InCalvin and Hobbes, one of the greatest persisting mysteries is whether Hobbes truly exists or if he’s a mere figment of Calvin’s imagination. Creator Bill Watterson established in the past thatHobbes' existence is up to interpretationby the reader, though he personally believed thatHobbes was not imaginary. Moreover, the comics themselves insinuated that Calvin’s imaginary friend was more real than most would initially assume for one key reason.
Calvin had an anarchist spiritthat drove him to reject authority and embark on wild endeavors that most would frown upon. Meanwhile, though Hobbes was often along for the ride in Calvin’s schemes, he frequently brought Calvin back down to Earth with a level of rationality that the child didn’t seem capable of. With that in mind, Hobbes could very well have been real, since Calvin didn’t possess the logic that he did.These 10 comics feature Hobbes as Calvin’s voice of reason, thus supporting the theory that he did exist.
10Calvin Pondered Heaven, While Hobbes Kept Him Grounded
First Published: September 30th, 1993
ThroughoutCalvin and Hobbes, the two titular characters had a tendency to engage in philosophical discussions, typically led by Calvin. In this first comic, Calvin wondered what Heaven would be like for someone who would rather be bad than good. Hobbes then asked the reasonable question of how a person who enjoys being bad would be allowed entry.
Calvin proposed a scenario in which he “led a blameless life” to support his argument that Heaven might be a boring place for someone like that. In response to Calvin’s words, Hobbes simply said,“I’m not sure I have that much imagination.“More than anyone else, Hobbes knew how bad Calvin could be, so he had to ground Calvin by reminding him that he would never “deny his dark nature”.
9Hobbes Taught Calvin an Important Lesson About Ethics
First Published: April 9th, 1989
Calvin and Hobbes' philosophical debatesoften led to conversations about ethics and moral quandaries. This comic, for instance, had Calvin claim that he was giving up his belief in ethics because “the ends justify the means”. He explained to Hobbes that he had the right to do whatever he pleased without worrying about whether it would be considered right or wrong. To put that idea into action, Hobbes suddenly shoved Calvin into mud.
When Calvin questioned why he’d push him like that, Hobbes said,“You were in my way. Now you’re not. The ends justify the means.“Calvin wouldn’t give himself that extreme of a reality check, so Hobbes must have made his own decision to show Calvin the flaw in his worldview.
8Hobbes Critiqued Calvin’s Ridiculous New Outlook on Life
First Published: April 5th, 1991
Hobbes was never shy about calling out Calvin’s imperfect outlook on life in ways that the child himself never would, as kids tend to ignore the bigger picture in favor of their own desires. Here, Calvin declared that he would no longer waste his time dwelling on things that upset him. Instead, he would only think about things that he liked to maximize his happiness. Hobbes then asked,“Don’t you think that’s a pretty silly and irresponsible way to live?”
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Children aren’t as emotionally mature as adults, so it’s natural for Calvin to have shifted his perspective to one that others would deem immature. Hobbes pointing this out furthers the idea that he existed as his own separate entity, since he lacked Calvin’s self-centered point-of-view.
7Calvin Didn’t Acknowledge His Hypocrisy, But Hobbes Did
First Published: April 16th, 1993
Calvin’s musings within Watterson’s workranged from introspective to downright laughable, reflecting how real children could be, and this strip offered one of his silliest conclusions yet. He told Hobbes that he thrives on change, only for Hobbes to point out that he “threw a fit this morning because your mom put less jelly on your toast than yesterday”. Calvin then amended his previous statement by clarifying,“I thrive on making other people change.”
Hobbes could acknowledge the hypocrisy in Calvin’s childish outlook on life when he couldn’t see it for himself, which provided more fodder for the theory that he couldn’t have been imagined by Calvin.A true figment of Calvin’s imagination would have supported even his most inane ideas rather than critiquing them the way Hobbes did.
6Hobbes Humbled Calvin When He Got Too Big-Headed
First Published: February 19th, 1993
Calvin’s grand ideas regularly led to him getting ahead of himself and biting off more than he could chew, as seen in this comic. In one ofCalvin and Hobbes' snow day stories, Calvin revealed to his imaginary pal that he’d created “the biggest snowball in the world”. Unfortunately, his excitement about this achievement was squandered when Hobbes asked,“How are you going to pick it up?”
ThroughoutCalvin and Hobbes,Calvin’s imaginative mindgot the better of him on many occasions. With that in mind, it was for the best that he had Hobbes by his side to provide reason before he strayed too far from reality.Calvin may have made an impressive snowball, but it took Hobbes' insight to remind him why they’re usually small.
5Hobbes Offered a Perspective Calvin Wouldn’t Consider On His Own
First Published: June 15th, 1995
Calvin’s more elaborate ideas weren’t the only ones that Hobbes made a habit of shutting down for his own good. In this comic strip, for example,Calvin proudly showed Hobbesthat he had captured a butterfly in a jar. This activity is commonplace for children, but here, Hobbes made an observation that soured the moment:“If people could put rainbows in zoos, they’d do it.”
While Calvin was thrilled to have caught a butterfly, Hobbes' experience as an animal granted him the perspective of knowing how it feels to fear being caged.Hobbes' words thus inspired Calvin to release the butterfly so that it could fly freely, his perspective on keeping living creatures contained being permanently shifted by his tiger friend.
4Hobbes Kept Calvin on Track, Both Ethically and Academically
First Published: April 7th, 1989
Calvin was far from an obedient child, as hisstressed-out parentswould attest after years of struggling to keep up with his rambunctious antics. As such, he needed someone like Hobbes to steer him on the right path at times. In this comic, Calvin went on and on about how often he got in trouble with his teachers, peers, and parents. Hobbes then said that those experiences should inspire him to finish his book report on time to avoid more consequences, to which Calvin replied,“My what?”
School and Calvinnever went hand-in-hand, with math being a particular struggle for him, and book reports were evidently not his strong suit either. Therefore,Hobbes reminding him to complete assignments he’d forgotten was necessary for him to succeed as a student.
3Calvin and Hobbes' Inventions Aren’t Always as Smart as They Seem
First Published: August 28th, 1989
Calvin’s inventionstook advantage of his wild imagination as he devised solutions to his everyday woes, though Hobbes didn’t always see the benefit of them. Calvin explained that he planned on inventing a robot to make the bed in his place so that he could avoid doing the loathsome chore. Hobbes then made an astute observation:“Won’t inventing a robot he more work than making the bed?”
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As it turned out, Hobbes was correct, because it took all day for the two of them to design the robot - only forCalvin’s momto send him to bed before it could be finished. However, there was merit in the fact that Calvin ended up not needing to make the bed since he’d left it unmade until bedtime came back around.
2Hobbes' Rationality Always Brought Calvin Back Down to Earth
First Published: February 7th, 1986
While Hobbes was normally more than happy to partake inCalvin’s philosophical conversationsabout the nature of existence, he also knew better than his friend that there was a time and place for such matters. In this strip,Calvin picked the worst possible moment to ask Hobbes about life and death as they barreled through the snow on a sled. Hobbes looked wary as Calvin turned around to interrogate him, and he finally interjected by saying,“You just steer, okay?”
Calvin was smarter than most thanks to his acute awareness of the universe and his place within it, yet he wasn’t immune to displaying childish innocence. Hobbes, therefore, had to ensure that he retained his focus when their lives were potentially at risk.
1Hobbes Proved He Was Actually Real When He Called Calvin Ignorant
First Published: September 21st, 1993
Although Calvin displayed that he was wise beyond his years on numerous occasions, he was still a child with selfish habits. Even if Calvin refused to call himself out, however,Hobbes was thereto step up and criticize him when necessary. Here, for instance, Calvin talked about how those with knowledge think too much to take action. Therefore, he preferred to know less as a “man of action”.
He made this out to be a noble stance, whereas Hobbes called it as he saw it:“You’re ignorant, but at least you act on it.“Calvin would never consider himself to be ignorant, as he thought highly of himself, so thisCalvin and Hobbescomic makes much more sense under the assumption that Hobbes existed beyond his friend’s imagination.
