Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for May 01, 2011

  1. Cutiger
    rentier  over 13 years ago

    Great comic!

     •  Reply
  2. Emerald
    margueritem  over 13 years ago

    A classic.

     •  Reply
  3. 150606 petunias 003
    MontanaLady  over 13 years ago

    LOVE that Hobbes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     •  Reply
  4. Hobbes
    Hobbes Premium Member over 13 years ago

    Hmm……. How is it possible for Calvin’s imagination to make him fly backwards off the porch at such a high rate of speed, that he is moving horizontally and no downward vertical component of his motion can be detected, over a distance of perhaps 10 feet? He seems to be defying the laws of physics.

    Also, he wasn’t holding Hobbes on the porch, so did someone throw his stuffed tiger at him from inside the house? If so, who? And why?

    Calvin and Hobbes raises many, many deep, thought-provoking, puzzling, highly-disturbing questions.

     •  Reply
  5. Stewiebrian
    pouncingtiger  over 13 years ago

    @Hobbes, I gues Calvin has telekinesis (he can move objects with his mind).

     •  Reply
  6. Stewiebrian
    pouncingtiger  over 13 years ago

    I love Hobbes’ expression when he’s about to ponce on Calvin. Priceless.

     •  Reply
  7. Hobbes
    Hobbes Premium Member over 13 years ago

    2,203………. 2,204………. 2,205 !

    Puff, puff, pant, pant……whew!

    2,205 comments were posted while I was away for 6 weeks. Should have taken that speed-reading course.

    Statistics:

    Daily mean = 48 Median = 46 Maximum = 88 Minimum = 24 Standard deviation (n-weighted) = +/-12

    English Translation:

    On average, 48 comments were posted each day.

    On half of the days, there were 46 or more comments.

    The busiest day was March 9th (“math-atheist” strip) with 88 comments, followed by April 19th (“sidewalk-square/meaning-of-life” strip) with 72 comments.

    The slowest day was Sunday, March 20th (Calvin-startled-by-Hobbes’s-eyes-glowing-in-the-dark-when-he-gets-out-of-bed-in-the-night strip), with 24 comments.

    On a significant majority of the days, there were between 36 and 60 comments.

    Footnote:

    Accidental duplicate comments have not been removed from these statistics.

    Disclaimer:

    Past performance during Hobbes’s absence is not necessarily a predictor of future quantities of comments following Hobbes’s return.

    Historical Note:

    As far as I know, January 26th of this year holds the all-time record, with 120 comments, only 80 of which were posted on that day. (It’s a long story….)

    Acknowledgements:

    So many people contributed comments for this study, that it isn’t possible to name them all. Especially since I have never met them and I don’t know most of their names.

    Legal notice:

    These statistics are intended entirely for the use of the reading audience. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is highly unlikely. The statistician assumes no liability for damages resulting from the use of this information…….

    (Just checking to see whether anyone is still reading.)

    Appendix:

    Appendix removed.

    Index:

    (Never mind.)

    …………. Comments?

    (Maybe I should rethink that last line…)

    – Hobbes

     •  Reply
  8. Missing large
    rogue53  over 13 years ago

    “When I left for six weeks, I didn’t want to just disappear without any warning, since I knew that would generate a lot of discussion.”

    “Past performance during Hobbes’s absence is not necessarily a predictor of future quantities of comments following Hobbes’s return.”

    My goodness aren’t we full of ourself. These quotes are coming from someone who claims to just spent time learning about humility. Thank God we will still be able to carry on in his absence during his unannounced departures.

    Please, Hobbes the impostor, try to remember that a lot of us don’t really believe your absence would make a hill of beans difference one way or the other to the quality of our lives. And, your attempts to appear holier than thou simply show you are nothing of the sort.

    Enough of the life lessons, since this is a comic comment page. We don’t need to get weepy because you think we should ‘feel’ some particular way.

     •  Reply
  9. But eo
    Rakkav  over 13 years ago

    Hi Hobbes (the Poster),

    I fail to understand comments like the above, but I did find myself thinking you just might have too much time on your hands. That was fun to read, but in the same length of time, you just might have found a valuable treatment for cancer or something.

    (I should talk, writing comments on this board is second only to reading PILED HIGHER AND DEEPER as a form of personal procrastination :) )

     •  Reply
  10. Grog poop
    GROG Premium Member over 13 years ago

    When you least expect it, expect it, Calvin - especially when returning from school.

    Interesting stats, Hobbes

    Put a sock in it, Rogue53

    Good Morning, Marg, Mike & ♠Lonewolf♠

     •  Reply
  11. Missing large
    shzlss  over 13 years ago

    Hello, I’ve been reading this comic and comment thread for a while now and thought I’d join in this conversation. Hobbes - that post is brilliant :D

     •  Reply
  12. What has been seen t1
    lewisbower  over 13 years ago

    What did Einstein say about taking the same actions and expecting different results? Calvin, how many times have you come home from school and opened that door? I know, did Dagwood ever look for the mailman?

     •  Reply
  13. Missing large
    paullp Premium Member over 13 years ago

    Hobbes,

    While I often find your comments worth reading, I have to agree with rogue53 that your statistical analysis and accompanying comments are a little over the top.

    Also, the answer to your first post is simple: Hobbes coming to life/actually being alive is not just some figment of Calvin’s imagination, as so many posters here seem to believe. There’s more to it than that.

     •  Reply
  14. B40abbe3985d7e067739eda56310d212
    afeeney  over 13 years ago

    Well, as a statistics nerd, I found Hobbes’ review pretty interesting!

     •  Reply
  15. Hobbes
    Hobbes Premium Member over 13 years ago

    I posted the statistical essay for the entertainment of the math people on this site. Apparently there are a lot of them out there, as I discovered when reading the comments from March 9th.

    There are several physicists out there also, so I posted the physics comments for their entertainment.

    Others on this site enjoy the discussions about whether or not Hobbes is real, and I posed the question about the stuffed tiger flying out the door for them.

    There are English teachers and writers on this site, and I was thinking of them when I wrote the humorous part at the end of the statistical comments above (Acknowledgements, Appendix, Index, etc.)

    There are a few people on this site who have requested that only very brief comments be written here, and I have failed to make them happy today.

    rogue53: You are misrepresenting my comments and my motives. Rather than writing personal attacks, why not post some positive comments that others can enjoy reading?

     •  Reply
  16. 705px china xinjiang.svg
    arye uygur  over 13 years ago

    Hobbes, I can relate to your anslysis: When I’m away from my own laptop, in a foreign country and must pay by the hour to use a computer in an internet bar, I’m forced to temporarily forgo GoComics and just concentrate on my personal mail.

    When I return home, it’s a real CHORE to catch up and I only read about 16 of the GoComics!

     •  Reply
  17. Missing large
    dimeadance  over 13 years ago

    Rogue 53, I’ m sorry your mother mistreated you as a child. You appear to have missed several childhood rules. Treat your superiors with respect and don’t speak until spoken to. If you can’t play nice, get out of the sand box.

     •  Reply
  18. Missing large
    jonathan.james  over 13 years ago

    How, in any way, do these attacks on what others post have anything to do with C&H? And why bother? It’s interesting, sometimes even fun, to read what others have to say, and what does it matter that they get out of the strip? They can contribute, and sometimes their insights are as good as or batter than our own. I admit that it’s not often I do a statistical analysis of the posters to a comic site, but then it does make life a little more interesting, and enjoyable. If there’s an ego involved, so what? There’s certainly no reason to take exception to what someone does who you don’t even know … I’m sure they meant no harm.

     •  Reply
  19. Missing large
    dahawk  over 13 years ago

    I sure wish gocomics had an ignore feature for posters. I have a few that I would put in Ignoreville!

     •  Reply
  20. Stampatthebeach1092 thumb
    mac47  over 13 years ago

    I don’t want to either.

    P.S. Very interesting, Hobbes.

     •  Reply
  21. 5346ae65734b4d0e82350407ef0d8e00 250
    cleokaya  over 13 years ago

    I too like the look of pure joy on Hobbes face as he makes contact with Calvin.

     •  Reply
  22. Photo  1
    thirdguy  over 13 years ago

    Richard S. Russell I was thinking the same as you were, however, you said it far better than I ever would have.

     •  Reply
  23. Kizzy
    fran650  over 13 years ago

    Rogue53 … . I have learned to be more tolerant by thinking in terms of sad rather than annoying. Hope you too soon find a way to ignore the bothersome…. Some people just have a need for attention, even on a comic strip.

     •  Reply
  24. Old joe
    ratlum  over 13 years ago

    Speaking of attention getting,Wow can Hobbes get Calvins full attention some other way ? But I sure enjoy Hobbes warm up to a home coming romp .

     •  Reply
  25. Dodge viper green 2
    rgcviper  over 13 years ago

    Ahh … that Hobbes (in the comic) always keeps you on your toes, doesn’t he?

    As for Hobbes the commenter, I enjoyed today’s statistical info, and I’m happy to see him commenting again.

     •  Reply
  26. Mister ed color logo square
    Mister-Edd  over 13 years ago

    I like the way Calvin’s shoes are suspended in midair. It reminds me of Charlie Brown getting beaned when he was on the pitcher’s mound. Definitely cartoon physics in action.

    When I read Calvin & Hobbes, I simply enjoy the strip and accept Hobbes as real. It doesn’t matter whether he is physically real or not. I sure would like to have Susie walk by as Hobbes comes flying out the door at Calvin. It would add an interesting 3rd person’s perspective to what is happening.

    But, it’s easier to simply accept Hobbes as real, ala Toy Story. :-)

    As for very long posts, if they sound interesting into the second or third paragraph, I keep reeding. If not, I can simply scroll by them and move on.

     •  Reply
  27. Missing large
    41keys  over 13 years ago

    Love your stuff Hobbes. I hope you keep doing what you do.

     •  Reply
  28. Mister ed color logo square
    Mister-Edd  over 13 years ago

    There’s another comic strip, Cow and Boy where a boy, Billy and his Cow carry on two-way conversations. It’s unclear if the neighbor friend “Martin” can actually hear Cow speaking, but all three are involved in the crazy scenarios.

    Admittedly, it’s not as witty as Calvin & Hobbes, but it has its moments.

    Cow is usually the voice of reason, like Hobbes.

    Check it out here: Cow and Boy

     •  Reply
  29. Missing large
    rogue53  over 13 years ago

    I’m sorry if quotations are deemed ‘misrepresentations’ by you Hobbes (the impostor). But when one person feels he satisfies every segment of the readers, it simply shows he is full of himself. You do at times make humorous comments, and those, IMHO, are fine. But once again, that’s just my opinion.

    You feel it’s a ‘personal attack’, whereas I feel it’s simply asking you to put into practice what you feel you learned in sabbatical.

    Please stop trying to be ‘all things to everyone’; however I doubt that will happen since you seem to take so much pleasure in attempting to lure some into thinking you could have anything to do with the original author. That is sad.

     •  Reply
  30. Mister ed color logo square
    Mister-Edd  over 13 years ago

    Lin 4869 (from yesterday), do you remember the title of the Francis the Talking Mule movie? I’ve got that set on DVD as well as the Mister Ed series. In those movies, Francis (with an “i”) always eventually talked to other people.

    In the Mister Ed episodes, Wilbur’s neighbor, Roger actually witnessed Mister Ed speaking to Wilbur. Wilbur finally managed to convince him it was ventriloquism.

     •  Reply
  31. 1937
    billdi Premium Member over 13 years ago

    my ignore feature is very simple – i scroll right past the comments of a certain select few (actually mainly one) because i know they will add nothing of great importance or interest to my enjoyment of the strip. the problem of course comes when the majority of the other comments are in response to that certain someone ‘s comments – making it a very fast scroll indeed.

     •  Reply
  32. Poindexter
    JTGAM  over 13 years ago

    Hobbes you commented: Hmm……. How is it possible for Calvin’s imagination to make him fly backwards off the porch at such a high rate of speed, that he is moving horizontally and no downward vertical component of his motion can be detected, over a distance of perhaps 10 feet? He seems to be defying the laws of physics.

    That IS interesting but if we look at the previous drawing we can see Calvin is jumping UPWARDS giving us a NEGATIVE 32 ft per second per second gravity so it could compensate for the effect also we would need to sum the 2 masses of Calvin and Hobbes and as it seems they are moving at an extereme velocity it could be that they move the 10 feet in a fraction of a second. Also remember the Laws of Physics for Comics! :)

     •  Reply
  33. Poindexter
    JTGAM  over 13 years ago

    By the way, I personally enjoyed Hobbes’ statistics. And I feel that if you don’t have something positive to say, then why not keep it to yourself. There is a really nice and handy round thingy on the top of your mouse that you can use to scroll past whatever you want.

     •  Reply
  34. Gedc0161
    gofinsc  over 13 years ago

    Calvin will have to do some work if he wants to be a Boy Scout.

    Rogue, keep your socks on your feet or in the drawer. And dime, that’s the whole point: HE’S NOT SUPERIOR, and deserves no more respect here than you do.

    Almost another finger cramp day.

     •  Reply
  35. Hobbes
    Hobbes Premium Member over 13 years ago

    Excellent observations, Poindexter, but I’m still troubled by the fact that Calvin’s initial motion is mostly upward and only slightly backward. Given the stuffed Hobbes’s much smaller mass compared to Calvin’s, I’m guessing Hobbes’s initial speed would have to be hundreds of miles an hour to accomplish this, which concerns me as to whether or not the initial impact with Calvin could be potentially fatal – both as a result of the localized impulsive force of the initial impact, and due to the instantaneous acceleration of Calvin overall.

    I’ll have to check back through my old textbooks from my cartoon physics courses, because it’s been a long time. :>)

     •  Reply
  36. Willowtree5
    Willows Dream  over 13 years ago

    WB Hobbes. It would seem you have a lot of pent up comments to unleash. Perhaps giving up C&H for Lent wasn’t such a good thing. lol :)

     •  Reply
  37. N211317039976 6359
    trekkermint  over 13 years ago

    cartoon physics are mostly based on laugh-matics

     •  Reply
  38. Missing large
    dahawk  over 13 years ago

    And the amazing and great thing about cartoon physics - - no one dies!!! Especially Wile E.

     •  Reply
  39. Hobbes
    Hobbes Premium Member over 13 years ago

    Hi WillowsDreaming

    Yeah, maybe there’s some sort of post-Easter celebratory literary stimulation mechanism that I underestimated.

    This morning I figured this would be a slow comment day, since today’s strip is so similar to others that we have commented on in the past, so I wrote a lot to try to make it an interesting day. Well, it’s been an interesting day…….

    I guess unleashing too many comments at once sometimes also unleashes a few responses that would best be kept chained up. And once both the comments and the responses are unleashed, it becomes difficult to clean up after them. :>)

     •  Reply
  40. Snoopy   woodstock  hug
    Gretchen's Mom  over 13 years ago

    Could anything be better than being missed and welcomed home by your best and most beloved friend in the whole world after you’ve been gone all day?!? If so, I can’t think what it might possibly be!

     •  Reply
  41. Yellow pig small
    bmonk  over 13 years ago

    cleokaya (THE FLASH) said, about 7 exultations ago

    I too like the look of pure joy on Hobbes face as he makes contact with Calvin.

    Only matched by the look of anguish on Calvin as he flashes by.

    And the buildup–2/3 of the cartoon being Hobbes getting up and stretching.

     •  Reply
  42. Missing large
    Wiseguy411  over 13 years ago

    Rogue53 stated …

    Please, Hobbes the impostor, try to remember that a lot of us don’t really believe your absence would make a hill of beans difference one way or the other to the quality of our lives. And, your attempts to appear holier than thou simply show you are nothing of the sort.

    Mr Kettle, please meet Mr Pot.

    I doubt that there are a lot of individuals holding your opinion Rogue53. In fact, I believe there is only one.

    As for being Holier than Thou, Hobbes commentaries (though at times extensive - if not verbose) are generally of interest and tend to illuminate an understated point.

    Please feel free comment as you see fit Hobbes.

    Feel free to find restraint and tolerance Rogue53

     •  Reply
  43. Avatar
    Mythreesons  over 13 years ago

    Hey, it’s Sunday. Do you think maybe Rogue53 has a hangover? Pretty grouchy for a comic junky. HOBBES, 99.9% of us love your postings. Say “Hi” to Mr. Watterson for me the next time you shave. I’ll never give up.

     •  Reply
  44. Missing large
    JahLady  over 13 years ago

    grins and chuckles

    reading the various comments is almost as wonderful a treat as reading C and H i jes LUV it

    still LMAO

     •  Reply
  45. Witch
    lin4869  over 13 years ago

    Cracks me up how Hobbes grabs Calvin by the ankles to tackle him.

    Mister Ed, I’m sorry I don’t recall the name of the movie. It involved a young, attractive woman named Frances who was involved in a struggling race track operation with her grandfather. Francis (mule) would divulge the thoughts and mental health of the race horses and predict race outcomes, which caused some trouble with the authorities. Francis finally gave in and talked to the humans when lives were threatened. Hope this helps a little. If I see the title, I’ll try to repost. :D

     •  Reply
  46. Missing large
    comicnut4636  over 13 years ago

    billdi, Couldn’t have said better.

     •  Reply
  47. Missing large
    rogue53  over 13 years ago

    Thanks for your input self-proclaimed WISEGUY411.. adding the 411 reveals you feel you have the inside track on information.

    However, you are correct in one regard: If no one else shares my opinion, that’s as it should be. It’s my opinion, even as much as you dislike it. Sorry the first amendment disturbs you so. I’m not here to solicit lemmings…. keep following your leader.

     •  Reply
  48. Grog poop
    GROG Premium Member over 13 years ago

    rogue53, from what vie seen, you are nothing more than a troll. Of course I can think of worse things to call you, but this is a family site.

    Surely, all the other comments on Hobbes’ behalf has shown that yours is in a very small minority. Hobbes is not B.W., but he does have many insights that many here can appreciate, even if you can’t. What have you offered to any strip other than personal attacks?

    If you could restrict your comments to the strip, the rest of us would be very happy to do the same.

     •  Reply
  49. Missing large
    paullp Premium Member over 13 years ago

    rogue53,

    Seeing all the attacks directed at you, I have to reiterate my support from my earlier comment. When I read Hobbes statistical post, ‘holier than thou’ and ‘full of himself’ were also the phrases that came to my mind.

    Hobbes, you do write some interesting posts, but I also see a lot of ego in there, and sometimes it detracts from your cleverness.

     •  Reply
  50. Missing large
    tiggrriffic  over 13 years ago

    Long time reader, first time commentator. Hobbes, I would like to say that I truly enjoy and appreciate your participation. I, for one, find all your comments to be entertaining and interesting. So thank you for the time you take in sharing your thoughts/ideas/wisdom. I have been wanting to express this for some time, but did not bother creating an account in order to be able to post… till today. Thank you again. I enjoyed reading the presentation of and annotations related to the statistics. And of course, thanks to all the commentators (special mention to margueritem). I may not post again.. (or perhaps I might now that I have created an account) but today I just wanted to share my thoughts that as much as I love reading Calvin and Hobbes every day, I enjoy reading (all) the interesting comments. Thank you and good night.

     •  Reply
  51. Missing large
    paullp Premium Member over 13 years ago

    Mr Ed, you said,

    “When I read Calvin & Hobbes, I simply enjoy the strip and accept Hobbes as real. It doesn’t matter whether he is physically real or not. I sure would like to have Susie walk by as Hobbes comes flying out the door at Calvin. It would add an interesting 3rd person’s perspective to what is happening.”

    I whole-heartedly agree. Here’s how I see it:

    Calvin and Hobbes live in a cartoon world where our physical laws and many of the other rules of our mundane universe do not apply. That’s why Hobbes can come to life, and Calvin has a bigger vocabulary than any six-year-old I know (and is assigned math problems that no first grader would be expected to understand). It also explains why he’s capable of making the most amazing snowmen, and how he can make a fully-functioning duplicator out of a cardboard box.

    The guiding principal behind the universe of Calvin & Hobbes is humor. I’m sure that in that universe’s version of the Bible, God said, ‘Let there be Funny.’ So if it is funny, it is within the boundaries of the physical laws of Calvin’s universe, and thus it is allowed to occur.

    Anyone grow up reading DC comic in the 1950s and 1960s? When the writers created new versions of 1940s superheroes, it was ultimately explained that different versions of the superheroes lived in different (parallel) universes. In our universe (the mundane one again), we learned, superheroes only exist in comic books. (I always loved the simplicity of that explanation.)

    As for the second part of your comment, look at yesterday’s strip. Note that Susie fails to hear Hobbes’ voice as he and Calvin argue.

     •  Reply
  52. Wolf3
    COWBOY7  over 13 years ago

    Nice stealthy moves, Hobbes! LOL

     •  Reply
  53. Missing large
    41keys  over 13 years ago

    Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong. Whenever I post it stays in this little box with the edit and delete options and I can’t seem to get rid of it.

     •  Reply
  54. Missing large
    rogue53  over 13 years ago

    paullp,

    Thank you.

    Grog resorts to name calling, (troll) and also informs me he knows stronger names to call me. Perfect!~~

    Not all are of the same opinion, but perhaps he feels ‘might makes right’, or ‘majority rules’. Isn’t it nice that we don’t all see things the same, other wise it might get confusing finding our car at Costco.

    What’s really sad is that when some can see through the smoke, it gives some of the others license to attempt to quell an opposing opinion.

    Good day all.

     •  Reply
  55. Mister ed color logo square
    Mister-Edd  over 13 years ago

    41 keys, the edit and delete options for your posts are always shown when you are logged in. If you logout, the options will go away.

     •  Reply
  56. Mister ed color logo square
    Mister-Edd  over 13 years ago

    Lin 4869, it was Francis Goes to the Races (1951). Arthur Lubin directed the Francis movies before coming up with the Mister Ed TV series.

     •  Reply
  57. Dgp 61
    DavidGBA  over 13 years ago

    Lucy, football.

     •  Reply
  58. Missing large
    khpage  over 13 years ago

    The excersise being demonstrated to Calvin by Hobbes is, of course, Cat-aerobics…..

     •  Reply
  59. Missing large
    Shashank.Sherkar  over 13 years ago

    Once again Hobbes outwits poor Cavin! And look at his face as he prepares to pounce…. Reminds me of Tom and Jerry.

     •  Reply
  60. Missing large
    Andrewheaney12  over 13 years ago

    MORONS! HOBBES IS ACTUALLY A REAL TIGER! THE ONLY REASON HE APPEARS AS A STUFFED ANIMAL IS THAT CALVIN’S PARENTS THINK HE’S A STUFFED ANIMAL!

     •  Reply
  61. Aurora la
    hihigirl  over 13 years ago

    I don’t think he would exersize if it cost him his life! Spaceman Spiff version. (a little good guy music, if you please)

     •  Reply
Sign in to comment

More From Calvin and Hobbes