When one of the pizza chains moves to town, they try to get a xxx-3232 phone number. My parents had chosen that number when the phone company upgraded from operator-assisted calling to dials (I believe it was in the early 1950s). So when the pizza place came to town, they offered my mother free pizza for a year if they could have her number. She, who had never eaten a pizza and had no intention of starting now, thanked them and explained that their offer was not sufficient. And everyone thought that was the end of that. But no. The phone company, about then added a new exchange, and the pizza place got THAT exchange’s 3232 number. Which meant that thoughtless people would call her most nights, sometimes several times. Once, when we were visiting, my sister answered as we usually did, by kindly pointing out that they had mis-dialed. The same dunderhead called back a moment later, and sis still standing there explained again, slightly less kindly. A minute later the phone rang again, she picked up and we heard this end of the conversation.
Hello, Retionist residence
(sigh) Yes, yes it is.
Okay,
Okay, do you want to add drinks or anything?
Okay, good.
Okay.
Okay. We ARE running a special today. If you arrive to pick it up within 20 minutes, we will give you a free small cheese pizza.
Yes, a free cheese pizza!
Okay, see you in 20 minutes!
We then lay about the floor howling and imagining the scene when they arrived…
I kind of miss the days when land line telephones could float in mid air. (For people who were deaf and can’t hear the bell. But then come to think of it, if they were deaf, how would they know if the caller had the wrong number?)
Back when my husband & I were first married, our phone number was close to a local pizza parlour. Late one night our phone rang. My husband answered. The people on the other end were quite obviously either drunk or high (or both?) and tried to order a pizza. My husband told them that it was a wrong number. This happened 2 more times. The last time, my husband answered the phone with the name of the pizza parlour, took their order, and hung up. They never called back.
I once got a call from a survey company that wanted to know my TV viewing habits. I told them I don’t watch TV but I would hand to phone to someone in the household who does. I gave the phone to my 8-year-old son.
My TV viewing habits are easy to explain: Jeopardy and college football but only after dark or if the weather is bad. I even have my favorite network programmed on my remote. There is a button labeled OFF.
My nephew would never say hello when he picked up the phone. He just held it to his ear and if no one started talking he hung it up. It took my sister a long time to figure out why her friends were having trouble with her phone service.
A neighbor of mine had a phone number that was one digit different from the local pizza place. He got so many wrong numbers, he finally stopped correcting them and started taking their orders! Then he’d hang up and he’d laaaaaaugh….
This time good strip great idea. For us we still have a landline, only we had to change phones out and have screen caller, callers 3rd party thinks answer machine, number of hang ups on calls unknown numbers wonderful.
Well, this is weird, our family phone number was also very close to a Pizza Place’s number! And to take the Pizza Place/Phone Number association one step further: Back early in my career as a PC Support Person, I would connect via modem to BBSs and Open FTP Sites, looking for PC Utility Programs (and games too, OK?). One time, as my modem was dialing, someone else in the office picked up their extension, creating a lot of extraneous noise on the line. The result was I got connected to a Pizza Place in San Francisco! (I was in the Midwest)
I remember their dancing TV, but I’d forgotten they also had a dancing phone. What else? Maybe the radio. As I recall, rather late in the strip they got a computer, although they never “connected it to an online service”. I bet today’s social media would make it dance, though.
I had something a bit like this happen when I worked as a pizza delivery driver. We called the customer to confirm the order before we headed out to deliver it, and one particular guy answered as such:
.
“Thank you for calling the wrong number, this is Tom, how can I help you?”
.
An apology was on the tip of my tongue before I realized it was a joke.
When I was in high school I worked at a pizza shop and we would draw straws when a pizza was ordered that included anchovies. Short straw made the pizza (this was before wearing gloves. Your hands would reek of anchovies the rest of the night). Middle straw had to take the pizza out of the oven and cut it, because you had to stand over it and get a face full of the aroma. The other people got to stand back and laugh at the losers.
My Dad would answer “Sheriff’s Office.” He’d either get a long pause, a hang up or if they knew Dad, they’d just launch into their conversation with him.
BE THIS GUY about 3 years ago
Calvin will probably have Salvador Dali prints in his dorm room.
The Calvinosaurus That Calvin Wanted To Discover about 3 years ago
Hopefully Calvin gets his pizza.
Templo S.U.D. about 3 years ago
I went to one pizzeria once and asked for a single anchovy on my pizza just to try it out. Never again after the eating. Yuck.
Sugar Bombs 95 about 3 years ago
One time someone made a fan animation of this comic.
For some reason, Calvin sounded like a twenty-five year-old, and the guy on the other end sounded like a mix of Garfield and Napoleon Dynamite.
codycab about 3 years ago
By letting them know NEVER to call your house again. How nice.
Renatus Profuturus Frigeridus Premium Member about 3 years ago
I’ll try this escamotage for that kind of phone calls.
Concretionist about 3 years ago
When one of the pizza chains moves to town, they try to get a xxx-3232 phone number. My parents had chosen that number when the phone company upgraded from operator-assisted calling to dials (I believe it was in the early 1950s). So when the pizza place came to town, they offered my mother free pizza for a year if they could have her number. She, who had never eaten a pizza and had no intention of starting now, thanked them and explained that their offer was not sufficient. And everyone thought that was the end of that. But no. The phone company, about then added a new exchange, and the pizza place got THAT exchange’s 3232 number. Which meant that thoughtless people would call her most nights, sometimes several times. Once, when we were visiting, my sister answered as we usually did, by kindly pointing out that they had mis-dialed. The same dunderhead called back a moment later, and sis still standing there explained again, slightly less kindly. A minute later the phone rang again, she picked up and we heard this end of the conversation.
Hello, Retionist residence
(sigh) Yes, yes it is.
Okay,
Okay, do you want to add drinks or anything?
Okay, good.
Okay.
Okay. We ARE running a special today. If you arrive to pick it up within 20 minutes, we will give you a free small cheese pizza.
Yes, a free cheese pizza!
Okay, see you in 20 minutes!
We then lay about the floor howling and imagining the scene when they arrived…
Bullet Bronson Premium Member about 3 years ago
Calvin, your mere existence adds a little surrealism to everyone’s day.
gopogogo Premium Member about 3 years ago
I need to try this on the next spam call.
Display about 3 years ago
No anchovies? - you’ve got the wrong man. I spell my name “Danger” – Regnad Kcin.
mindjob about 3 years ago
Nowadays I can’t even hear the phone ring
dcdete. about 3 years ago
I kind of miss the days when land line telephones could float in mid air. (For people who were deaf and can’t hear the bell. But then come to think of it, if they were deaf, how would they know if the caller had the wrong number?)
Wren Fahel about 3 years ago
Back when my husband & I were first married, our phone number was close to a local pizza parlour. Late one night our phone rang. My husband answered. The people on the other end were quite obviously either drunk or high (or both?) and tried to order a pizza. My husband told them that it was a wrong number. This happened 2 more times. The last time, my husband answered the phone with the name of the pizza parlour, took their order, and hung up. They never called back.
einarbt about 3 years ago
I have to remember that one, anyone tried this?
dflak about 3 years ago
I once got a call from a survey company that wanted to know my TV viewing habits. I told them I don’t watch TV but I would hand to phone to someone in the household who does. I gave the phone to my 8-year-old son.
My TV viewing habits are easy to explain: Jeopardy and college football but only after dark or if the weather is bad. I even have my favorite network programmed on my remote. There is a button labeled OFF.
vaughnrl2003 Premium Member about 3 years ago
My nephew would never say hello when he picked up the phone. He just held it to his ear and if no one started talking he hung it up. It took my sister a long time to figure out why her friends were having trouble with her phone service.
gantech about 3 years ago
A neighbor of mine had a phone number that was one digit different from the local pizza place. He got so many wrong numbers, he finally stopped correcting them and started taking their orders! Then he’d hang up and he’d laaaaaaugh….
Count Olaf Premium Member about 3 years ago
The absolute perfect reply to telemarketers! I’m going to use it today. Probably about a dozen times. Well, minus the anchovies. >:6
flower among weeds about 3 years ago
Thank you Calvin, for the best laugh of my morning.
roof-top-view about 3 years ago
Unfortunately most spam calls are robo calls.
Amra Leo about 3 years ago
Good job!
Andrew Bosch Premium Member about 3 years ago
The J. Geils Band wants you to remember to always say “No Anchovies, Please.”
djtenltd about 3 years ago
It’s his mom and dad’s fault allowing him to answer the phone!
kab2rb about 3 years ago
This time good strip great idea. For us we still have a landline, only we had to change phones out and have screen caller, callers 3rd party thinks answer machine, number of hang ups on calls unknown numbers wonderful.
ChessPirate about 3 years ago
Well, this is weird, our family phone number was also very close to a Pizza Place’s number! And to take the Pizza Place/Phone Number association one step further: Back early in my career as a PC Support Person, I would connect via modem to BBSs and Open FTP Sites, looking for PC Utility Programs (and games too, OK?). One time, as my modem was dialing, someone else in the office picked up their extension, creating a lot of extraneous noise on the line. The result was I got connected to a Pizza Place in San Francisco! (I was in the Midwest)
outgolfing about 3 years ago
Good ploy to use against telemarketers! Except they’re all robocalls now…
Kaputnik about 3 years ago
I remember their dancing TV, but I’d forgotten they also had a dancing phone. What else? Maybe the radio. As I recall, rather late in the strip they got a computer, although they never “connected it to an online service”. I bet today’s social media would make it dance, though.
mistercatworks about 3 years ago
“I’d like a pizza to go, with no anchovies … I spell my name: Danger.”
The Wolf In Your Midst about 3 years ago
I had something a bit like this happen when I worked as a pizza delivery driver. We called the customer to confirm the order before we headed out to deliver it, and one particular guy answered as such:
.
“Thank you for calling the wrong number, this is Tom, how can I help you?”
.
An apology was on the tip of my tongue before I realized it was a joke.
Plumb.Bob Premium Member about 3 years ago
That thing in his hand looks the same as the app icon we all have on our hand held computers, wonder if there is a connection?
johndifool about 3 years ago
The pizza must be for Hobbes.
TSRaman about 3 years ago
I’d like to order some garlic bread too.
BiggerNate91 about 3 years ago
Looking at all the dancing/floating/jumping phone comments, I have to ask… does no one understand cartoon exaggeration?
musicnut1986 about 3 years ago
When I was in high school I worked at a pizza shop and we would draw straws when a pizza was ordered that included anchovies. Short straw made the pizza (this was before wearing gloves. Your hands would reek of anchovies the rest of the night). Middle straw had to take the pizza out of the oven and cut it, because you had to stand over it and get a face full of the aroma. The other people got to stand back and laugh at the losers.
donwestonmysteries about 3 years ago
Calvin IS Surreal.
Ermine Notyours about 3 years ago
And then the Publisher’s Clearinghouse called another number, and they won the money.
Skoally about 3 years ago
this is my favorite one. I have had it hanging on various refrigerators over the past almost 30 years or so
puffyshirt about 3 years ago
What is that curly looking thing attached to the end of the handset?
schaefer jim about 3 years ago
Until the phone cops show up for Calvin’s arrest!
Otis Rufus Driftwood about 3 years ago
They should have banned Calvin from answering the phone after this.
Gordette about 3 years ago
This one has been a favorite of mine since I first read it!
shell.hawk about 3 years ago
been there….done this….lol
Dobby53 Premium Member about 3 years ago
My Dad would answer “Sheriff’s Office.” He’d either get a long pause, a hang up or if they knew Dad, they’d just launch into their conversation with him.
LaughyTaffy about 3 years ago
the poor dude