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Calvin and Hobbes
The cover of Calvin and Hobbes, the first collection of comic strips, released in April 1987.
AuthorBill Watterson
Current status/scheduleConcluded
Launch dateNovember 18, 1985[1]
End dateDecember 31, 1995
Syndicate(s)Universal Press Syndicate
PublisherAndrews McMeel Publishing
Genre(s)Humor, family life, philosophy, satire

Calvin and Hobbes is an American daily comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. The strip centers on Calvin, a six-year-old boy characterized by his imagination and behavior, and Hobbes, his stuffed tiger, whose status alternates between a toy and a sentient companion depending on perspective. Set in the contemporary United States, the strip includes a recurring cast such as Calvin's parents, his classmate Susie Derkins, his teacher Miss Wormwood, and his babysitter Rosalyn.

A recurring element of the strip is Calvin's use of imagination, often depicted through alter egos such as Spaceman Spiff and Stupendous Man, as well as his reinterpretation of everyday objects, including cardboard boxes, as devices such as time machines. Watterson's artistic style, influenced by earlier comic strips including Peanuts, Pogo, and Krazy Kat, developed over time to incorporate more varied panel layouts and watercolor illustrations in Sunday strips.

At its peak, Calvin and Hobbes was carried in more than 2,000 newspapers internationally.[1] Watterson opposed the licensing of the strip's characters for commercial merchandise and engaged in disputes with his syndicate regarding creative control. No official merchandise or animated adaptations were produced during the strip's original run. Watterson ended the strip in 1995, stating that he had explored the format to his satisfaction.

Commonly described as "the last great newspaper comic", the comic strip has enjoyed enduring popularity and influence. The 18 official book collections have sold millions of copies globally, and the strip continues to attract significant academic and philosophical interest. In 2014, Watterson's contributions to the medium were recognized with the Grand Prix at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, cementing the strip's legacy as one of the most celebrated works in comic history.[1]

History

[edit]

Development

[edit]

I thought it was perhaps too 'adult,' too literate. When my then-8-year-old son remarked, 'This is the Doonesbury for kids!' I suspected we had something unusual on our hands.

— Lee Salem, Watterson's editor at Universal, recalling his reaction after seeing Watterson's first submission[1]

Bill Watterson conceived and developed Calvin and Hobbes while working in advertising.[2] United Feature Syndicate agreed to publish one strip titled The Doghouse, which featured a side character (the main character's little brother) who had a stuffed tiger. The syndicate identified these characters as the strongest and encouraged Watterson to develop them as the focus of their own strip.[3] United Feature ultimately rejected the new strip as lacking marketing potential, although Universal Press Syndicate took it up.[4][5]

Publication and syndication

[edit]

The first Calvin and Hobbes strip was published in 35 newspapers on November 18, 1985.[6] Within a year of syndication, the strip appeared in approximately 250 newspapers and achieved wide international circulation in translation.[7]

As the strip grew in popularity, the syndicate expressed strong interest in merchandising the characters and expanding into other media.[8][page needed] By 1991, Watterson secured a contract granting him legal control over the strip and all future licensing arrangements.[9]

After gaining creative control, Watterson relocated to New Mexico and largely disappeared from public engagements, refusing to attend ceremonies for the cartooning awards he won.[10]

In 1994, Watterson announced that Calvin and Hobbes would conclude at the end of 1995. He stated that he had achieved his intended goals within the medium.[9]

The final strip ran on Sunday, December 31, 1995, depicting Calvin and Hobbes sledding down a hill after a fresh snowfall, with Calvin delivering the final lines: "It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy... Let's go exploring!"[11][12][6]

Speaking to NPR in 2005, animation critic Charles Solomon opined that the final strip "left behind a hole in the comics page that no strip has been able to fill."[13]

After the strip concluded, it was described as "the last great newspaper comic".[14][15][10]

Comparison of Calvin and Hobbes's following layout changes
The comic strip on the left from 1987 illustrates the layout constraints that Bill Watterson was required to work within for the first six years of the comic's syndication. The comic strip on the right from 1993 demonstrates one of the more creative layouts that Watterson was free to employ after 1991.

Conflicts

[edit]

Merchandising

[edit]

Calvin and Hobbes had no official merchandising. Watterson believed that comic strips should be regarded as an art form. Although he did not initially oppose all forms of merchandising, he rejected an early syndication deal that would have involved incorporating a more marketable, licensed character named Robotman into the strip.[5]

When Calvin and Hobbes was accepted by Universal Syndicate and grew in popularity, Watterson disagreed with the syndicate, which urged him to merchandise the characters and tour the country to promote the first strip collections. Watterson refused, believing that the integrity of the strip and its artist would be undermined by commercialization, which he saw as a major negative influence in the world of cartoon art,[16] and that licensing his characters would violate the spirit of his work.[17] However, having signed away merchandising control in his initial contract with the syndicate,[10] Watterson began a lengthy and emotionally draining battle with Universal to gain control over his work. Ultimately, Universal did not approve any products against Watterson's wishes, understanding that, unlike with comic strips, it would be nearly impossible to separate the creator from the strip if Watterson chose to walk away.

One estimate suggests that Watterson forwent $300–$400 million.[18] Almost no legitimate Calvin and Hobbes merchandise exists.[19]

Animation

[edit]

In a 1989 interview in The Comics Journal, Watterson described the appeal of being able to do things with a moving image that a simple drawing cannot achieve: the distortion, the exaggeration, and the control over the length of time an event is viewed.[20] Although the visual possibilities of animation appealed to Watterson, the idea of finding a voice for Calvin made him uncomfortable, as did the idea of working with a team of animators.[16] Ultimately, Calvin and Hobbes was never made into an animated series. Watterson later stated in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book that he liked that his strip was a "low-tech, one-man operation", and that he was proud to have drawn every line and written every word himself.[21] Calls from major Hollywood figures interested in adapting his work, including Jim Henson, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg, were never returned.[10] In a 2013 interview, Watterson stated that he had no interest in an animated adaptation, as he saw no upside to it.[22]

Style and artistic influences

[edit]

The strip borrows several elements and themes from three major influences: Walt Kelly's Pogo, George Herriman's Krazy Kat, and Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts.[23] Schulz and Kelly particularly influenced Watterson's outlook on comics during his formative years.[5]

Production and technique

[edit]

Watterson's artistic style features diverse and often exaggerated character expressions, particularly Calvin's.[citation needed] Watterson experimented freely with different panel layouts, art styles, stories without dialogue, and greater use of white space.[24] Watterson intentionally leaves certain elements to the reader's imagination, stating that the imagined results are "more outrageous" than what he could portray.[25]

Watterson's technique began with minimalist pencil sketches drawn with a light pencil (though the larger Sunday strips often required more elaborate work) on Strathmore brand Bristol board.[citation needed]

He then used a small sable brush and India ink to fill in the rest of the drawing, preferring not to simply trace his penciling in order to keep the inking spontaneous.[26] Mistakes were covered with various forms of correction fluid, including typewriter fluid.[26]

Watterson spent considerable time choosing colors for the weekly Sunday strip. He cut the syndicate's color tabs into individual squares, laid them out, painted a watercolor approximation on tracing paper over the Bristol board, and marked the strip accordingly before sending it out.[27] When Calvin and Hobbes began, there were 64 colors available for the Sunday strips. For his later Sunday strips, Watterson had 125 colors and the ability to fade them into each other.[28]

Watterson lettered dialogue with a Rapidograph fountain pen, and used a crowquill pen for odds and ends.[28]

Characters and recurring themes

[edit]
Main article: List of Calvin and Hobbes characters

The strip features two titular characters, six-year-old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes, and a small recurring cast including Calvin's unnamed parents, his classmate and neighbor Susie Derkins, his teacher Miss Wormwood, his school bully Moe, and his babysitter Rosalyn.[citation needed]

Friendship and antics

[edit]

A major recurring theme is Calvin and Hobbes's antics, which usually lead to trouble, often with Hobbes foreshadowing the outcome.[citation needed] The two also frequently argue and fight, often stemming from attempts to prove superiority while playing or talking. These conflicts usually end in a truce.[citation needed]

Art and academia

[edit]

Watterson used the strip to poke fun at the art world, principally through Calvin's unconventional snowman creations but also through other expressions of childhood art. For example, when Miss Wormwood complains that he is wasting class time drawing impossible things, Calvin occasionally describes his art as on the cutting edge of the avant-garde.[29][30][31] Watterson explains that he adapted this jargon from an actual book of art criticism.[32]

Watterson also lampooned academia. Calvin indulges in what Watterson calls "pop psychobabble" to justify his destructive rampages and shift blame to his parents, citing "toxic codependency".[33] The Sunday, June 21, 1992, strip criticized the naming of the Big Bang theory as not evocative of the wonders behind it and coined the term "Horrendous Space Kablooie",[34] an alternative that achieved some informal popularity among scientists and was often shortened to "the HSK".[35] The term has also been referred to in newspapers,[36][37] books[38] and university courses.[39][40]

Calvin's alter egos

[edit]

Calvin imagines himself as many creatures and other people, including dinosaurs, elephants, jungle-farers, and superheroes. Three of his alter egos are well-defined and recurrent. The first is Spaceman Spiff, an astronaut who explores the galaxy;[41] Watterson has stated that the idea of Spaceman Spiff came from an earlier attempt at a cartoon character called Spaceman Mort, who wore a mustache, smoked a cigar, and was meant as a parody of Flash Gordon.[42][43] The canyons and deserts featured in many Spaceman Spiff stories are based on southern Utah landscapes.[44] The second is Tracer Bullet, a hardboiled private eye. He debuted when Calvin donned a fedora to hide a terrible haircut Hobbes had given him. Tracer Bullet stories are drawn in an elaborate, shadowy black-and-white style evoking film noir; Watterson drew them infrequently because the inking was time-consuming.[45] The third main alter ego is Stupendous Man, a superhero who wears a mask and cape made by Calvin's mother and narrates his own adventures. When his antics frustrate others, Calvin unsuccessfully claims he and Stupendous Man are different people. Stupendous Man has multiple superpowers, including flight, "high-speed vision", "muscles of magnitude", and a "stomach of steel".[citation needed]

Cardboard boxes

[edit]
Calvin duplicating himself using a cardboard box, as seen on the cover of Scientific Progress Goes "Boink"

Calvin has several adventures involving corrugated cardboard boxes, adapting them for imaginative uses including time travel and self-duplication. In one strip, Calvin shows off his Transmogrifier, a device that transforms its user into any desired creature or item.[46]

Calvin and Hobbes playing Calvinball with an assortment of sporting equipment

Calvinball

[edit]

Other kids' games are all such a bore!
They've gotta have rules and they gotta keep score!
Calvinball is better by far!
It's never the same! It's always bizarre!
You don't need a team or a referee!
You know that it's great, 'cause it's named after me!

— Excerpt from the Calvinball theme song[47]

Calvinball is an improvisational game introduced in a 1990 storyline involving Calvin's negative experience joining the school baseball team. Portrayed as a rebellion against conventional team sports,[48] the game became a staple during the comic's final five years. Its only consistent rules are that it may never be played with the same rules twice[49] and that each participant must wear a mask.[50]

When asked how to play, Watterson stated, "It's pretty simple: you make up the rules as you go."[51]

Wagon and sled rides

[edit]

Calvin and Hobbes frequently ride downhill in a wagon or sled (depending on the season) as a device to add some physical comedy to the strip and because, according to Watterson, "it's a lot more interesting ... than talking heads".[52] While sometimes the focus of the strip,[53] the ride frequently serves as a visual metaphor while Calvin ponders the meaning of life, death, God, or other weighty subjects.[52][54] Calvin and Hobbes's sled has been described as the most famous sled in American arts since Citizen Kane.[55]

G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS)

[edit]

G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS) is a club consisting only of Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin names himself "Dictator-for-Life" and Hobbes "President-and-First-Tiger". They hold meetings in Calvin's treehouse, which frequently devolve into fights.[citation needed]

Books

[edit]
Main article: List of Calvin and Hobbes books

Eighteen Calvin and Hobbes books were published between 1987 and 1997. These include 11 collections forming a complete archive of the newspaper strips, except for a single daily strip from November 28, 1985 (the collections contain a strip for this date, but not the one that appeared in some newspapers).

Treasuries usually combine the two preceding collections with color reprints of Sunday comics and new material by Watterson.

A complete collection of Calvin and Hobbes strips in three hardcover volumes totaling 1440 pages was released on October 4, 2005, by Andrews McMeel Publishing. It includes color prints of the art used on paperback covers, the treasuries' extra illustrated stories and poems, and a new introduction by Bill Watterson discussing his inspirations and the story leading up to the strip's publication. The alternate 1985 strip is still omitted, and three other strips (January 7 and November 24, 1987, and November 25, 1988) have altered dialogue.[56][57][58] A four-volume paperback version was released on November 13, 2012.

Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes

[edit]
Main article: Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes

An officially licensed children's textbook titled Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes was published in a single print run in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1993.[59] The book is composed of Calvin and Hobbes strips forming story arcs, including "The Binoculars" and "The Bug Collection", followed by lessons based on the stories.[59]

What do you think the principal meant when he said they had "quite a file" on Calvin?

— Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes[59]

The book is rare and highly sought after,[60][61] and has been called the "Holy Grail" for Calvin and Hobbes collectors.[62]

Reception

[edit]

In 1990, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the strip an A+ rating, writing, "Watterson summons up the pain and confusion of childhood as much as he does its innocence and fun."[63]

Academic response

[edit]

In her 1994 book When Toys Come Alive, Lois Rostow Kuznets theorizes that Hobbes serves both as a figure in Calvin's childish fantasy life and as an outlet for libidinous desires typically associated with adults. Kuznets also analyzes Calvin's other fantasies, suggesting they are a second tier of fantasies used in settings like school, where transitional objects like Hobbes are socially unacceptable.[64]

In a 2009 evaluation of the entire body of Calvin and Hobbes strips using grounded theory methodology, Christijan D. Draper found that "[o]verall, Calvin and Hobbes suggests that meaningful time use is a key attribute of a life well lived," and that "the strip suggests one way to assess the meaning associated with time use is through preemptive retrospection by which a person looks at current experiences through the lens of an anticipated future..."[65]

[edit]

A collection of original Sunday strips was exhibited at Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum in 2001. Watterson selected the strips and provided commentary for the exhibition catalog, which was later published by Andrews McMeel as Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985–1995.[27]

The museum hosted another exhibition of the strips in 2014 titled Exploring Calvin and Hobbes.[66] Andrews McMeel published a catalog of the same title in 2015, featuring an interview with Watterson by museum curator Jenny Robb.[67][68]

Legacy

[edit]
See also: Dear Mr. Watterson

Since its concluding panel in 1995, Calvin and Hobbes has remained one of the most influential and well-loved comic strips of our time.

— The Atlantic, "How Calvin and Hobbes Inspired a Generation," October 25, 2013[69]

Since its original newspaper run ended, Calvin and Hobbes has continued to influence entertainment,[15][70] art,[71][72] and fandom.[73][74]

In film and television

[edit]

On television, Calvin and Hobbes have been satirically depicted in stop-motion animation in Robot Chicken, traditional animation in Family Guy,[75] in the live-action series Community.[citation needed]

The 2013 American documentary film Dear Mr. Watterson explores the impact and legacy of Calvin and Hobbes through interviews with authors, curators, historians, and numerous professional cartoonists.[76][77] The documentary references the book Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip by Nevin Martell.[78][79][80]

Awards and influence

[edit]

The jury of the Angoulême International Comics Festival recognized the strip's significance to international cartooning by awarding its 2014 Grand Prix to Watterson, only the fourth American to receive the honor (after Will Eisner, Robert Crumb, and Art Spiegelman).[81][82]

Several artists have published comics inspired by Calvin and Hobbes. Examples include the 2002 comic strip Macuando, by Liniers,[83] and the 2005 Marvel comic book Fantastic Four Presents: Franklin Richards - Son of A Genius, by Chris Eliopoulos and Marc Sumerak.[84]

Other art mimicking the Calvin and Hobbes style includes 2015 drawings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens characters by Disney artist Brian Kesinger,[85] and memes from the Donald and Hobbes subreddit parodying Donald Trump during the 2016 election.[86]

Calvin as an adult

[edit]

The concept of Calvin as a teenager or adult has inspired various writers.[87][88]

In 2011, cartoonists Dan and Tom Heyerman launched a webcomic called Hobbes and Bacon.[89] The strip depicts Calvin as an adult, married to Susie Derkins with a young daughter named after philosopher Francis Bacon, to whom Calvin gives Hobbes.[90] Though originally consisting of only four strips, Hobbes and Bacon received considerable attention and was continued by other artists.[91][92]

CLA Young Adult Book Award–winning[93] author Martine Leavitt published the novel Calvin in 2015.[87] The story follows seventeen-year-old Calvin—born the day the comic strip ended and recently diagnosed with schizophrenia—and his hallucination of his childhood stuffed tiger, Hobbes. With his friend Susie, who might also be a hallucination, Calvin sets off to find Bill Watterson in the hope that the cartoonist can provide aid for Calvin's condition.[94]

Critics have noted that the titular character of the comic strip Frazz shares a similar appearance and personality to a grown-up Calvin. Creator Jef Mallett stated that while Watterson inspires him, the similarities are unintentional.[95]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Campanelli, John (February 1, 2010). "'Calvin and Hobbes' fans still pine 15 years after its exit". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  2. ^ Watterson, Bill (May 20, 1990). "Speech by Bill Watterson". Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio: Via Calvin and Hobbes' Magical World (fan site). Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. Retrieved March 16, 2006.
  3. ^ Tucker, Neely (October 4, 2005). "The Tiger Strikes Again". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012.
  4. ^ Dean, Paul (May 26, 1987). "Calvin and Hobbes Creator Draws on the Simple Life". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ a b c Christie, Andrew (January 1987). "An Interview With Bill Watterson". Honk! via Calvin and Hobbies: Magic on Paper (fan site). Fantagraphics Books. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes". Andrews & McMeel. Archived from the original on October 26, 2005. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  7. ^ "'Calvin and Hobbes' just turned 30 -- here's the history of the strip and its mysterious creator Bill Watterson". Business Insider Australia. November 19, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Watterson (1995).
  9. ^ a b Nevin., Martell (2009). Looking for Calvin and Hobbes : the unconventional story of Bill Watterson and his revolutionary comic strip. New York: Continuum. ISBN 9781441193667. OCLC 682891953.
  10. ^ a b c d Hingston, Michael (2018). Let's Go Exploring: Calvin and Hobbes. ECW Press. ISBN 9781773051796.
  11. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 3, p. 481. Comic originally published December 31, 1995.
  12. ^ "'Calvin and Hobbes' said goodbye 25 years ago. Here's why Bill Watterson's masterwork enchants us still". The Washington Post. December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  13. ^ Charles Solomon (October 21, 2005). "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes". Day to Day. 3:28.50 minutes in. NPR. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. In the final strip, Calvin and Hobbes put aside their conflicts and rode their sled into a snowy forest. They left behind a hole in the comics page that no strip has been able to fill.
  14. ^ Suellentrop, Chris (November 7, 2005). "Calvin and Hobbes: The last great newspaper comic strip". Slate. Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  15. ^ a b O'Hehir, Andrew (November 13, 2013). "'Dear Mr. Watterson': Remembering the last great newspaper comic". Salon. San Francisco, California: Salon Media Group. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015. 'Calvin and Hobbes' has been immensely influential – but mostly in TV animation, in stand-up and sketch comedy, and in graphic novels and in Internet culture. The newspaper comic, like the newspaper itself, has lost its social meaning.
  16. ^ a b West, Richard Samuel & Watterson, Bill (February 1989). Boyd, Robert (ed.). "Interview: Bill Watterson". The Comics Journal (TCJ.com). pp. 56ff. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Alternatively, the article has apparently been reproduced by Tim Hulsizer, here.
  17. ^ Watterson (1995), pp. 10–11.
  18. ^ Bob, Duggan. "What is the legacy of Calvin and Hobbes?". Big Think.
  19. ^ Hulsizer, Tim. "A Concise Guide to All Legal Calvin and Hobbes Items". Calvin and Hobbes: Magic on Paper (fan site). Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  20. ^ The Comics Journal (December 6, 2013). "The Bill Watterson Interview". The Comics Journal. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  21. ^ Watterson (1995), p. 11.
  22. ^ Rossen, Jake (October 17, 2013). "Our Interview with Calvin and Hobbes Creator Bill Watterson!". Mental Floss.
  23. ^ Watterson (1995), p. 21
  24. ^ Eckhardt, Peter (November 22, 2022). "10 Things Calvin & Hobbes Did Better Than Any Other Strip". CBR. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  25. ^ Watterson (1995), p. 200
  26. ^ a b Waterson, Bill (September 1, 1995). The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0836204387.
  27. ^ a b Watterson (2001).
  28. ^ a b Watterson (1995), p. 20.
  29. ^ Bill Watterson (w, a). Calvin and Hobbes (October 31, 1990). Andrews McMeel Publishing.
  30. ^ Bill Watterson (w, a). Calvin and Hobbes (November 1, 1990). Andrews McMeel Publishing.
  31. ^ "November 01, 1990". GoComics. November 1, 1990.
  32. ^ Watterson (1995).
  33. ^ Bill Watterson (w, a). Calvin and Hobbes (January 21, 1993).
  34. ^ Watterson, Bill (2012). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Vol. 3. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-4494-3325-3.
  35. ^ Singh, Simon (2006). Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe. Fourth Estate. ISBN 978-0-00-716220-8.
  36. ^ "Calling 'Big Bang' a Dud, Journal Seeks New Name". The New York Times. June 11, 1993. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  37. ^ Martin, Andy (October 17, 2004). "We Are Wandering Stardust". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  38. ^ Anderson, Kerby; Bohlin, Raymond G. (2000). Creation, Evolution, and Modern Science. Kregel Publications. ISBN 978-0-8254-2033-7. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  39. ^ Linder, Eric. "Cosmology Summary". Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  40. ^ Moseley, Caroline (May 7, 2001). "Faculty Team Serves Up a Slice of the Universe". Princeton Weekly Bulletin. 90 (27). Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  41. ^ "Spaceman Spiff and the Stupendous Man: The Culture Industry in "Calvin and Hobbes"". January 12, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  42. ^ Martell (2010), p. 28.
  43. ^ Martell (2010), p. 58: "A sarcastic send-up of classic Sci-Fi strips, Spiff paid backhand homage to flashy space heroes like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon while tapping into the Star Wars craze."
  44. ^ Watterson (1995), p. 69.
  45. ^ Watterson (1995), p. 132.
  46. ^ Watterson, Bill (1988). The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews and McMeel. p. 229. ISBN 0-8362-1805-1.
  47. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 3, p. 432. Comic originally published 1995-09-11.
  48. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 2, pp. 268–273. Comics originally published 1990-04-16 to 1990-05-05.
  49. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 2, p. 292. Comic originally published 1990-05-27.
  50. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 3, pp. 430–434. Comics originally published 1995-09-04 to 1995-09-16.
  51. ^ Watterson (1995), p. 129.
  52. ^ a b Watterson (1995), p. 104
  53. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 2, pp. 233, 325. Comics originally published 1990-01-07 and 1990-08-10.
  54. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 1, pp. 26, 56, 217; vol. 2, pp. 120, 237, 267, 298, 443; vol. 3, pp. 16, 170, 224, 326, 414. Comics originally published 1985-11-30, 1986-02-07, 1987-01-11, 1989-05-28, 1990-02-04, 1990-04-15, 1990-06-10, 1992-02-02, 1992-05-17, 1993-04-18, 1993-08-22, 1995-01-14, and 1995-07-30.
  55. ^ "'Calvin and Hobbes' said goodbye 25 years ago. Here's why Bill Watterson's masterwork enchants us still". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  56. ^ Watterson (2005). vol. 1, p. 215; vol. 2, p. 33.
  57. ^ Watterson (1995), p. 43.
  58. ^ Watterson, Bill (1990). Weirdos from Another Planet!. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews and McMeel. p. 125. ISBN 0-8362-1862-0.
  59. ^ a b c Holmen, Linda; Santella-Johnson, Mary; Watterson, Bill (1993). Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes. Cover and supplementary art by Jan Roebken. Fargo, North Dakota: Playground Publishing. ISBN 1-878849-15-8.
  60. ^ Martell (2010), p. 236
  61. ^ Murphy, David (April 23, 2011). "Amazon Algorithm Price War Leads to $23.6-Million-Dollar Book Listing". PC Magazine. New York: Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2023. ...you're trying to hunt down that elusive, rare edition of Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes?
  62. ^ Blevins, Joe (October 27, 2016). "The obscure Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes is a collector's Holy Grail". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  63. ^ Tucker, Ken (October 5, 1990). "Ken Tucker rates the daily comic strips". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  64. ^ Kuznets, Lois Rostow (1994). When Toys Come Alive. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300056457.
  65. ^ Draper, Christijan D. (May 14, 2009). Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: Comic Strip Illuminates Issues Surrounding Family Recreation (M.S.). Brigham Young University. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  66. ^ "Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: March 22, 2014 – August 3, 2014". Columbus, Ohio: Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Ohio State University. 2014. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  67. ^ Cavna, Michael (March 9, 2015). "Bill Watterson talks: This is why you must read the new 'Exploring Calvin and Hobbes' book". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  68. ^ Watterson (2015).
  69. ^ Price-Waldman, Sam (October 25, 2013). "How Calvin and Hobbes Inspired a Generation". The Atlantic. Washington, D.C.: Atlantic Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  70. ^ Adkins, Nickolai (July 13, 2012). "Weighing the Light and Dark of Calvin and Hobbes". 1UP.com. IGN. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015. Bill Watterson's work is undoubtedly art, but what is more important is what this means for dissonant media like that of video games. Calvin and Hobbes is proof that mass perception does not make a truth -- that a preconception of elitists or the uninitiated about what is and isn't art doesn't make it so.... Calvin and Hobbes proves that any artistic form can wear multiple hats.
  71. ^ Antunes, Paulo Gabriel (November 30, 2010). "Calvin and Hobbes Collection". Abduzeedo. Brazil. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015. Bill Watterson's creation gotta be the reason why I love illustration.... And also, there's tons of fan art around the web, really good ones, and even sculptures.
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