One of my favorite things to do as a kid was reading my Dad's "Calvin and Hobbes" books. I was always great at procrastinating and doing something else when I was supposed to be cleaning or doing house work (in fact that's how my collar bone was fractured but that's another story for another time) and would spend countless hours sitting on our green-carpeted basement floor, amidst tubs and giant cardboard boxes of various stuff, just admiring each and every detail in every box and laughing away at the witty dialogue and vivid characterizations. Here are what I would consider the top 10 reoccurring themes (in no particular order) Bill Watterson uses that have mad Calvin and Hobbes such a beloved household name for 30 years.
1. Spaceman Spiff
Calvin's personal alter-ego that embodies childhood imagination are also some of the most vivid and colorful strips that Watterson has produced. These iconic strips in which Calvin imagines himself taking on daily challenges in space explorer themed day dreams will make anyone smile with their hilarious punch lines and creative alien and planet names and sci-fi dialogue. These strips have inspired some really amazing fan art and livened the imaginations of thousands.
2. Stupendous Man
Another alter-ego of Calvin's that readers enjoyed was Stupendous Man. If you ever want to figure out a good way to entertain yourself or try and have fun at school while being a defender of freedom and advocate of liberty then try running around as Stupendous Man. Or not... it didn't usually work out well for Calvin, although I wouldn't be surprised if a "Stupendous Man runs into Library" video came across one of my social media feeds.
3. When Calvin comes home after school.
These strips were great because they were great at capturing movement and all kinds of expressions. They were great because you always knew Calvin would get tackled but you always wondered how Hobbes would trick Calvin into getting tackled again. It's strips like this that make me wish the comic would have been developed into a cartoon show with shorts like the Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry.
4. Snowmen
Whether the snowmen are killing each other, being attacked by snow monsters, or protesting, Calvin always has some funny and creative placement and forms. Calvin takes imagination to a whole other lever with some mad snow sculpting skills instead of the usual child hand drawings. These strips have inspired many creative fan recreations and original snowmen installations. It's great when a comic can not only entertain its readers but also inspire them to be creative.
5. Calvin and Susie
Women, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Even as kids, girls can always get under a boy's skin and drive them crazy. Hell, it's even easier at that age because young kid's Calvin's age don't even like girls yet and are afraid of cooties. Although the annoyance isn't unjustified with all the snowball fights and other zany pranks that Calvin and other young boys play on Susie and other little girls. Readers of both genders can relate to and laugh at these strips as they show the never-ending struggle to try and understand the opposite sex.
6. Encounters with Moe
Whether you had an actual bully or even just an older brother, you could relate to Calvin in most of these strips. These strips helped me to develop a quick wit and mouth when it came to dealing with my brother's, and I ended up just like Calvin a lot of the time, beat up and sitting in pain wondering why I said what I said. Loaded with lots of one liners or punny punch lines, these strips are great for whenever you feel like life is Moe and you're Calvin.
7. Calvin's Imaginations
8. The Babysitter
9. Wagon/Sleigh Rides with Hobbes
It's the deep life talks on serious issues and the colorful progression of scenery leading up to the jump and crash that make these strips iconic. These strips would show just how quick life can pass you by and how hard it can hurt when you face certain challenges but also how light and humor can be found in any situation. It was especially these strips where I learned many life lessons and even lots of vocabulary as I tried to wrap my adolescent mind around many of the topics brought up in these strips.
10. Picky Calvin
When I was little I was quite picky and even to this day most of us still have a few food items from our childhood that we will always hate and never again eat now that our parents can't force us to. Watterson always did a great job showing the dramatics of a young picky child in Calvin, but they were even more iconic with the way the food would come alive and either try to escape or kill Calvin. You would swear that Bill Watterson had the mind of a six-year-old with how perfectly he captures the imagination and attitude of a young boy in Calvin.
