Character Matters, 28: A Ziggy Collection

The charm of Ziggy is that he lives a sweetly simple life. Things often don't go his way, but he always perseveres and maintains his sunny outlook. Ziggy is Everyperson, the part of us that harbors warm feelings and good intentions but sometimes gets stepped on by a reckless world. In the great tradition of Ben Franklin, Roy Rogers, and Forrest Gump, Ziggy delivers his own homespun philosophy and retains his individualism and character, regardless of the transforming forces at work in a swiftly changing world. Since 1971, Ziggy has remained true to himself. The world has changed, and the topics addressed in the cartoon have changed along with it, but at his core, Ziggy himself has not changed. Readers wouldn't have it any other way. Comforted and inspired by his steadfastness, his tenacity, and his gentle spirit, Ziggy fans have been intensely loyal for over three decades-and that hasn't changed, either.Ziggy runs in more than 600 newspapers and reaches 75 million readers.