Ziggy Character Matters
By Tom Wilson and Tom Wilson II
Andrews McMeel Publishing, $10.95
Ziggy is the ultimate Everyman. No matter what happens to him, just about everyone has seen something in his exploits that reminds them of their own life. Maybe that is why he has lasted so long. I mean, lets face it.. all he is, is a big head and a round body. But, that body is all heart and love.
And in this new book Ziggy gets a chance to show us a bunch of the different ‘characters’ he has met over the years. From his dog to his fish, Ziggy loves them all and can hardly wait to introduce the new readers to them as well as reintroduce the regular readers.
And there are a bundle of regular readers; over 600+ Sunday and Daily Newspapers, and over 75 million attest to the little guys popularity.
Tom Wilson started Ziggy in 1971 and he and his son have kept coming up with new ideas for almost 34 years now and they don’t seem ready to slow down. One of the many things about the character is his ability to encourage and push us to laugh at ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in, and to try and take life in stride. He seems to be the penultimate optimistic character.
Despite his own insecurities, Ziggy never stops. He is a light of hope and a magnet for the bright spots that exist even in the midst of personal hardship.
Each of the cartoons on these pages help us to see a different aspect of our own trials and successes. According to Wilson, Ziggy is “The little guy in the big world, much like I felt as a kid”. He wanted to show us how difficult life can be, and created Ziggy clumsy and even unsure of himself yet wide-eyed and full of joy. 
Ziggy and his adventures can appeal to all readers, regardless of age or sex. It is tough to not love Ziggy and these cartoons here show why. Ziggy is also the spokes character for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising public awareness by spreading the word about the diseases and the organization.