The Most Beloved Comic? How and Why Calvin and Hobbes Disappeared
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Calvin and Hobbes is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995.
Calvin and Hobbes has enjoyed broad and enduring popularity, influence, and academic and philosophical interest.
But besides it lasting legacy as one of the most beloved comics of all time is the curious nature of Calvin and Hobbes ending and the complete lack of merchandise, rare in modern society.
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Wa...
web.archive.org/web/201305221...
platypuscomix.com/otherpeople/...
web.archive.org/web/201106070...
www.mentalfloss.com/article/5...
www.mentalfloss.com/article/5...
www.cbr.com/comic-book-legend...
library.osu.edu/site/cartoons...
www.washingtonpost.com/arts-e...
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Calvin & Hobbes is at least 80% of the reason why I became a comic strip artist. Something about this comic convinced me that this was the great unsung art form. And decades later, I’m still a believer.
When I did my senior capstone in college I focused on comic lit and C&H was one of my major sources of inspiration
When I was younger my grandmother would save me all the dick tracy, phantom Calvin and hobbes, spider-man, farside and flash Gordon comic strip and give em to me when I visited, I wallpapered my room in em, unfortunately my house was destroyed in katrina and that room I miss the most from everything I lost
What is your comic strip?
@@clipsandreviews6613 It’s a weekly webcomic called ‘Puck’. It’s got a lot of that Calvin & Hobbes DNA.
That such a _private_ mind would share such a treasure with us... now that's wealth! I share that pull with you friends
As a kid, I would have given anything to have an official Hobbes plush toy - both the real one and what Calvin sees. I remember my Mom explaining why there weren't any and figuring out what artistic integrity is. Even as a butthurt child I had to respect the man for it.
I actually had a generic stuffed tiger that looked similar when I was little. Dog tore it up, though...😥
I totally respect Watterson's decision to not market C&H (and it p1sses me off to no end when scummy bootleggers try to cash in on C&H) but to that end, it almost makes me want to learn to sew so I can make my own personal Hobbes plush to add to my collection.
I liked Hobbes so much the first toy I ever gave my son was a stuffed tiger I found on Amazon. It looks surprisingly like Hobbes’ stuffed form. It was pretty easy to find if you’re still interested.
Did you ever wonder what Calvin's voice would sound like? Hobbs thou, its Dan Ackroyd from ghostbuster. Chevy Chase would be second.
@@enrkm85 Huh. I've never actually thought about what kind of voice Hobbes would have, Calvin's was always something like young Macauley Culkin in my head. I do like your choices for Hobbes though, both are very fitting to the character's personality.
Every time I see that last sled ride where Calvin says "Let's go exploring", I tear up. EVERY TIME.
i feel that. the magic of our youth, Mr. Watterson captured that perfectly
My mom cut the final strip out of the newspaper for me and framed it. Today it hangs on the wall of the room of my son... Calvin.
Also, The problem is that every beloved comic hits a point where it just stops being what it was originally. Peanuts, Garfield, etc. Some rebrand and get a second life like Funky Winkerbean and Doonesbury but then they grow stale again. Larsen and Watterson knew when it was time to go. Leave people wanting more than saying “remember when it used to be good”.
I miss Calvin & Hobbes so much. Still hurts.
It really does sometimes.
He is the hero we all want, but which none of us deserve.
Well, sometimes when it´s time to quit, you better quit! You wouldn´t want C&H to 'go Simpsons', right?
@PedroFerreira-ze5yp so true. The pain of something great ending is far better than watching it turn into a pile of sludge.
I avoided the final strip for 15 years as I "didn't want it to end" When I finally DID see it, I cried :)
Someone made another "final strip" where Calvin has been put on Ritalin and Hobbes is no longer alive to him
@@EverlastingHobnocker there's also the Robot Chicken version, but I meant the Bill Waterston one. :)
It never really ends. I mean, you can buy the complete sets and read it over and over again. Bill Waterston's work was completely original, so every time you go back to re-read Calvin and Hobbes, it still feels fresh and is a joy to read. Unlike Garfield for instance, where you want to gouge your eyes out right away because every other skit is almost the exact same panel wise, with dull jokes.
The same reason I've never watched Barry London
@@EverlastingHobnocker your comment messed me up just as bad as the pokemon fans theorizing that ash ketchums entire adventure was a dream he had comatose after being attacked by the spearow.
Gotta give props to Watterson for deciding not to franchise his property.
The rare example of integrity
The Calvin and Hobbes books I collected as a kid had snippets of some of Watterson’s insights into his thought process on some of the strips he made. In one particular strip he drew Calvin fantasizing about destroying his own school with a fighter jet and how some angry parents wrote in calling it distasteful. Bill’s response was “Some of my readers were just never kids themselves.” Bill’s integrity as an artist still resonates with me to this day.
Lol I remember those
I mean, really, what kid _hasn't_ fantasized about destroying their school in some whimsically creative fashion?
@@Dargonhuman I ran the whole gamut myself. Aliens, monsters, fireballs, unexplained explosions (as in I never bothered coming up with explanations for said explosions,) ice powers, Carrie-style psychic abilities. I had a lot of school destruction fantasies as a kid, and never stopped as a teenager.
True, but in todays world it would be on the news and tabloids would be hunting him down to 'justify himself'. And in a way TODAY it would be very different than the eighties.
Great strip with Calvin, an F-15, and "A smoldering crater is all that remains of Calvin's Elementary school!" Can't tell you how many times I woke up fantasizing that my school had been wiped out. Snow days too, with the radio on hoping your district would be called. No greater pleasure as a kid than hearing that. Like a bonus Christmas.
i grew up with Calvin & Hobbes, deeply loved and still love them. The fact Watterson’s decision to end all gave me a lot of sadness at that time but time after time i uderstood that was the right decision cause that is what makes all so special... it's like childhood... happens just only one time, it never come back and if you enjoyed it at max, gives to you good memories. Thanks Mr.Watterson.
Perhaps he ended the series simply because he used up all his good ideas. Honestly I think it's better for a series to end with it still at it's peak in quality than for it to run on to the point where quality takes a sharp decline. Leave the audience wanting more, as they say.
I owe Calvin and Hobbes more than I can ever express in words. Great video!
Ayyyy Comic Pop big fan!
Calvin and Hobbes is the highest level of daily art ever made in my lifetime
Ben Snakepit is a close second.
Sergio Argones, Groo, and Mad Magazine guy. His stuff is unreal detail per block
Even if I wanted Calvin & Hobbes merch in one way or the other at some point in my life, these days I can't help but admire Watterson for having it be just that one special thing: A comic strip.
Wow, the guy had a level of integrity you almost never see in the entertainment industry these days, or every really. My childhood was all about the ultra consumerism of the late 80s and early 90s where He-Mans and Ninja Turtles reigned supreme. This story makes me think of being a young lad and going to my grandparents house for breakfast every Sunday, shredding thru the chronicle looking for the comics while waiting for my grandmother to finish cooking. Right there on the front page just under The Peanuts would be Calvin and Hobbs. And now i just made myself depressed cuz I'm old and i know I'll never get experiences exactly like that in the exact same way again lol
Even thought I was fifteen at the time the strip ended, it still broke my heart to know I would no longer see it featured in my favorite part of the paper. My mother, who would pass only nine years later, cut it out of the paper and took it to her office to have it laminated for me. It remains one of my most cherished keepsakes both as a memory of her and the comic. Something Under the Bed is Drooling was one of the first books I bought with my own money, and I do have the hardcover set, and will never get rid of it. Thank you for doing this episode.
My mom also cut the final strip out of the newspaper for me and framed it. Today it hangs on the wall of the room of my son... Calvin.
I first discovered Calvin & Hobbes when I was I roughly around the age of 9 or so, visiting my Great Grandmother a lot in my youth with my grandparents that raised me. She owned this wonderful house in Rhode Island, and it actually had what she referred to as a drawing room/library. One day out of boredom I was doing what any young child does and exploring. Looking over the books I came across one that simply stood out, it was one of the collections of Calvin & Hobbes, it was then I became engrossed in it. I read that book so much, that eventually my great grandmother gave it too me before our vacation was over. It was a phenomenal experience in my childhood being able to read something that I once thought was just something apart of the newspaper and meant for grown ups. I will always cherish the stories that were told, and one day hope to share it with my future children.
The single best comicstrip ever. Period.
This one actually got me misty-eyed, guys 🥲 I was a C&H fan since Day One, read it religiously every day, owned all the books, used the Sunday strips as wrapping paper for every present i gave in the early ‘90s, made blown-up photocopies of poignant panels and plastered them around town, had _tasteful_ bootleg stickers stuck on every car i owned… magical times 😊 Thanks for the wonderful trip back to happier days, as well as some tidbits i didn’t know about (like i totally slept on _Hobbes & Bacon_ 😳). You guys rock, as always 😎👍
I love Calvin and Hobbs. I still have two compilation books "Revenge of the Babysat" and "Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink."
I knew kids growing up who ended up getting into reading philosophy and literature, and with time becoming serious academics, whose first questions about life came from Calvin and Hobbes. Life changing.
the title characters are literally named after 16th-17th century philosophers
What a great video. I loved C&H growing up, as I felt I could identify with it so much. Guess Bill Watterson is what kids nowadays call a "Chad". Fighting his publisher for (or rather against) merchandising right, full well knowing it would leave millions upon millions on the table, running and *ending* his daily strip on his own rerms and on the height of popularity - "just" to keep his artistic integrity and the strip's integrity intact. Of course I felt sad when it ended, but looking back, Watterson did the right thing, and executed it perfectly. No saccharine schmaltz, no misty eyed goodbye, no definite cut, no "passing of the torch" or a wink with the notion of a possible comeback. Just a regular strip that emphasized what he felt had always been at the heart of it. Brilliant.
I adored Calvin & Hobbes as a kid and still do as an adult; it was a brave decision to do what he did in the end. Doesn’t really matter it ended when it did, Calvin and Hobbes is forever.
I loved Calvin and Hobbes almost from the beginning. I was a teenager and it spoke to me the way that Charlie Brown did when I was in Elementary school. Brilliant writing, even better illustrations, Watterson must have worked so hard to make something so spectacularly simple. His integrity has only deepened my respect over the years. I had all the collections until I lost them in a move, even had the calendars, but now I’ve got the big ol’ hardback complete collection so it’s all good. I would probably give my left arm to get an original strip. Since I’m poor, I hope that limbs become currency soon lol
I was introduced to C&H as a kid while visiting my grandparents' house during summers and on holidays (born in 82, I was just starting to read when my granddaddy must have bought the first available collections). I looked forward to each visit as much for the chance to revisit them and hopefully find a new collection on the bookshelf as I did seeing family members again. C&H brings back memories of those visits. When I was old enough to have a little spending money, Scholastic book fair was my chance to get my own C&H collections. There never had been and never will be anything like it. Watterson played with the nature of the format in revolutionary ways. I was blown away when I read that the first two frames/top line of the full color Sunday panels were never integral to the story. Some papers didn't publish them, so they laid out the setting, but you could still enjoy the rest of the panel without ever seeing those frames.
I really don’t understand why this channel doesn’t have more subscribers. Keep up the great work in the meantime!
Agreed, it is unfortunate, especially with toy collecting being fairly mainstream these days. We are proudly the Galaxy (of fans) in Toy Galaxy, for Dan and Producer Greg!
Whenever I see Netflix's The Toys that made Us, I remember Toy Galaxy and I know Netflix ripped them off, Dan and his team should have been doing the Netflix shows.
Agreed! Unlike other Toy devoted channels, Mr. Larson keeps Toy Galaxy wholesome, not resorting to colorful swear words or being hypersensitive to criticism as a few hosts are. And he maxes out the trivia on the videos as well.
‘The surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe, is the fact that nobody has tried to contact us’ Calvin Still the best explanation for the Fermi paradox to date 🙃
My favorite quote in the entire series!
Amen.
I’m so thankful that Calvin and Hobbes had came to Poland in early 2000. I found it in Warsaw in an free daily advertising newspaper which became very popular at the time and I had fallen in love immediately. The art style; minimalistic yet expressive and powerful. Scripts; not only funny but clever and thought provoking; lots of them I quote to this day. I collected cut strips. In long time there was no chance to buy book version in polish, so bought English version by Warner Books (“The Essentials of Calvin and Hobbes”)which was available in Empik bookstores(they had English corner). C&H had made huge impact on me; on my art style and on the way I think on making stories especially comic stories. I admire Bill Waterson’s artistic attitude especially I couldn’t do it for economic reasons. Last thing. C&H is the only strip could put joke referring to Polish history like this: Calvin as Spiff: “... he locks onto target “ Susie: “Psst. Calvin! What was the capital of Poland until 1600? Calvin: “Krakow” Susie: “Thanks” Calvin (not listening): “Krakow! Krakow! Two direct hits!”
Calvin and Hobbes ended the same year I graduated high school, and though my local paper didn't carry it until 1990, I found all the books at the Scholastic Book Fairs starting in 1987. It shaped me into who I am today along with SNL and George Carlin. I have the final two panels of the last strip tattooed on my forearm. " Let's go exploring!"
Bill Watterson wasn’t just an artist. He was a poet. A Nauseous Nocturne is a masterpiece and sticks with me after thirty years. I love Calvin and Hobbes, and even today I find new angles from which to see the stories and humour.
This is peak Toy Galaxy content. Loving and respectful. Glad I caught it so early.
I 100% understand and respect Watterson’s decision not to indulge in merchandise, but I was always disappointed we never got Calvin & Hobbes action figures.
And it bit him (and by extension the series fans) squarely on the ass when they started bootlegging Calvin pissing on things T-shirts and window decals. Not saying he had to go the Garfield route and plaster them on everything, but I think they should have twisted his arm for a limited edition prop replica style Hobbs plushie.
I wanted a TV show, myself
@@mightyfilm there are some really good crochet patterns out there to make hobbes stuffed dolls. Had a family member make one for me and it looks wonderful on my shelf with all the trade paperbacks
@@Schmiggy23 I shouldn't have to make my own merchandising. Not that I can't sculpt a figure of some obscure toy-lineless series, but I'd rather collect than craft. Besides, I have too many sad memories of clay figures falling off shelves or crumbling to dust when I was younger. Once I made this great Grounder from AOSTH figure made out of wax, melted, got knocked around, got sticky and covered in lint and dust, and then I sadly had to get rid of it.
@@mightyfilm Yeah, just a solid lawsuit to stop all of that garbage. I always wished he would’ve done that.
I discovered Calvin and Hobbes in middle school. I’ve loved it ever since. As a middle school art teacher, I have the books in class and love seeing students fall in love with it too. Thank you Mr. Watterson.
What an awesome video! I was 8 years old in 1985 13 years old in 1995. I was an introvert I spent all my time reading, with my three favorite things to read being The Far Side books, Garfield books, but most importantly Calvin and Hobbes books. I felt such a kinship was Calvin because he was a kid with no friends you lived in his imagination which is basically what I did. I used to ride my bike 20-minute ride round trip to a gas station near my house newspaper every day to see the new Calvin and Hobbes. The other comic strip artist of the day should give Bill Watterson some Kudos because I read all their comic strips to but I really bought the paper for his
I want to age like you be do.
It's truly shocking how much something like a comic strip about a boy and his stuffed tiger can effect your life growing up. I own almost every one of Wattersons books, so I have a good collection of Calvin and Hobbs and to this day every once in a while I pull one out and spend a good amount of time laughing out loud and going back in time to a simpler time of my life. Thank you Bill!
Calvin & Hobbes was so great. Loved reading it and a highlight of my week was always the Sunday paper with Calvin & Hobbes in full color.
Watterson was a stubborn bastard when it came to artistic integrity, but I still respect the hell out of him for it as much as his work on Calvin & Hobbes.
You know the saying, "you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain?" We all agree where Calvin & Hobbes falls on that spectrum.
I respect him more because of his integrity.
I like to say that you have your Elvises (Elvi?) and your Buddy Hollys. You either die young and are eternally cool or live long enough to be a has-been. Yes, I know Elvis did make a comeback but if his image is ever carved into a mountain, we all know it would be the young Elvis.
Watterson only wants to be a cartoonist not a part of corporate money-making machine unlike these days. A rare feat but he had my respect.
@@akaiseigo5664 I could respect that too. Was involved they start fucking shit up. Don't be mind being wealthy ( not famous)
I began reading C&H a few years into the run in my local paper, usually only on Sundays though. Probably 1987-88. I was a few years older than him (I was a very grown up 11 year old) but something in it made me laugh. Not like a Garfield laugh, or Cathy or Doonesbury. Like For Better or For Worse kind of laugh. I recognized it and the situations that Calvin was getting into. As I grew older, I saw more of myself in Calvin than I was comfortable admitting at the time. Toe-head, precocious, and with a wild imagination that was more interesting than the world around me. C&H began to let me find my childhood again. Not the real one where food was sometimes scarce or parents were too violent with their children. One that I hoped I could one day live in. I grew up though and C&H became a fond memory. When it was spoken about with my mom (who loved it), she would always sigh a little and laugh. I was her Calvin. A few years ago, my brother bought the hardbound collection for me. I was living for the first time on my own and was having a really difficult year. Opening that box was one of the best moments of my life. Thumbing through the pages brought back a flood of memories. Some welcome, some not; but all vital to me remembering who I was and am. A few years ago, when my mother died, C&H is partially what got me through. The subreddit on Reddit and the books were a balm for me and let me relive a time when the world was less confusing. "Stripped" is amazing (and one of the few DVD's I have purchased in recent memory) and "Dear Mr. Watterson" was a love letter to all of us and to him. Thank you Mr. Watterson.
Calvin and Hobbes is easily the greatest comic strip of all time, no contest. Not even close. I started reading it as a kid in the early 90's. Any earlier and I would have been too young to read, much less understand the jokes, but it did leave me quite saddened that the strip ended so shortly after I got into it. And I really did get into it pretty hard. I had every single book and drew all kinds of fan art and everything. I'll love that comic 'til the day I die.
Even when I'm 80 years old, I will still identify with Calvin
Same.
"That's the funny thing about life. It's never so bad it can't get worse." That's a quote from one strip that's become words I use to put things in perspective.
SAME.
I still do at 67.
At eighty two, I still do😊
Calvin and Hobbes- a pinnacle of art and a staple of my childhood. Thanks for the misty memories.
Calvin & Hobbes was and remains one of my favorite comics of all time. I feel like I learned a lot from it and it helped me understand way more than I knew at the time.
My biggest fear about Calvin & Hobbes: When Watterson eventually passes away, some big company like Disney gets the rights to C&H. They proceed to make a godawful animated series that goes against everything the strip had. Future generations will think this is what C&H was like and the original strips are forgotten. The characters will end up as marketing tools and appear on everything from candy bars to video games to toilet paper to whatever. Bill wouldn't be around to see his creation sullied, but old timers like me would see this and shed a tear.
Personally, I can't wait for the licensed Calvin and Hobbes free-to-play mobile games, complete with microtransactions and NFT integration! *barf*
I'm glad he went out on top and I would not want anyone else to ever own his work.
And then of course, Disney will retain the rights forever, never to enter the public domain, because after all copyright exists to -serve the mouse- protect the creator.
The only thing to save it would be for Calvin and Hobbes to fall out of the public consciousness. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, for those who didn’t grow up with it, it is relatively unknown. Hopefully he outlasts the trend of nostalgia mining in Hollywood right now.
So we're all agreed to NOT purchase or in any way support any Disney C&H projects, right? When Waterston dies, we scan and distribute the strips outlaw-style, to prevent any "Disney vault" hoarding.
I grew up with Calvin and Hobbes and always loved it. Now that I am a Dad with a 6 year old son, the ending of this video actually made me tear up. Kudos dude. Great video.
The closing got me crying. My dad bought us a lot of the paperback collections and he’d read them with me as a bedtime ritual a lot. I’ve had a lot of health issues lately that have reframed my perception of life and death and it really has me missing those days and moments.
This cartoon cracked my head wide open. I still remember reading the first strip. And then just devouring the books one by one. Totally defined my childhood.
I'd love to see an expansion of the Robotman story covered, either here or somewhere else, because that's got to be some tale. How the merchandise line failed, the lameness of the cartoon special, how the comic strip thrived in relative obscurity, how the story was changed to make the comic better, and how Robotman himself was subsequently written off his own comic strip.
I'd watch that video!!!
Also would like to know how a lawsuit from DC was avoided: Doom Patrol=Robotman
That heart on his chest was a huge reason I went against using RobotMan for a handle.
@@machineman6498 So glad they replaced it with a lightning bolt for the comics, though.
Yeah, I'd like to know more. I do remember Robotman being shoved on us kids by the media, but I remember the cartoon being extremely bland and void of anything resembling a soul. It was like somebody drew some sketches on a napkin and they threw together a cartoon in ten minutes.
This actually made me cry. You guys are the best.
Watterson has always been a role model.
Hands down my favorite comic strip. I read it every day. When I was in college I had to write a paper on a “great master “, which was defined as anyone who has had artwork published. I chose Bill Watterson. I used the 10th anniversary collection for my references. I got an A. This is the only comic strip that got me to lol, and occasionally want to cry. Bill Watterson did what most creators never do, he left us wanting more
Calvin and Hobbes will always inhabit a part of my heart and soul. I love what Bill Waterson did and how he kept the series so pure. It will forever be a completely perfect “thing”, and that so rarely happens.
Calvin and Hobbs, Garfield, Heathcliff, the Turtles, and ALF and more got me through a lot of dark times as a child. Thank you Dan for yet again reaching into the good in my childhood and bringing it back to life.
I loved Calvin and Hobbes since I was very young. My library had most if not all of the book compilations and I read them over and over again. Some of the lines of dialogue have entered my day to day vocabulary, such as "scientific progress goes boink", etc. I never really understood why it just ended randomly the way it did. I'm so glad this video was made to clear everything up! Thank you!
Calvin and Hobbes is definitely one of my favorite comic strips. Thanks for doing this, Dan!
I saw Calvin in my local paper before I could read, and when I could read I came home every day hoping for a new strip in the paper. I saw repeats when Mr. Watterson took his first break, and I was worried that it would be the end. As he came into his second break I was really upset because this was the first part of my childhood that ended. Even today, Calvin and Hobbes holds a really special place in my heart. Thank, Bill, for sharing and thank you, ToyGalaxy for making this video.
Calvin & Hobbes helped me get through the loss of a dear childhood friend. He introduced me to it (and Bloom County, incidentally), and we both exchanged collected editions to each other at Christmas. We would have arguments as to which of us was Calvin, and which of us was Hobbes. That ended when his (then undiagnosed) bi-polar depression overcame him and he committed suicide in 1993. He was just 22. Reading Calvin & Hobbes reminded me (and still does) of my friend at his happiest and most alive.
My Dad read the comic in the strip when I was a kid and he loved it, which in turn spurred my brothers and I to read it. I didn't get all the jokes until I was an adult, but Calvin's adventures as a kid with his best friend/stuffed tiger resonated with me. And I still thought it was pretty funny. So from 2nd grade forward I would try to get new collections as they came out and always read it on Sundays
I've got all the Calvin and Hobbes collections and books and I occasionally read them from time to time. I grew up with this comic and it will always be my favorite
This comic meant so much to me (ended the day I was born) and still does. I eat up any content that takes a deep dive into Bill Wattersons work!
I was introduced to Calvin and Hobbes within a year of its run when my local newspaper started to carry it. I immediately fell in love with its celebration of childhood innocence and imagination. I was in my 20’s when the strip began, a time when I was getting close to graduating college and facing all those big decisions that college graduates must face, and reading Calvin every morning reminded me of a time of my life that was lost to me, but which I still cherished. When the three-volume Calvin and Hobbes was published, I purchased one of the first copies on sale at my local bookstore and took a trip down memory lane, but this time accompanied by my son, who was three years old and captivated by the strip as I read it him, my finger moving from panel to panel. He’s now in his 20’s and still enjoys pulling the volumes off of the shelves and rereading the strips, especially the Spaceman Spiff ones, which were and still are his favorites. (Mine are Calvin’s snowmen dioramas. What a dark imagination that child sometimes had.) Calvin and Hobbes ended at the right time with the perfect coda. It has rightfully earned a place of deep affection in my heart and in my son’s and, hopefully someday, in future generations.
This was beautiful to read.
I loved Calvin & Hobbes with a reverence that was new to me as a youngster. Oh, I was so mad when he went on hiatus and genuinely angry when he ended it. (Of course, that was all about me and not about Watterson.) Somehow I missed the complete collected editions; I'll have to splurge and enjoy diving into that world again. His influence on me as a storyteller is immeasurable. Thanks for making this video, folks.
I found Calvin & Hobbes as a Teen and fell in love with it. When the Hardback Collection came out I was able to grab one. As an Artist I respect the man for sticking to his principles. It will never be forgotten because there will always be a Kid that picks up one of the books and falls in love with these stories that will always stay relevant because everyone was a Kid.
I feel no shame in admitting, this made me cry
Calvin and Hobbes is for me the best comic strip to ever come out. Loved this episode. Let’s get more like this
This made me emotional. Grew up with C&H, was reading it before I even knew how to read and remember where I was when I read the final strip. It was and remains perfect.
Thanks for this excellent retrospective. C&H has been an indelible and ongoing influence in my life. I was 10 when the comic strip began, and like so many commenting, grew up having its daily dose of humor, absurdity and brilliance accompany me for a significant part of my life. As it turns out, my spouse and I named our firstborn son Calvin, in no small part due to C&H. Now, my Calvin is in high school barely a hop, skip and a jump away from going to college. And he has a whole row of C&H books on his bookshelf. Coincidentally, my younger son turned 10 recently and I've noticed he's been sneaking off with his older brother's C&H books making his way through the strips ... When my kids were younger and complained to me of being bored, I can't count the number of times I broke out the transmogrifier (aka cardboard box) to see what would happen. (Narrator: Hijinks ensued.) Thanks Bill!
Spent majority of my childhood reading these. Me and one of my late close friends would buy the collections and trade off after we read them. Man 20 years was so long ago. You will be missed SDL.
In the YT genre of 'man too old to be standing in front of a cabinet of toys' this is the only show I really enjoy. The others seem derivative and grasping. I love the research, writing, and Dan's self effacing presenting style. Cheers!
This channel single handedly changed the way I view KZhead as a whole. I can't get over their dedication and production value, it boggles my mind.
Calvin and Hobbes shaped my way of thinking as a kid. As an artist I applaud Waterson's integrity through the decades. Looking at the landscape of comics, games, cartoons, etc. that are being remade or reinvented today, man... he was right.
The other thing about the Bloom County cameos, is that Brethead himself has shown in the past that he can imitate other artists styles quite easily for satirical purposes.
Oh God...Toy Galaxy made me glassy eyed at the end. 🥺
Used to snip and collect _Calvin & Hobbes_ from the newspaper. Long before I could imagine it might be collected in book form someday. Not much to say that wasn't already said beautifully in this video. I loved it. Still love it. Brings a tear to my remembering its end. A wonderful historic account and tribute. Thank you, Toy Galaxy.
My brothers and I began to read Calvin and Hobbes and it was certainly a very unique comic strip. It will always hold a special place in my heart
I read that strip every morning before school. It was a sad day when it ended. Its still amazing how it works to this day as my kids read the collections i own and love them.
Outside of "Peanuts", "Garfield" and "Dilbert", "Calvin and Hobbs" was one of the few newspaper comics that I truly enjoyed. (Berkeley Breathed's "Bloom County", "Opus" and "Outland" were the other three).
What? No "Far Side"? Lol
Far side and Beetle Bailey are good ones too.
Shame we'll never know who created Dilbert.
I don't even remember how old I was when I became so enchanted with those two, but I was young enough that I would ask my father to buy me the collections when we went to the bookstore. He almost always obliged. Those were the days
Calvin & Hobbes remains my favorite comic strip of all time. I had the fondest memories of going to the Walden's book store in the mall as a kid and reading C&H books as my mom browsed for mystery novels. Each time I'd ask for a new C&H book. Sometimes I'd be told no but when I would get a new one it was such a treat. Not only was it a brilliant social commentary on the world it was often very heart felt and truly moving at times. Funny, thought provoking, clever, charming, it had it all. I always wished this strip lasted longer than 10 years and didn't come to an end in 1995 but I greatly respect how Bill Waterson never compromised the integrity of Calvin & Hobbes and never sold out just to make some extra bucks off what he created. This comic strip has stood the test of time and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
I have that hardcover set. It's precious to me. I've always found Calvin & Hobbes to be a form of philosophy.
this was a wonderful look into my childhood...I grew up with reading Calvin and Hobbes, and still own a handful of the books, though I don't own the complete collection box. My nephews love reading the comics...so I guess the legacy lives on through them
My brother and I loved Calvin and Hobbs growing up! He had several volumes of the stories. My brother even made up his own Hobbs voice when reading the strips just to make him sound different. He's always been good with strange voices. Very cool deep dive into all the weird and strange diversions and spinoffs
I really liked checkin' out Calvin and Hobbes every Sunday morning, but knew nothing about the artist. Thanks for getting us up to speed. I can really appreciate Waterson's integrity, focus and dedication.
After my niece had botched a connection (she confused "Mother Goose & Grimm" with "Calvin & Hobbes") and gotten me the C&H collection instead, I became fascinated with it anyway. I live in Ohio (which is where Watterson is from) and have accumulated the entire C&H book collection. My only regret is that Watterson quit in 1995. I would have purchased all his works if had kept going.
This was really well done. I love C&H, it was a huge part of my upbringing, and I remember crying the day that the last comic was printed. I'm fortunate enough to have been able to get the hardcover collected set, so I passed my old collections down to my kids. While I am eternally grateful for Bill's willingness to stick to his principles, I'm also very, very grateful that he was willing to bend enough to publish collections. I don't personally know Bill Watterson, but his art and his actions have shown me that he is a good person, as well as a good artist.
I discovered Calvin & Hobbes in the early 90s through a friend. I fell in love with it instantly even though it was complicated to get the books here in France at the time. I still own them to this day and reread them regularly.
In the UK we only got the trade paperbacks and I still have those I collected when I was younger. I really respect Watterson’s commitment to doing what he did as so many haven’t done.
I don't have the words to express how much I admire Bill Watterson. He created a perfect object, and managed to protect it from an imperfect world.
as someone who grew up with the strip and still has that final page from 1995 framed on my wall… well said. 🥺 now… let’s go exploring!
I was reading Calvin and Hobbes when I was kid. I remember huge color spreads for the Sunday comics section. Calvin and Hobbes was the highest thing on the food chain back then. They gave Waterson and his comic all the space they needed. I don’t even recall Peanuts enjoying as much reverence during the same time period. I had a Robot-Man lunch box, and I enjoyed the animation of the single episode of the cartoon that got made. Great Stuff, as always!
Thank you so much for the video! Calvin and Hobbes was a part of my life when life was easier and fun. No matter what was going in my life , the energy and wit of this strip was awesomely genius in creating smiles without trying!
"... a shared mis-remembering of the past" - brutal but true. Nice production - many thanks for creating
This is a topic that brought tears to my eyes multiple times. Thank you Bill Watterson. A huge influence on my childhood.
I Remember When I Was About 5 or 6, My Dad Showed Me The Comics. And From That Moment Onwards, I Fell In Love With Them. I Still Wish There Was A Movie. I Would Do Anything to See It.
I adored Calvin and Hobbes growing up. And it's wild to learn that Watterson and Breathed were friends. Bloom County (and its various iterations) was another one of my absolute favorites.
I started reading Calvin and Hobbes with the first strip to the last one, bought all the collections as they were released and was graciously gifted the 3 volume hardback slip case complete collection. My stuffed bear, Ted E. Bear (yup super original, i know), I've had, and still have, since I was a year old, was my Hobbes before C&H and still is to this day.
Oh my God, you just made me start crying because you reminded me that I have my own "Hobbes" in the form of a dirty, stained, raggedy old tabby cat named Carmichael that I've had since I was a little kid too - well, the one I have now is a replacement as the original was lost during a cross country move but I miraculously found this one at a church thrift store my mom worked at. Thank you for that wonderfully wholesome and touching perspective.
@@Dargonhuman that is amazing I am glad you have your own Hobbes as well. Thank you for sharing!!
To this day CH is the only comic strip to actually make me laugh so hard that my sides hurt so bad that I nearly passed out. I still remember to this day what strip it was and where I was when I read it. simply perfect at every level. I was devastated when it ended. I kept the final paper in the Trib, collected all the books, anthologies.....man I miss it to this day
It instantly became my favorite comic strip as soon as I first read it. So many of us grew up reading this strip. Great vid.
Dad told me that Calvin and Hobbes was a daily brush with Saturday morning to get him through the week. A whimsical but fleeting glance at the comic page before the school bus whisk him away to reality. But he never heard of Robotman before this segment. Great video and thank you Mr Dan for giving my dad a weekly reminder of his days gone by and me an insight into his childhood memories.
Loved this episode! My little boy is reading and loving my old collection of Calvin and Hobbes books just as I did when I was young. It is fun enjoying those strips all over again through his eyes. I enjoy your channel very much. It is fun going down memory lane and also learning something new about the toys, cartoons, and comics I grew up with. Keep it up! I’d enjoy seeing episodes on Bloom County and the Six Million Dollar Man. Thanks a bunch!
Out of my top three comic strips of all time... Bloom County, Pearls Before Swine and Calvin and Hobbes... C&H is and always will be #1 on my list. Thank you for covering this, Dan!
I agree on your list and have every book of Bloom County and C&H but my other fav is Fox Trot. I did enjoy Pearls. but never collected the books.
Bill the Cat and Opus were the best!
I love Pearls Before Swine. Do you like Get Fuzzy? The creator of that strip,Darby Conley,helped out Stephan Pastis when he first began.
Found the complete set for my nephew . He’s only 2 1/2 now so may be a few years until he gets into it but I hope he loves it as much as I have and appreciates the writing as well . Waterson is such a great writer and especially being older , I can appreciate him standing up for what he believes and not selling out in anyway he wasn’t comfortable with . You’re awesome Bill ! Thank you . ❤
Calvin and Hobbes got me through a extremely lonely childhood.
I recently acquired that three volume hardcover collection for my son. It's amazing!