Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a highly precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his sardonic stuffed tiger. The pair are named after John Calvin, a 16th-century French Reformation theologian, and Thomas Hobbes, a 17th-century English political philosopher. At its height, Calvin and Hobbes was featured in over 2,400 newspapers worldwide; as of January 2010, reruns of the strip still appear in more than 50 countries. Nearly 45 million copies of the 18 Calvin and Hobbes books have been sold.
Set in the contemporary Midwestern United States in an unspecified suburban community, the broad themes of the strip deal with Calvin's flights of fantasy and his friendship with Hobbes, his misadventures, his unique views on a diverse range of political and cultural issues and his relationships with the people in his life, especially his parents. The dual nature of Hobbes is also a recurring motif: Calvin sees Hobbes as a live anthropomorphic tiger, while other characters see him as a stuffed toy. Though the series does not mention specific political figures or current events, it does explore broad issues like environmentalism, public education, and the flaws of opinion polls.
The United States Postal Service announced on December 30, 2009 that a Calvin & Hobbes postage stamp will be issued in July 2010.
It was certainly a sad day in the world of Sunday comics at the end of 1995 when Bill Watterson threw in the towell on his 10 year long adventures of a 6 year old boy wise beyond his years but who does horribly in school and his stuffed tiger friend. Yes the strips were starting to feel old hat and you could see his energy running out so maybe it was for the best. Calvin and Hobbes started in 1985 with the premise of Calvin the perpetually 6 year old blonde haired … more
Calvin and Hobbes are two of the cleverest characters ever to grace the bookshelf. I grew up reading them with fervent amazement and wonder. As I child I gleaned brilliant ideas for: how to properly word a letter to Santa, the correct way to play baseball, and how to win water balloon fights. As a teenager I gathered lessons on: Sarcasm, how to play well with others, the best way to get out of homework projects, and how to pull off that nonchalant cool that Calvin seemed to ooze. Now as an adult, … more
Timeless tale of a young boy and his stuffed tiger who comes to life in his mind. A cut above a lot of other Sunday faire but learning more about the creator made me a little sour on it.
Growing up reading Calvin and Hobbes cartoons just instills a sense of adventure, a sense of mirth and a whimsical type of humor in a readers soul. I love every Calvin and Hobbes comic that I have ever read and the fact that there is a compilation of this many comic strips all in one book is simply a joy to me. The series was all about action. A young boys imagination and the best friend that was … more
I can't imagine growing up without Calvin and Hobbes. Some of my earliest memories are trying to imitate Calvin's genius snowmen set-ups, exploring the forest pretending I was him, and reading the books at night with a flashlight. Everything about the books: the art, the story, the humor, is perfect. My best friend and I each had different volumes and were constantly trading off and re-reading them, but now I own them all. I still read them at least once a week, and am catching things I … more
Classic newspaper comic about a little boy who's imagination and philosophy are not matched by his scholastic skills. The boy and his stuffed tiger has some great adventures.