On this day 25 years ago, Bill Watterson's iconic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes bid us farewell.
With thousands of hilarious and thought-provoking comic strips, Watterson's adventures with Calvin and his stuffed tiger remain forever lodged in the hearts of millions.
As we bid farewell to what has been one of the most tumultuous years in some of our lifetimes, Calvin and Hobbes's philosophies on life and relationships hit home on the last day of 2020 and still make for compelling reading. To take us on a path down memory lane, here are some of the best Calvin and Hobbes strips created.
"He is one of the old gods! He demands sacrifice!"
Calvin and Hobbes
Bill Watterson's use of lively and grotesque animation to convey Calvin's deepest daydreams and playtime antics remain some of the series most entertaining moments. One of the best strips is when Calvin pillages his tinker toys, positioning himself as an old and unforgiving god of the universe. As destructive and narcissistic as his actions may be, his aloof parents find it all so compelling. "I bet he grows up to be an architect," his mom says.
"It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw."
Calvin and Hobbes
Another amazing bout of unique animation, A very seriously drawn doctor with a chiseled jawline enters the room with an equally as beautiful patient. He then gives some of the worst medical advice known to man, saying she needs a lobotomy because her foot hurts. Sadly for him, this patient is unlike any other patient he's had before.
"I know more about medicine than you! I'll be the doctor now," she says as she starts to kick the doctor in the shins. "Say it! Say I'm the doctor!" It is then revealed that Calvin and Susie are playing pretend and that Calvin was just being a pain for no reason.
"I notice your oeuvre is monochromatic"
Calvin and Hobbes
What set Calvin and Hobbes apart from other comic strips was its ability to be incredibly metaphorical and smart in its writing. Watterson admitted in the Calvin and Hobbes 10th Anniversary Collection that he was always interested in art and the frivolous culture built around it. Calvin embodies that bullsh*t in the hilarious snow art sketch above, offering Hobbes asinine explanations on the deeper meaning behind his poorly constructed snowmen.
Spaceman Spiff
Calvin and Hobbes
One of Calvin's recurring daydreams and playtime sagas, the Spaceman Spiff saga was always presented as their own, recurring comic strips. In this particular adventure, Spiff crash lands on a mysterious planet and is soon captured by weird alien worms that strongly desire to...wash his hair? The comic then pans out, and the alien warlords are revealed to be none other than Calvin's mom trying to get him into the bath.
"Do you LIKE her??"
Calvin and Hobbes
In the first comic strip that technically introduced Suzie, Calvin casually brings up that there is a new girl in his class, and totally normal questions from Hobbes quickly cause him to lose it. "Do you LIKE her??" Hobbes teases before Calvin screams at him. It's a simple and hilarious strip that showed Watterson never needed much to make us laugh.
"We're here to devour each other alive."
Calvin and Hobbes
In one of Hobbes's shining moments, the duo are taking a casual stroll in the snow-laden woods, with Calvin ruminating on humanity's disconnect from the natural world. When he asks Hobbes the meaning of existence, the tiger replies: "We're here to devour each other alive."
The sentiment of every panel in this strip hits deeply in 2020, as it calls into question humanity's place in the universe. Are we here merely to eat each other and kill each other? Haven't we technically been doing that for centuries?
The Raccoon Story
Calvin and Hobbes
n the most moving Calvin and Hobbes strip, Calvin tries to rescue a dying raccoon but is forced to grapple with his own mortality as the creature slowly withers and dies. Over the course of many weeks, Watterson takes us through his thoughts on death and the trauma that comes when kids have to realize that there will always be things we won't understand and that it is okay if that makes you sad.
"I didn't even know he existed until a few days ago and now he's gone forever. It's like I found him for no reason. I had to say good-bye as soon as I said hello," Calvin ruminates. "Still, in a sad, awful, terrible way. I'm happy I met him. What a stupid world."