Calvin and Hobbes facts for kids

"Calvin and Hobbes" is a popular comic strip created by Bill Watterson. It's all about a boy named Calvin and his best friend, a tiger named Hobbes. When Calvin looks at Hobbes, he sees a real, talking tiger. But to everyone else, Hobbes is just a stuffed toy. This comic started in 1985 and was printed in over 2,400 newspapers. People loved it so much that almost 23 million "Calvin and Hobbes" books were sold!

In the comic, Calvin and Hobbes spend a lot of time together. When it's just the two of them, Hobbes looks like a cartoon tiger who walks on two legs. But if any other person is in the picture, Hobbes looks like a regular stuffed animal. Calvin first meets Hobbes in the very first story. Calvin catches him using a string and a tuna fish sandwich as bait! Calvin and Hobbes go on all sorts of wild adventures and get into lots of trouble. The comic strip ran from November 18, 1985, until December 31, 1995.

Main Characters

Calvin

Calvin is a six-year-old boy with a huge imagination. He's named after a religious thinker, John Calvin. His last name is never mentioned in the comic.

Calvin loves to pretend and has a very active imagination. He often acts without thinking and gets super excited about everything. He's also very curious. Sometimes, he can be a bit selfish or rude. Calvin doesn't get good grades in school, but he knows many big words that adults usually use. He once joked, "You know how Einstein got bad grades as a kid? Well, mine are even worse!"

Calvin usually wears a red-striped shirt. He has blond hair that sticks up. Bill Watterson, the creator, said about Calvin:

• "Calvin is pretty easy to draw because he is outgoing and wild. He doesn't filter what he thinks before he speaks."
• "I guess he's a little too smart for his age. What I really enjoy about him is that he has no limits. He hasn't learned yet what things you shouldn't do."

Hobbes

Hobbes is like Calvin's smarter, more grown-up side. He often makes better decisions than Calvin. For example, if Calvin throws a snowball at a girl, Hobbes might tease him by saying, "You think she's cute, right?"

To most people, Hobbes is just Calvin's stuffed tiger. But to Calvin, Hobbes is alive and real, just like any other person in the comic. He's named after a 17th-century philosopher named Thomas Hobbes. This philosopher had a "dim view of human nature," meaning he thought people were mostly bad. Hobbes is much more aware of possible dangers than Calvin is. But he doesn't stop Calvin from causing trouble. He mostly just warns him. Calvin is usually the one who gets in trouble, not Hobbes. Hobbes also loves to surprise Calvin by sneaking up quietly and then jumping on him. Calvin really dislikes this!

From Calvin's point of view, Hobbes is a real, smart, loyal, and clever tiger. He's much bigger than Calvin and has his own ideas. But when the comic shows other characters, readers see only a small stuffed tiger. Watterson explained this by saying:

When Hobbes is a stuffed toy in one panel and alive in the next, I'm showing the "grown-up" version of reality next to Calvin's version. I'm inviting the reader to decide which is more real.

The first comics show Calvin catching Hobbes in a trap. But a later comic (from August 1, 1989) hints that Hobbes might actually be older than Calvin and has been with him his whole life. Watterson decided it wasn't important to fully explain how Calvin and Hobbes first met.

Calvin's Family

Calvin's mom and dad are typical middle-class parents. Like many other characters, their sensible behavior makes a funny contrast to Calvin's childish actions. Both parents are never given names in the comic. They are only called "Mom" and "Dad," or nicknames like "hon" and "dear." Watterson never named them "because as far as the strip is concerned, they are important only as Calvin's mom and dad."

Susie Derkins

Susie Derkins is a classmate of Calvin who lives in his neighborhood. She's the only character with both a first and last name. She first appeared as a new student in Calvin's class. Unlike Calvin, Susie is polite and very smart. She likes to do well in her studies. Her imagination is usually calm, like playing house or having tea parties with her stuffed animals. She often plays the role of a working wife in "house" games, while Calvin is the lazy husband. "Derkins" was the nickname of Watterson's wife's family dog, and he liked the name so much he used it for Susie.

Watterson has said that Calvin and Susie have a bit of a secret crush on each other. Susie is inspired by the type of women Watterson finds attractive. Their relationship is often tricky and never fully settled. Sometimes, Calvin sends her dead flowers or "hate-mail" as Valentine's Day gifts just for fun. She feels he likes her enough to send her something, and he's happy she notices.

Sometimes Hobbes does things to get Susie's attention, and he's often successful. This makes Calvin angry and jealous. These moments might be Calvin's way of hiding his own crush on Susie, by pretending it's Hobbes's crush instead.

Moe

Moe is a bully. Calvin describes him as "a six-year-old who shaves." Moe often pushes Calvin against walls, takes his lunch money, and calls him "Twinky." Moe is the only regular character whose words are written in a rough, lowercase font. Watterson described Moe as "every jerk I've ever known." Moe isn't very smart, but as Calvin says, he's "streetwise." This means, according to Calvin, "he knows what street he lives on."

Miss Wormwood

Miss Wormwood is Calvin's tired and unhappy teacher. She's named after a character in C.S. Lewis's book The Screwtape Letters. She always wears polka-dotted dresses. Like other adults, she acts as a contrast to Calvin's wild behavior. Calvin often escapes the boring schoolwork by dreaming with his imagination. She seems to be looking forward to retiring.

Even though the seasons change in "Calvin and Hobbes," Calvin (and Susie) always return to Ms. Wormwood's first-grade class every fall.

Miss Wormwood sees things differently from Calvin. For example, when she talks to Calvin about his missing homework, Calvin's Spaceman Spiff character sees her as a huge, slimy, scary alien. Calvin's thoughts are, "Slowly, carefully, Spiff draws his death-ray blaster."

Rosalyn

Rosalyn is a teenage high school student who babysits Calvin when his parents go out. She's the only babysitter who can handle Calvin's bad behavior. She uses this to ask for more money and advance payment from Calvin's desperate parents. Watterson says she's the only person Calvin truly fears. She's just as sneaky as he is and isn't afraid to play dirty. Rosalyn often tries to send Calvin to bed early, which he refuses to do, causing more trouble. Rosalyn's boyfriend, Charlie, is never seen but sometimes calls her on the telephone. Calvin often cuts these calls short. Rosalyn was originally meant to be a one-time character, but Watterson decided to keep her because of her unique ability to scare Calvin.

Common Topics

Calvin's Other Personalities

• Stupendous Man: Calvin imagines himself as a superhero. He wears a cape and mask made by his mom. He sees other people as villains he needs to fight. For example, he calls his mother "Mom-Lady." He calls his teacher "Crab Teacher," and Susie, "Annoying Girl." His babysitter, Rosalyn, is known as "Babysitter Girl."

Snowballs and Snowmen

In winter, Calvin loves to make strange or scary snowmen. He once created the "Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons." His snowmen often have missing or many heads. Sometimes, they even use another snowman's head as a bowling ball!

Calvin also often throws snowballs at Susie, which usually leads to Susie chasing him. Once, as "Stupendous Man," Calvin dropped a giant snowball on Susie from a tree. Susie's mom said it was "the size of a bowling ball."

Monsters Under the Bed

The monsters under the bed are described as scary, octopus-like creatures. They live under Calvin's bed every time he goes to sleep. They often try to trick Calvin into coming under the bed. They might offer him a new toy or try to get Hobbes to push Calvin over in exchange for salmon. Calvin usually describes them as "all fangs and no brains." They often lie to Calvin when he asks "how many monsters are under my bed?" They usually say "only one" or "none, go to sleep." Two named monsters, "Maurice" and "Winslow," appeared often in the middle of the comic strip's run.

G.R.O.S.S.

Get Rid Of Slimy Girls is Calvin's anti-girl club. The club's main goal is to annoy girls, especially Susie Derkins. The club has only two members: Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is the "supreme dictator-for-life," and Hobbes is the "first tiger." They often make plans to throw water balloons or snowballs at Susie. These plans often end badly for them. However, every time G.R.O.S.S. finishes a mission or meeting, they always give themselves awards like medals, honors, and promotions. The word "gross" also means disgusting.

School and Homework

Calvin hates school and homework very much. He usually tries to avoid them. His Mom always makes him ride the school bus even if he doesn't want to. Sometimes, he tries to run home instead of going to class. In one Sunday comic strip, Calvin's imagination got so wild that he imagined flying an F-15 Eagle airplane and blowing up his elementary school with many missiles!

Images for kids

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  The main character, Calvin

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  Hobbes

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  The unnamed parents of Calvin

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  Susie Derkins, Calvin's classmate

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

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  Calvin and Hobbes playing Calvinball with an assortment of sporting equipment.

See also

In Spanish: Calvin y Hobbes para niños