15 Funniest Calvin and Hobbes Comics That Just Turned 30 (Was This Watterson's Funniest Month?)

There are few comic strips in the history of the medium that are as genuinely hilarious as Calvin and Hobbes. From the masterful way Bill Watterson captures everyday life through the eyes of an imaginative child, to the incredibly smart and witty humor throughout, Calvin and Hobbes is arguably the funniest and all around best comic strip out there. However, as with everything, there are certainly some Calvin and Hobbes comics that are funnier than others, and they seem to have been published in August 1994.

Calvin and Hobbes is unique in that it only ran for a relatively short amount of time, 10 years, between 1985 and 1995. And while there are certain series that just get worse the longer they’re released, Calvin and Hobbes only seemed to get funnier with every passing year, and the lot of comics published in August 1994 is a testament to that, as that may very well have been Watterson’s funniest month. Out of them all, here are the 15 funniest Calvin and Hobbes comics that just turned 30!

16

Calvin and Hobbes Hilariously Highlights a Sad Fact of Life for Adults

Calvin and Hobbes – August 3, 1994

When Calvin asks his mom if he can get contact lenses, she tells him that his eyes are fine, only for Calvin to clarify that he wants contacts to change his eye color. Calvin wants one eye to be blood-red, and the other to be yellow-striped, but his mom just says no.

Calvin complains about this to Hobbes, telling him that he thinks people stop understanding what’s cool when they get old – and he’s right. When people get older, their idea of what’s ‘cool’ becomes outdated, replaced by something they don’t understand, and Calvin and Hobbes highlights that hilariously.

15

Calvin’s Parents Literally Have No Words for His Absurd Antics

Calvin and Hobbes – August 4, 1994

Calvin’s parents walk into his room one night to find Calvin not asleep, but with a small horn and bongo drums, making all kinds of ruckus. When his parents enter his room, Calvin becomes indignant, asking angrily why he has to have a reason for everything he does.

Calvin’s attitude upon getting caught doing what he definitely should not have been is hilarious, but the funniest part of this scene is how utterly done Calvin’s parents are with him, as Calvin has literally rendered them speechless with his absurd antics.

14

Calvin is the Most Dramatic Little Kid Ever, & It’s Absolutely Hilarious

Calvin and Hobbes – August 7, 1994

In a series of comic panels, this Calvin and Hobbes strip details the titular best friends having an amazing summer together, as they’re playing in the woods, reading comics, and going on imaginative adventures. But then, Calvin’s mom asks him to take out one bag of trash, and as he’s doing so, Calvin says to Hobbes, “Boy, some vacation this summer is!“.

Calvin has been doing nothing but playing, but because of one small chore, the whole summer is ruined, which is so ridiculously dramatic it’s hilarious.

13

Calvin Decides to Antagonize His Dad for Literally No Reason

Calvin and Hobbes – August 8, 1994

One morning when his dad is leaving for work, Calvin decides to start asking him a number of questions meant to antagonize him. Calvin says it’s such a nice day out, and asks his dad if he thinks it’s too bad that he won’t be able to enjoy a nice day like this because of work, and likely won’t have the freedom to enjoy days like this until after he retires.

Calvin then comments to his mom that “Dad sure is surly in the mornings“, meaning Calvin’s questions actually upset his dad – and Calvin did it for literally no reason.

12

Calvin Imagines He’s at the Center of a Sinister Conspiracy, & Hobbes Just Puts Up with It

Calvin and Hobbes – August 9, 1994

It’s no secret that Calvin has an overactive imagination, but this borders on delusional, as Calvin imagines he’s at the center of a sinister mind-wiping conspiracy simply because he doesn’t remember anything before the age of 3.

No one remembers anything before they’re 3 years old, but since Calvin is only 6, he’s more alarmed by this, since he technically is missing memories from half of his life. All-in-all, it’s hilariously absurd, and even though Hobbes knows it, he just puts up with Calvin’s borderline insanity.

11

Calvin’s Mom Does NOT Suger-Coat How Much of a Terror He Is

Calvin and Hobbes – August 10, 1994

When Calvin’s mom is outside gardening, Calvin notices that a horsefly lands on her head, and rushes inside to go get something to kill it: his water pistol. After Calvin grabs the water pistol and goes back outside, his mom screams at him, “Get away from me!“.

Other parents might try to be a bit more sensitive to their child’s feelings in this instance, since Calvin was just trying to be helpful. But, this isn’t Calvin’s mom’s first rodeo with her hellion son, which is what makes this scene so hilarious.

10

Calvin’s Mom is as Impressed by His Intelligence as She is Dumbfounded by His Stupidity

Calvin and Hobbes – August 12, 1994

Calvin walks up to his mom and, totally unprompted, starts telling her about how gravity works in space. The level of detail he offers impresses his mom, as Calvin is able to fully comprehend and explain some pretty complex ideas. But then, Calvin uses ‘gravity’ as a segue to come clean about how he tripped while wearing his skates in the kitchen and broke a pitcher of lemonade.

As Calvin’s mom is cleaning up his mess, she perfectly (and hilariously) sums Calvin up with one rhetorical question, “How can kids know so much and still be so dumb?“.

9

Calvin’s Parents Do Not Appreciate His Creative Playfulness

Calvin and Hobbes – August 14, 1994

Calvin finds himself an inch tall standing on a desk, desperate to get his dad’s attention. So, he crafts a paper airplane that he manages to fly directly into his dad’s head. The final panel shows Calvin, back to his normal height, telling Hobbes that he doesn’t need parents, just a tape recorder that says, “Go play outside“.

It’s clear that Calvin threw a paper airplane at his dad, who reacted with annoyance and kicked Calvin out of the house. Sadly, his parents have no appreciation for Calvin’s creative playfulness.

8

Calvin Justifies Excessive Soda Intake by Pretending He’s a Hummingbird

Calvin and Hobbes – August 15, 1994

In a comic strip that highlights the fact that Bill Watterson is a genuinely great artist, Calvin pretends he’s a hummingbird, explaining how he needs to drink ‘sugar water’ to fuel his metabolism. At the same time, Calvin (literal Calvin) grabs another soda from the fridge, only for one of his parents to yell at him for doing so.

Honestly, good for Calvin, because if his parents don’t want to play with him while he’s trying to include them, then he should absolutely use that to his advantage to drink all the soda his little ‘hummingbird’ body can handle.

7

Calvin is Apparently a Major Bedtime Story Snob

Calvin and Hobbes – August 16, 1994

As Calvin’s dad is reading him a bedtime story, Calvin interrupts him before the story even really begins, asking him all sorts of questions, including, “Has this book been a bestseller? Has the author won a Pulitzer? Did the New York Times like it?” – and it’s driving his dad crazy.

In fact, Calvin’s dad even threatens to end story time altogether if Calvin doesn’t stop interrupting, at which point, Calvin asks if they can just watch the movie version instead, as it seems his bedtime story snobbery isn’t above enjoying film adaptations.

6

Hobbes Confirms that Calvin is Already a Teenage Dirtbag at Just 6 Years Old

Calvin and Hobbes – August 17, 1994

Calvin asks Hobbes what he thinks of his sneer, showing him the ugliest, most off-putting face he can muster. Hobbes agrees that Calvin’s sneer is pretty horrible, and Calvin thanks him before explaining that he’s working on his sneer to make people as uncomfortable as possible during social interactions.

Hobbes says Calvin’s basically acting like a teenager, and Calvin excitedly agrees, saying that he’s “getting seven extra years” of being what Hobbes already confirmed that Calvin is: a teenage dirtbag (at just 6 years old).

5

Hobbes Proves Calvin Wouldn’t Last in the Jungle, & Calvin Angrily Agrees

Calvin and Hobbes – August 19, 1994

Calvin is walking through the woods one day when Hobbes, who was hiding up a tree, pounces on him. The two fight for a moment before Hobbes pins Calvin on the ground, telling him that he wouldn’t last two seconds in the jungle. To that, Calvin angrily replies, “That’s why I live here, you dolt!“.

Funny enough, both of these knuckleheads have a point, as Calvin definitely wouldn’t last in the jungle, but he’s also not ever trying to do that – creating one of their more hilarious interactions in Calvin and Hobbes history.

4

Calvin Tries to Trick His Dad into Letting Him Watch R-Rated Movies

Calvin and Hobbes – August 22, 1994

Calvin’s dad is an attorney, so Calvin learned that if he could present a strong enough argument, he could get away with stuff he otherwise couldn’t. However, that’s easier said than done, as Calvin actually has to win the argument. In this case, Calvin got his dad to admit that he believes in free expression and is against censorship.

Then, Calvin compares societal censorship to his parents’ rules about him being too young for R-rated movies. While he may not win, Calvin certainly made his dad look like a hypocrite, which is a solid step in the right direction.

3

Calvin Suddenly Needs to Watch His Back in His Own House

Calvin and Hobbes – August 24, 1994

Calvin’s mom and dad are sitting together at the dinner table, clearly overwhelmed by life lately. Calvin’s mom asks if they’ve begun to accept too many demands from life, and Calvin’s dad says that they should simplify in order to rid themselves of this stress.

Then, Calvin walks by, as if the manifestation of his parents’ accumulated stress, and his parents stare at him. Calvin, feeling that the vibe is definitely off, continues on his way as quickly as possible, knowing that he may have to start watching his back in his own house.

2

Calvin’s Dad Should NOT Let Calvin Determine What Constitutes an Emergency

Calvin and Hobbes – August 25, 1994

While Calvin’s dad is at work, he answers a phone call from his son, who tends to call him fairly regularly, and usually for no good reason. Therefore, Calvin’s dad is confident that this is one of those times, so he tells Calvin, “unless this is really important, hang up, ok?“. So, Calvin hangs up, deciding that the situation he was in was not an emergency – yet.

Calvin’s house is flooded, but apparently not quite at the level that Calvin would deem important enough to alert his dad to, which is honestly entirely his dad’s fault, as he shouldn’t leave that distinction up to Calvin. While utter chaos, this strip is absolutely hilarious, making it one of the 15 best Calvin and Hobbes comics that just turned 30!

1

Key Background

• Calvin and Hobbes features a wide range of secondary characters, ranging from Calvin’s fellow students at school and in the neighborhood to family members.
• Bill Waterson refused to commercialize Calvin & Hobbes by rejecting merchandise, TV, and movie deals.
• The strip draws influence from Walt Kelly’s *Pogo*, George Herriman’s *Krazy Kat*, and Charles Schulz’s *Peanuts*, especially shaping Watterson’s early views on comics.

Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes was a satirical comic strip series that ran from 1985-1995, written, drawn, and colored by Bill Watterson. The series follows six-year-old Hobbes and his stuffed Tiger, Calvin, that examines their lives through a whimsical lens that tackles everyday comedic issues and real-world issues that people deal with.

Writer

Bill Watterson

Colorist

Bill Watterson

Publisher

Andrews McMeel Publishing

Summary

Calvin and Hobbes was a satirical comic strip series that ran from 1985-1995, written, drawn, and colored by Bill Watterson. The series follows six-year-old Hobbes and his stuffed Tiger, Calvin, that examines their lives through a whimsical lens that tackles comedic everyday issues and real-world issues that people deal with. 

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