National Sorry Charlie Day is somewhat of an odd holiday. It’s a holiday that encourages people to take the rejection they’ve experienced in the past and turn it into something positive. The phrase “Sorry, Charlie” is one that was popularized by Charlie the Tuna—the mascot of StarKist Tuna.

According to the commercials, Charlie was a tuna that had good taste but was constantly being rejected for inclusion into StarKist Tuna. Despite the constant rejection, he kept trying to get included in the product. In other words, he was the model for perseverance to many people who watched those commercials. Which leaves us with just one question: Why would Charlie the Tuna be packed in a can of tuna in the first place?

Interesting Facts About Charlie The Tuna

Since Charlie the Tuna was the inspiration for this holiday, we thought that we’d take a few moments to list some interesting facts about this cartoon character. Although the following facts probably won’t help people turn their rejection into something positive, it’s still pretty interesting to anyone reading it.

• Charlie the Tuna is the spokes tuna for StarKist.
• He first debuted in 1961.
• He was created by Tom Rogers.
• Charlie the Tuna was based on the creator of Jive and friend to Tom Rogers, Henry Nemo.
• He is probably one of the most recognizable characters in all of American advertising.
• He was voiced by several different people over the years including Herschel Bernardi, and Tex Brashear.
• Charlie was also voiced by Ron Hawking and Jeff Bergman.

Observing National Sorry Charlie Day

National Sorry Charlie Day can be observed by taking the time to think about the things that you’ve been rejected for in the past. When you’ve done that, you can then think about ways to turn those rejections into something positive. People can also post on social media using the hashtag #NationalSorryCharlieDay to spread the word about this holiday.