Gary Larson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gary Larson
Born	(1950-08-14) August 14, 1950 (age 75) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Area(s)	Cartoonist
Notable works	The Far Side
Spouse(s)	Toni Carmichael ​ (m. 1987)​
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Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist. He is famous for creating The Far Side. This was a single-panel cartoon series. It appeared in over 1,900 newspapers around the world for fifteen years. The series stopped on January 1, 1995. However, since 2020, Larson has shared new comics online. His twenty-three books of collected cartoons have sold over forty-five million copies.

About Gary Larson's Early Life

Larson grew up in University Place, Washington. This is a town near Tacoma. His father, Verner, was a car salesman. His mother, Doris, worked as a secretary. Gary went to Curtis Senior High School. He then studied communications at Washington State University. During his school years, he enjoyed playing jazz guitar and banjo.

Larson has said his family had a "morbid sense of humor." He was influenced by his older brother, Dan. Dan loved playing pranks on Gary. For example, he would hide in the closet to scare Gary. Gary said Dan "scared the hell out of me" often. But Dan also helped Gary love science. They would catch animals from Puget Sound. They kept them in terrariums in their basement. They even built a small desert ecosystem.

Gary Larson's Personal Life

In 1987, Gary Larson married Toni Carmichael. She is an anthropologist, someone who studies human cultures. Early in their relationship, Toni became his business manager.

Larson once said his biggest disappointment was meeting cartoonist Charles Addams. Addams created The Addams Family. Larson sat across from him at a lunch. But he could not think of anything to say. He deeply regretted missing that chance. Addams passed away in 1988.

Larson cares a lot about the environment. He says protecting wildlife is "at the top of my list." Gary Larson lives in Seattle, Washington.

Gary Larson's Career

How Gary Larson Started Drawing Cartoons

Gary Larson worked in a music store. He decided to take a few days off because he disliked his job. During this time, he tried drawing cartoons. In 1976, he drew six cartoons. He sent them to a Seattle magazine called Pacific Search. Later, he contributed to another local paper. In 1979, Larson sent his work to The Seattle Times. His cartoons were published weekly. They were called Nature's Way. They appeared next to the Junior Jumble.

To earn more money, Larson also worked for the Humane Society. He was a cruelty investigator. This meant he looked into cases of animal mistreatment.

The Far Side Cartoon Series

Larson wanted to earn more money from his cartoons. He decided to try selling Nature's Way to another newspaper. While on vacation in San Francisco, he showed his work to San Francisco Chronicle. To his surprise, the Chronicle bought the strip. They also helped it get published in other newspapers. They renamed it The Far Side. It first appeared in the Chronicle on January 1, 1980. A week later, The Seattle Times stopped publishing Nature's Way. Larson did not mind the new name. He said, "They could have called it Revenge of the Zucchini People, for all I cared."

The Far Side ran for fifteen years. It was published by different companies. Larson decided to retire the strip. The last Far Side cartoon was published on January 1, 1995.

The cartoons in The Far Side were often very unusual and funny. They often compared human behavior to animals. For example, one cartoon shows a father explaining bird songs to his son. The father says bird songs are like how "lower animals" mark their territory. Meanwhile, they are surrounded by fences and houses. Animals were often shown acting like humans. One cartoon shows a spider family driving a car. Their car has a "Have a Nice Day" sticker with an eight-eyed smiley face.

One famous cartoon shows two chimpanzees. The female finds a blond human hair on the male. She asks, "Conducting a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?" Someone from the Jane Goodall Institute thought this cartoon was not nice. They wrote a letter to Larson. Larson called the Goodall Institute to apologize. But he found out that Jane Goodall herself liked the cartoon. She found it amusing. She had been in Africa when it was first published. Since then, all money from shirts with this cartoon goes to the Goodall Institute. Jane Goodall even wrote about the cartoon in one of Larson's books. She praised his ideas. She liked how he compared human and animal behavior.

The Far Side cartoons were published all over the world. They were also printed on greeting cards. These cards were very popular. But they stopped being made in March 2009. Two animated TV shows were made: Tales from the Far Side (1994) and Tales from the Far Side II (1997). In 2007, a The Far Side calendar was released. All the money Larson earned from it went to Conservation International.

In 1985, over 400 of Larson's original cartoons were shown. This was a major display at the California Academy of Sciences.

Gary Larson's Retirement from Daily Cartoons

By late 1994, Larson felt his series was becoming too similar. He did not want it to become a "Graveyard of Mediocre Cartoons." So, he retired the strip on January 1, 1995. He was 44 years old. Since then, Larson has done some cartoon work. This includes drawings for magazines and art for The Far Side products. He also mostly stays out of public view. Time magazine wrote in 2003 that he "refuses to have his picture taken and avoids being on TV." Larson believes cartoonists should be anonymous.

Other Works by Gary Larson

In 1998, Larson published his first book after The Far Side. It was called There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story. This illustrated book had themes similar to The Far Side. The short book tells the story of an earthworm who feels his life is not important. The main story is told by the young worm's father. It follows a human maiden named Harriet. She walks through a forest. She sees different parts of nature. She admires it but knows little about the land. This eventually leads to her downfall.

This story became a New York Times Best Seller on May 24, 1998.

Larson has played jazz guitar since he was a teenager. He took advanced lessons from famous jazz guitarists. Larson even drew the cover for a music album. It was for an album by Herb Ellis and Red Mitchell in 1988.

Larson also drew a cover for The New Yorker magazine. This was for the November 17, 2003, edition. He felt it was a very special offer to refuse.

Larson voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" in 2010.

Awards and Honors for Gary Larson

Gary Larson has won many awards for his cartoons.

• He received the Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award in 1985 and 1988. This award is from the National Cartoonists Society.
• He won the society's Reuben Award in 1990 and 1994.
• He was also recognized for specific cartoons in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1995.

On March 15, 1989, a new insect species was named after Larson. It was named by Dale H. Clayton. This insect is called Strigiphilus garylarsoni. It is a chewing louse found only on owls. Larson said, "I considered this an extreme honor." He added, "You have to grab these opportunities when they come along." A large picture of the insect appeared in one of his books. An Ecuadorian rainforest butterfly was also named after him. It is called Serratoterga larsoni.

The word "thagomizer" was created in a Far Side cartoon. This word describes the spiky tail of a stegosaurus.

Eighteen years after getting his degree, Larson gave a speech. He spoke at his old university, Washington State, in 1990.

Gary Larson's Online Presence

Since 1999, Gary Larson has not wanted his work shown on the internet. He sent notices to websites and users. He asked them to remove his cartoons. Larson said his work was too personal to him. He did not want others to "take control of it." In 2007, he also wrote an open letter online about this.

In September 2019, The Far Side website announced something new. It said "a new online era of the Far Side is coming!" On December 17, 2019, a new website went live. It was www.thefarside.com. Larson approved this website. It is dedicated to The Far Side cartoon series. On July 8, 2020, Larson added a new section to the website. It is called "New Stuff."

See also

In Spanish: Gary Larson para niños