The Hero Gen Z Needs

Once I saw the Snoopy’s image, I tended to read whatever was written! 

I have to admit, as a Gen Z, I did not watch Snoopy while growing up. It was much more about Sponge Bob or Finneas and Ferb. However, I have this sympathy I cannot argue with Snoopy. 

One of my father’s close friends loved Snoopy, and growing up I would call him Uncle Snoopy because of his habit with it. He would have key chains with it on, and even his WhatsApp profile picture was Snoopy! He is one of the wisest people I have known. He traveled to the North Pole, worked as a manager at UNILEVER, and read a tremendous amount of articles and books, but most importantly was a fatherly man to me when I was growing up. Maybe the relationship between him, his intellectual capacity, and his obsession with the character can explain the connection between me and Snoopy, even though I did not follow the show religiously. 

The article was about how Snoopy had a “come back” as an icon and hugged as a symbol between Gen Z. Snoopy is described as a character that presents some attributes as childish. He would dream, fantasize, get excited effortlessly… Ellis Hannum article The Hero Gen Z Needs mentions these characteristics of the icon that makes people attracted to it. They find their inner child reflected on the screen in a way that they could not present to their outside worlds. 

Performing without audio, Snoopy has the ability to express himself through exaggerated movements.  Miss Hannum relates this to the viewers as them being stuck through online meetings and cannot express themselves enough, and Snoopy has the same situation without having a voice. This reliableness between real life and the icon is what makes the audience drawn back into the television show again after some years. 

Personally, do not fully agree with Miss Hannum. Yes, people feel related to Snoopy, they see a part of themselves in it. That is why the TV show came back like a boomerang with its new Gen Z followers. However, the online quarantine era was not responsible for this return. I think it is a way of expressing Gen Z’s feelings. As Gen Z, we live out emotions high, and still not fully know how to control them through our emotions. Sometimes, this non-regulation of our feelings can cause destructive behaviors, which are not welcomed warmly in most cases. On the other hand, Snoopy has only its movements to express itself and somehow seems to share its emotions more than our generation can do with words. Thisis what we are drowning for, it's skills of communication. For us, Snoopy is not just an icon or character from a comic book from the 1950s; it is a way of learning to regulate our emotions. 

What are your thoughts about Snoopy?

P.S. In the sense of Snoopy being a teacher, Sarah Bezer’s article on The Exemplary Narcissism of Snoopy might be a good second article you want to read on the topic.