Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for May 02, 2020

Ah, life is back to normal in Calvin’s world.

Now, time for some real fun!

Rules of Calvinball: anything goes.

Now this is a sport that would be fun to watch professionally.

Is it me or is this “baseball strip arc” arguably the arc that resonates the most with people out of all story arcs Watterson ever did?

This sounds much better than the elusive baseball for people like us from the eastern side of the globe.

Alright! Calvinball! Finally! Let’s grill up some hot dogs.

What a happy ending.

Calvinball would be far too disorganized for my liking.

CALVINBALL! HOORAYYY!!

Disorganised sport it is. Good call Hobbes.

Seems to me that we have all dissolved into a CalvinBall World in 2020. But without the fun.

Best game ever.

A bit like The Ministry of Silly Walks

Making things up as you go along is one of the best part of being a kid.

After that, life becomes a reality TV show.

Now for some unorganized fun!

Sometimes at picnics there would be softball or volleyball. I never participated… but if they had set up a nice game of Calvinball, I bet I would have enjoyed it immensely, and had a laughing good time!

Make up the rules as you go along? Sounds like marriage from the distaff side!

As always, rules “Leveling the playing field” just means the important guy can’t run up hill.

My wife says baseball would be more interesting if the batters got to choose which way they want to run the bases! And when we watch football and one team decides to punt she asks where the anti-punters are!

Calvinball is like life. Made up on the spot.

… a home-schooler’s favorite!

We had a version of Calvinball – it was called “Keep Away.” The teachers called it “Kill the Little Fellow” but as a little fellow myself I fully participated, tackling the bullies, dodging until the big fellows dropped from fatigue, and generally causing mayhem amongst those that had caused me harm.

LOVE it!

Unless I’m mistaken, this is the first appearance of Calvinball in the strip.

Nice to see them wearing their masks. Uh, wrong masks.

Reminds me so much of my sister and I making up detailed outside games! So nostalgic, love it <3

When I was a kid I wanted an imaginary friend like Hobbes so bad. I was severely disappointed in all my toys for never springing to life even once.

Go ahead and have a ball, fellas!

Amazing what a child’s mind can concieve.

The funniest thing MAD Magazine ever published was the rules for “43-Man Squamish.”

That is how they manage the finances in Illinois. It is called Pritzker Ball. (Formerly known as Blagojevitch Ball)

That is how they manage the finances in Illinois. It is called the “Governor’s Ball” (What – you thought that was a coronation dance or something?)

Glad this story is over. It brought back some bad memories. Like Calvin I was never a fan of playing sports and preferred to spend recess running around and having fun using my imagination. And like Calvin I ended up getting ridiculed for it and at times forced to join the games I didn’t want to play and then further ridiculed because I wasn’t any good at the stupid game I didn’t want to play in the first place.

I was always that kid who got bullied verbally and sometimes physically (and yes teasing and ridiculing is bullying- verbal abuse is still abuse!) just because I was different and didn’t care for the stereotypical boy stuff like sports. And of course everyone including the adults insisted it was my fault. That I somehow deserved it and that I should just “behave like a normal kid” if I wanted to avoid it. (Which is why some of these comments that are expressing the same attitude are really pissing me off!)

MY kind of game!!!

Calvin’s World Cup Soccer lol!!

Those kids are probably worse if Calvin had a chance to learn

lol