Charlie Brown is the central protagonist of the long-running comic strip Peanuts, syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Credited as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown is one of the great American archetypes, he is a very well-received and well-known cartoon character. Charlie Brown is characterized as a person who frequently suffers, and as a result, is usually nervous and lacks self-confidence. He shows both pessimistic and optimistic attitudes: on some days, he is reluctant to go out because his day might just be spoiled, but on others, he hopes for the best and tries as much as he can to accomplish things. The character's creator, Charles M. Schulz, has said of the character that "[He] must be the one who suffers, because he is a caricature of the average person. Most of us are much more acquainted with losing than winning." Despite this, Charlie Brown does not always suffer, as he has experienced some happy moments and victories through the years, and he has sometimes uncharacteristically shown self-assertiveness despite his often nervousness. Lee Mendelson, producer of the majority of the Peanuts television specials, has said that "He [Charlie Brown] was, and is, the ultimate survivor in overcoming bulliness-Lucy or otherwise." The character, as Schulz frequently said and addressed, is inspired by some of his painful experiences in life.