We read the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips and all the books,
but we can learn more of Bill Watterson‘s creation after that.
Calvin and Hobbes, that mischievous, spiky-haired blond boy and his anthropomorphic tiger best friend, are essential, authoritative, and indispensable for a huge number of reasons. For one thing, the cartoon pair and their creator went out on top.
Fans might long for more adventures starring the indefatigable duo, but when Bill Watterson was finished, he was truly finished. He took a lot of secrets with him, as he’s never been one to reveal more than he wants to.
Watterson’s fiercely private attitude has given his iconic strip no small amount of mystique — there are a lot of things about Calvin and Hobbes that aren’t necessarily common knowledge, even among diehard fans. We’re here to uncover those secrets, one monstrous snowman at a time.
With a dozen short, intriguing sections about such things never thought about …
If you think that Calvin and Hobbes seem a little bit too intellectual for their age, you might be onto something.
Calvin made his debut not in Calvin and Hobbes, but as a side character in an earlier, less successful Watterson comic, The Doghouse. In it, he takes on the role of the bothersome younger brother.
As the ever-vigilant Reddit community has pointed out, Hobbes almost never refers to Calvin by name.
Calvin and Hobbes’ depictions of dinosaurs as imagined by Calvin have been praised by actual scientists for their accuracy.
As far as other supporting characters go, Susie Derkins, Calvin’s antagonist and crush, is named after Bill Watterson’s wife’s dog, Derkins. She is the only main character with a first and last name.
… Sarah Chandler, at Looper, gives background to one of the best comic strips of all time.
© Bill Watterson
Good article, thank you!