As a mother of 2 small children who experiences repeated viewings/readings/etc. of the same kids’ media ad nauseam, I have found myself growing overly critical of what is meant to be simple, innocent entertainment for small children. I share my sarcastic analyses of harmless kids’ entertainment in this ongoing feature: Stephanie Overanalyzes Children’s Entertainment.
Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems are some of my oldest son’s favorite literature. They fall right into the sweet spot of his sense of humor, and he easily memorizes them, allowing him to “read” them to himself & his little brother. They really are terrific kids books; you should pick up a few for your own youngsters on your next trip to the library!
As I was recently reading I Will Surprise My Friend to Isaac, it suddenly struck me: Gerald the Elephant is SUCH an enneagram 6. Quietly amused by this thought, I continued to read the story aloud and gradually noticed that Piggie acts a lot like an enneagram 7. These new insights caused me to ponder over the entire Elephant & Piggie oeuvre to test my hypothesis, and I have indeed concluded that this series is all about the friendship between a 6 and a 7.
*Enneagram malpractice disclaimer: Technically it is verboten in enneagram circles to type other people; each person should have the right to discover and declare their own personality type. I heartily agree with this practice, but I’m breaking the rules for this post because 1) Elephant & Piggie aren’t real people, and 2) this is all for humor & entertainment. I should also disclose that I am neither an enneagram 6 nor 7, so I cannot speak from personal experience on those types. I apologize to any 6’s or 7’s who are offended by my generalizations. Feel free to leave your disagreements & concerns in the comments. Lastly, if you’re not familiar with the enneagram and would like to learn a little about type 6 or type 7 before you read on, please follow those links. OK, disclaimer over.
Since I Will Surprise My Friend kick-started this enneagram overanalysis for me, let us begin there. After seeing a squirrel surprise her friend, Piggie & Gerald decide it would be fun to surprise each other. Due to their childlike lack of planning, each one ends up waiting on opposite sides of a big rock for the other one to come be surprised. “I wonder what my friend is doing…” each character thinks, but that’s where their different personalities really start to manifest. Gerald immediately imagines worst case scenarios, fretting that Piggie is about to walk off a cliff or be eaten by a scary monster. Meanwhile, Piggie mildly wonders if perhaps Gerald got hungry for lunch, then realizes she’s hungry, then resolves that she should go eat lunch.
Such a stark and hilarious illustration of the difference between their 6 and 7 personalities.
As shown in I Will Surprise My Friend, Gerald has quite a propensity to worry, which is on full display in plenty of the Elephant & Piggie books. In Happy Pig Day Gerald worries that he’s losing Piggie’s friendship because he’s not a pig. He frets over the book ending in We Are in a Book, has a meltdown when Piggie announces I am Going!, and wavers too long on indecision in Should I Share My Ice Cream.
But Gerald exemplifies more than the anxious traits of an enneagram 6. He is fiercely loyal and protective of his loved ones, as shown in A Big Guy Took My Ball.
He also uses his 6 skills to plan ahead for every possibility in Let’s Go for a Drive and I am Invited to a Party.
In that last book, Piggie is thrilled to receive a party invitation and desires to go right away. But Gerald insists they must prepare for all eventualities. Despite her annoyance in being made to wait and plan, Piggie is ultimately thankful for Gerald’s 6-ness when she’s properly prepared for the fancy pool costume party.
Piggie’s 7-ish delight in life is evident throughout the series. She’s always trying new things (Today I Will Fly!, Elephants Cannot Dance, I Am a Frog!) and inviting others to join in her fun (Happy Pig Day, Can I Play Too?). Her optimism well balances Gerald’s tendency to worry, just as his thoroughness balances her impulsivity.
But I think my favorite display of Piggie’s 7-ness is in My Friend is Sad. Seeing Gerald looking glum, Piggie determines to cheer him up. She dresses up as all sorts of fun & silly characters, trying to make Gerald laugh. But it’s not until Piggie gives up on her costumes and shows up as herself that Gerald finally smiles… he didn’t want to be forced into fun; he just wanted to see his friend.
Elephant & Piggie’s enneagram types are one of those things that seem so glaring once you start noticing them. From now on as I read these books to my kids, part of my mind will always be scrutinizing their behaviors according to the enneagram. And that’s OK… it’s a fun new way to overanalyze children’s entertainment!
How would you enneagram type other classic children’s books characters?
