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

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

Interesting Facts About Charlie The Tuna

Since Charlie the Tuna inspired this holiday, we thought 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, they’re still pretty interesting to anyone reading them.

• Charlie the Tuna is the spokesperson for StarKist.
• He first debuted in 1961.
• He was created by Tom Rogers.
• Charlie the Tuna was based on Henry Nemo, the creator of Jive and a friend of Tom Rogers.
• 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 you’ve been rejected for in the past. Once 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.