Calvin and Hobbes is considered one of the best comic strips ever created for one main reason: it perfectly captures what it is to be a kid. From Calvin’s dislike of school and chores, to his very friendship with Hobbes, Calvin and Hobbes’ depiction of childhood is second to none. And one of the things the comic does best is show the wonders of a kid’s creativity and imagination.
Daydreams, games, and made-up alter-egos are all over Calvin and Hobbes, and each one immediately takes the reader back to the days when they were a kid pretending to be a space-faring superhero or playing a game with their friends that made absolutely no sense. Imagination is a key component of the entire series (indeed, Calvin’s best friend is an imaginary tiger), and it reminds fans of that with practically every passing strip. But, obviously, some of the ideas Calvin comes up with in Calvin and Hobbes are more noteworthy than others – in fact, they’re downright outrageous.
10
Calvinball
Calvin and Hobbes’ Made-Up Game is Utter Nonsense
One of the most iconic ideas Calvin ever had in Calvin and Hobbes is a little game called Calvinball. To play Calvinball, all one has to do is make up a rule that stumps their opponent that falls within the parameters of a specific game. For instance, if Calvin and Hobbes are playing Calvinball with a volleyball and a hula-hoop, one of them might decide that using the hula-hoop makes them immune from the effects of getting pegged with the ball, only for the other to decide that that only works if they are standing behind a certain tree.
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Calvin and Hobbes’ Calvinball seems like it’s a confusing game with no rules, but after the comic’s explanation, it’s actually deceptively simple.
In other words, it’s just a bunch of nonsense that gets made up on the spot – and Calvin was the one who invented this absurd game! Calvinball is hard to wrap one’s mind around even when it’s been explained, but to conceive of something like this is just next-level.
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Transmogrifier
Calvin Creates a ‘Shapeshifting Device’ (& Becomes a Mini Hobbes)
Calvin doesn’t just have a talent for creating games that don’t make sense; he’s also a very gifted inventor (well, sort of). All of Calvin’s ‘inventions’ run on imagination, otherwise they’re little more than cardboard boxes (actually, that’s all they’d be) – including and especially one invention in particular: the Transmogrifier. The Transmogrifier is more-or-less a shapeshifting device, as anyone who enters and activates it can become anything else. In one instance (as depicted above), Calvin uses the Transmogrifier to become a mini Hobbes – and it’s just as cute as one could imagine.
Of course, the Transmogrifier has been used to transform Calvin into a number of different forms, but Calvin becoming a mini Hobbes isn’t only the cutest example of how this wacky invention works, it’s also arguably the funniest.
8
Duplicator
Calvin and Hobbes’ Duplicator Makes Another Calvin
Like the Transmogrifier, the Duplicator is also one of Calvin’s outrageous inventions that’s made from nothing more than cardboard and imagination. However, the Duplicator has a totally different function than the Transmogrifier, as it has the power to duplicate those that use it as opposed to transforming them. That’s right, Calvin invented a perfect cloning device, and he even used it to make identical duplicates of himself, so that he could make his clones do all the stuff that he didn’t want to do (homework, chores, etc.) while the original Calvin was free to play with Hobbes all day.
Unfortunately (and hilariously), the Duplicator worked a little too well in this case, as the Calvin duplicate was too much like the original – ie, he didn’t want to do any of the stuff Calvin didn’t want to do either.
7
Wonga-Taa, King of the Jungle
Calvin and Susie Play ‘Marriage’, & Calvin Takes the Game to a New Level
Sometimes Calvin’s ideas don’t just involve wacky inventions or games that don’t make sense, but also play-pretend with friends (other than Hobbes). In this case, Calvin is playing ‘marriage’ with Susie Derkins, and their game is so intense that the entire comic strip takes on the aesthetic of a dramatic comic while also portraying the two kids as full-grown, married adults. However, it’s clear that this game is one of Calvin’s least-favorites, so he makes up an absurd backstory for his ‘husband’ character.
Calvin turns this otherwise normal guy into Wonga-Taa, King of the Jungle, before swinging off into the jungle and leaving Susie (and this entire game) behind. Only a kid like Calvin could pretend that an average man is secretly the King of the Jungle, effectively breaking the rules of the game he’s playing with Susie to start playing something more active and – in Cavlin’s opinion – more fun.
6
Time Machine
Calvin and Hobbes’ Time Machine Lets Them Spy on Dinosaurs
Like the Transmogrifier and the Duplicator, Calvin and Hobbes’ Time Machine (invented by Calvin, obviously) is a cardboard box fueled by the power of Calvin and Hobbes’ imagination. The Time Machine is one of Calvin’s most popular inventions, as it’s featured in a number of Calvin and Hobbes storylines throughout the comic strip’s history, and allows for even greater adventures for the hilarious duo to go on together – including and especially those that involve dinosaurs.
The Time Machine – like Calvin’s other inventions – really does speak to how truly creative Calvin is, which is something the comic strip as a whole does incredibly well. It’s made clear time and agains that Calvin is a smart kid, capable of understanding and articulating complicated subject matter. Though the best indication of Calvin’s intelligence is his creativity, as shown with ‘inventions’ like this one.
5
Spaceman Spiff
Calvin’s Space-Hero Alter Ego as Hilarious as He is Awesome
While Wonga-Taa is technically one of Calvin’s alter egos, that one is more of a reluctant persona, as he only pretends to be that person when he’s playing a game that he doesn’t want to be playing with Susie. Calvin has a number of other alter egos that he actually likes pretending to be, including one in particular: Spaceman Spiff. Spaceman Spiff is a space-faring explorer/hero who travels from planet to planet seeking new forms of extraterrestrial life, and he’s always ready to fight the forces of evil wherever he finds them.
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Calvin and Hobbes’ 10 Best Spaceman Spiff Comics
Sometimes the greatest Calvin and Hobbes comics don’t feature either of them, but instead Calvin’s alter ego: Spaceman Spiff! Here are the 10 best!
Spaceman Spiff is arguably Calvin’s best alter ego, as he has a fun character design and genuinely exciting adventures. Plus, Calvin usually pretends to be Spaceman Spiff whenever he’s doing something that he doesn’t want to be doing, like a math test in school or bathtime at home. Spaceman Spiff is Calvin’s escape from the more ‘boring’ or ‘annoying’ aspects of his reality – and it’s fair to say that Spaceman Spiff’s adventures are certainly more fun.
4
Transmogrifier Gun
This ‘Shapeshifting Gun’ Creates a Hilarious Calvin and Hobbes ‘Battle’
This invention isn’t one of Calvin’s original creations, but rather an amazing upgrade made to a previous one. The Transmogrifier Gun has all the same features as the original Transmogrifier, but with a sleek, futuristic-looking pistol-design. Whoever the pistol is aimed at will be transformed into something else entirely, just as they would be if they stepped foot in the original Transmogrifier. However, with the pistol, Calvin and Hobbes are free to change each other into different things just by shooting the pistol at each other, which gives life to a hilarious comic strip.
In the above comic, Calvin and Hobbes are angry at each other, and they’re taking out their anger with the Transmogrifier Gun, transforming each other into increasingly wacky characters. This ‘battle’ is one of the funniest Calvin and Hobbes strips in history, and it’s downright outrageous.
3
Stupendous Man
Calvin’s Superhero Persona is Another Epic Alter Ego
Like Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man is another one of Calvin’s heroic alter egos. However, unlike Spaceman Spiff, Calvin actually has a physical Stupendous Man costume (made for him by his mother), meaning he can actually become Stupendous Man in real life while he pretends to have superpowers – as opposed to Spaceman Spiff, who exists only in Calvin’s imagination.
While it’s cool that Calvin can actually become Stupendous Man, that also can be a bit of a problem from time to time. Sometimes, Calvin actually tries to do things that his heroic counterpart can do, like fly or have super strength, and when he does things like that in the house, things oftentimes break or create a mess. Indeed, Stupendous Man is a prime example of how Calvin’s outrageous ideas can bleed out into the real world.
2
Snowmen
Calvin and Hobbes’ Snowman-Making Skills are Incredible (& Disturbing)
One of the funniest running gags in Calvin and Hobbes is Calvin’s Snowmen. Calvin and Hobbes live in an area of the United States where it snows every winter, meaning there are no shortage of opportunities for Calvin to build snowmen. And what kind of snowmen does he build? Well, none that could be featured in a Christmas Special, that’s for sure. Calvin makes some hilariously disturbing snowmen, as they’re usually maimed and deformed, and the reactions he gets from others (most noteably his parents) are priceless.
The snowmen Calvin creates show a darker, more morbid side of his creative mind, and really highlights how truly outrageous his ideas can be in Calvin and Hobbes.
1
Tracer Bullet
Calvin’s Film Noir Detective Alter Ego is His All-Time Coolest
Arguably the coolest of Calvin’s alter egos in Calvin and Hobbes is Tracer Bullet, a film noir detective who’s not afraid of taking the hard cases and getting his hands dirty with his trusty pistol. This alter ego is assuredly a result of Calvin watching old movies with his parents, as his inner monologue as Tracer Bullet is seemingly pulled straight from one of those film noir movies from the ’50s.
There aren’t as many Calvin and Hobbes comic strips featuring Tracer Bullet as there are for his other alter egos (with the only exception being Wonga-Taa, who rarely makes an appearance), but that doesn’t detract from how cool the character is, and how interesting the negative-space artwork is whenever Calvin plays this character. That’s why this is one of the 10 best examples of Calvin’s outrageous ideas in Calvin and Hobbes.
- Writer
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Bill Watterson
- Colorist
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Bill Watterson
- Publisher
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Andrews McMeel Publishing
Summary
Calvin and Hobbes was a satirical comic strip series that ran from 1985-1995, written, drawn, and colored by Bill Watterson. The series follows six-year-old Hobbes and his stuffed Tiger, Calvin, that examines their lives through a whimsical lens that tackles comedic everyday issues and real-world issues that people deal with.
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