the Red Baron or getting one of his novels published.

• • Charlie Brown's problem kicking the football is referenced in a Family Guy episode: Peter actually beats Lucy and makes her hold the ball for Charlie, and Charlie actually kicks it! It is also subverted in this video.