Gary Larson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gary Larson
Born	(1950-08-14) August 14, 1950 (age 74) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Area(s)	Cartoonist
Notable works	The Far Side
Spouse(s)	Toni Carmichael ​ (m. 1987)​
Signature

Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist. He is famous for creating The Far Side. This was a very popular cartoon series. It appeared in newspapers all over the world for 15 years. The series ended on January 1, 1995. However, since 2020, Larson has shared new comics online. His books of collected cartoons have sold over 45 million copies.

Early Life and Education

Gary Larson grew up in University Place, Washington, near Tacoma. His father, Verner, was a car salesman. His mother, Doris, worked as a secretary.

He went to Curtis Senior High School. Later, he studied at Washington State University. He earned a degree in communications. During his school years, he enjoyed playing jazz guitar and banjo.

Larson has said his family had a "morbid sense of humor." His older brother, Dan, influenced him with a "paranoid" sense of humor. Dan often played pranks on Gary. He would scare Gary, who was afraid of monsters under his bed. But Dan also helped Gary love science. They would catch animals from Puget Sound. They kept them in special glass containers called terrariums. They even built a small desert environment.

Personal Life

In 1987, Larson married Toni Carmichael. She is an anthropologist, someone who studies human societies. 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 couldn't think of anything to say. He really regretted missing that chance.

Larson cares a lot about the environment. He says that protecting wildlife is very important to him. Today, Gary Larson lives in Seattle, Washington.

Career as a Cartoonist

Starting Out in Cartoons

Gary Larson once worked in a music store. He decided to take a few days off because he didn't like his job. During that time, he thought about trying to draw cartoons.

In 1976, he drew six cartoons. He sent them to a magazine called Pacific Search. Later, he drew for another local paper in Seattle. In 1979, he showed his work to The Seattle Times. His cartoons were published weekly under the name Nature's Way. They appeared next to the Junior Jumble puzzle.

To earn more money, Larson also worked for the Humane Society. He was an investigator for animal cruelty.

The Far Side Cartoon Series

Larson wanted to earn more money from his cartoons. He decided to try selling his Nature's Way strip to another newspaper. While on vacation in San Francisco, he showed his work to The San Francisco Chronicle. To his surprise, the Chronicle bought the strip! They helped it become available to many newspapers. They also changed its name to The Far Side.

The first The Far Side cartoon appeared on January 1, 1980. A week later, The Seattle Times stopped publishing Nature's Way. Larson didn't mind the name change. He said they could have called it anything.

The Far Side ran for 15 years. It was published in newspapers worldwide. Larson decided to retire the strip. The last cartoon was published on January 1, 1995.

The humor in The Far Side was often very unusual and surprising. It often compared how humans and animals act. For example, one cartoon shows a father explaining bird songs to his son. The father says it's how "lower animals" mark their territory. But they are surrounded by fences and houses. Animals and other creatures often acted like humans in the cartoons. One strip shows a spider family driving a car. Their bumper sticker has a smiley face with eight eyes.

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?" A group from the Jane Goodall Institute thought this cartoon was not nice. They wrote a letter to Larson. Larson called them to apologize. But he found out that Jane Goodall herself liked the cartoon! She thought it was funny. Now, 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 that compare humans and animals.

The Far Side cartoons were published in many collections. They were also used on popular greeting cards. 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 gave all its profits to Conservation International.

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

Retirement from Daily Cartoons

By late 1994, Larson felt his cartoon series was becoming too similar. He didn't want it to become just another "mediocre cartoon." So, he retired The Far Side on January 1, 1995. He was 44 years old.

Since then, Larson has done some cartoon work. This includes drawings for magazines. He also made art for The Far Side products. He mostly stays out of public view. He doesn't like having his picture taken or being on TV. He believes cartoonists should be anonymous.

There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story

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 ideas similar to The Far Side.

The short book tells the story of an earthworm. The worm feels his life is not important. The main story is told by the young worm's father. It follows a human girl named Harriet. She walks through a forest. She sees different parts of nature. She likes it, but she doesn't know much about the land. This lack of knowledge eventually leads to trouble for her.

The book became a New York Times Best Seller in May 1998.

Other Works and Interests

Gary 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 in exchange for guitar lessons.

He also drew a cover for The New Yorker magazine in 2003. He felt this was a very important offer to accept.

Larson even voiced himself in an episode of The Simpsons in 2010.

Awards and Honors

Gary Larson has won many awards for his cartoons. The National Cartoonists Society gave him the Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award in 1985 and 1988. He also won the society's top honor, the Reuben Award, in 1990 and 1994. He was also recognized for specific cartoons in other years.

On March 15, 1989, a new insect species was named after Larson. It was named by Dale H. Clayton, a scientist. The insect is called Strigiphilus garylarsoni. It is a type of chewing louse found only on owls. Larson said this was a great honor. He knew no one would name a swan after him!

Another animal was also named after him. An Ecuadorian rainforest butterfly was named Serratoterga larsoni. Also, a part of a stegosaurus dinosaur was given a name from a Far Side cartoon. It's called a "thagomizer".

Eighteen years after getting his degree, Larson gave the graduation speech at Washington State University in 1990.

Online Presence

Since 1999, Gary Larson has not wanted his cartoons shared on the internet. He sent notices to fan websites asking them to remove his work. He said his work was too personal to him. He didn't 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 official website for The Far Side went live. It was approved by Larson. On July 8, 2020, Larson added a new section to the website called "New Stuff."

Images for kids

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  Gary Larson's signature

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