Author and Illustrator Bill Watterson
First syndicated 1985
Syndicate United Press Syndicate, USA
A very funny and enormously popular comic strip.
Story
Calvin is a mischievous six-year-old boy with a vivid imagination. He lives in the suburbs with his parents and his sarcastic stuffed toy tiger, Hobbes. Together, Calvin and Hobbes go on fantastical, sometimes philosophical, adventures, and get into all kinds of trouble…
Why we chose it
A comic strip that is as popular today as it was when it first appeared.
Where it came from
Bill Watterson (b.1958) used the daily newspaper comic to playfully explore the boundaries of imagination and reality. Calvin is named after a sixteenth-century theologian who believed that fate is predetermined by God before we are born. Hobbes was named after a 17th century philosopher, and was inspired by Watterson’s cat, Sprite.
Where it went next
Calvin and Hobbes earned Watterson the prestigious Reuben Award for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” from the National Cartoonists Society in 1986 and 1988. It has been featured in over 2,400 newspapers around the world, and nearly 45 million copies of the Calvin and Hobbes books have been sold worldwide.
Associated stories
Watterson took inspiration from many comics at the time, including Walt Kelly’s Pogo and Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts.
Author and Illustrator Bill Watterson
First syndicated 1985
Syndicate United Press Syndicate, USA