Pigpen arrives in cloud of dust for December cartoon caption contest

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

Of all the Peanuts characters, the one I most identify with is Pigpen, shown on the U.S. forever stamp (Scott 5726e) in the box nearby from the 2022 pane of 10 picturing characters from Charles Schulz’s long running comic strip. This will be our cartoon caption contest stamp for December.

Perhaps Pigpen reminds me of my childhood playing in dusty out-of-the-way corners, outside muddy puddles, and my years in India where heat and sand were a constant challenge.

When in India, bathing at night kept the problem at bay, but only temporarily. I was comfortable thinking of myself as happily and permanently engaged with a cloud of dust.

A 2000 Gallup Poll popularity survey of Peanuts characters had Pigpen in fifth place, so I figure I’m in good company. It’s easy to think of history with regard to Pigpen. He once referred to his personal cloud as “the dust of ancient civilizations.”

How could you render this character to today for the purposes of the cartoon contest? Think of Pigpen growing up to be a candidate for public office, a postman, or a baseball player sliding into second base. And of course there is always the problem of what to get him for Christmas.

Any subject is fair game.

So, surround yourself with grit, and tell me what you might be thinking or saying if stuck in Pigpen’s situation. Write down what you think Pigpen might say as he contemplates his constant cloud of dust.

The best of the entries, one related to philately and one nonphilatelic, will be announced in this column. For each of the two winners, the prize will be a 13-week subscription to Linn’s (a new subscription or an extension).

To enter, write your caption (or captions) on a postcard and send it to me, John Hotchner, Linn’s Cartoon Contest, Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125, or by email at jmhstamp@verizon.net. However you enter, it is essential that you include an email and postal mailing address. Entries must reach me no later than Dec. 20.

Why not enter now while you’re thinking about it.

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