After being haunted by the cryptic comic (http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=mlb&menu=cartoon&mode=view&seq=36&of fice_id=223&article_id=0000000023) posted in the game day thread last week, I believe I've solved the mystery.  Today I saw a stuffed toy lying in my brother's car that looked exactly like Schmiddy in that comic.  He told me it's from a Japanese TV show "Anpanman."  

Here's the wikipedia description: "The hero of the story, whose head is a bun made by Jam Ojisan. His name comes from the fact that he is a man with a head made of bread (Japanese: pan, a loanword from the Portuguese word meaning "bread") that is filled with bean jam (Japanese: an) called an anpan. His weakness is water or anything that makes his head dirty. He regains his health and strength when Jam Ojisan bakes him a new head and is placed on his shoulders. Anpanman's damaged head, with Xs in his eyes, flies off his shoulders once a new baked head lands. He was created when a shooting star landed in Jam Ojisan's oven while he was baking. He has two special attacks called: An-punch and An-kick. When Anpanman comes across a starving creature or person, he lets the unfortunate creature or person eat part of his head."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anpanman

I'm sure this bit of news will assuage the sleepless nights we were all suffering from the mystery of what seemed like a rather disturbing comic book strip. ;)