In Bill Watterson’s beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, the titular duo generally gets all the attention. The six-year-old boy and his stuffed tiger starred in funny comic strips, thoughtful strips, heartwarming strips, and some that managed to be all three of those things at once. They were incredibly versatile, magnetic characters, so it makes sense they would be the stars.
Yet, there’s another duo in Calvin and Hobbes that also deserves some love, especially for how funny they are. Calvin’s Mom and Dad, who have no names beyond that, each have their own individual dynamic with Calvin. Calvin’s Mom is often exasperated with him, as she’s the one who does the most direct parenting in her role as a homemaker.
This leads to a lot of funny comic strips where Calvin drives his mom nuts. As for Calvin’s Dad, while Calvin drives him bonkers too, there’s another dynamic where the dad will sometimes tell Calvin ridiculous things just to see if his son will believe them, which he often does. Calvin’s Mom and Dad also have their own comedic dynamic as well, even if it's featured less frequently in the comic strip.
Their relationship, at least what we see of it, mostly revolves around the two of them commiserating over Calvin’s rambunctious behavior. As the two people on Earth who have to live with this wild, imaginative kid, only they know what it's like, and that’s where most of their humor comes from. Here are seven Calvin and Hobbes comics starring both of Calvin’s parents together and where their dynamic as an exhausted comedic duo really shines.
In this comic strip, Calvin’s Mom asks Calvin’s Dad if he regrets having a child. Before answering, Calvin’s Dad asks her if she regrets it. It’s obvious that both of them are waiting for the other to give their answer, until the dad finally explodes, saying “All I know is that I offered to buy us a dachshund, but no, you said…” Their relationship here is a little bit sweet, a little bit funny, and pretty darn realistic.
This comic strip is great because it’s just one big funny image. It’s not a setup followed by a punchline, it’s just all punchline with Calvin giving both his parents a hard time over being babysat by Rosalyn, another Calvin and Hobbes character who deserves more credit as a funny nemesis for Calvin. In this one, Calvin snags his dad’s glasses and does an impression of him, saying, “Calvin, go do something you hate!
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