What moment in Calvin and Hobbes has held the most meaning for you and why?

I sourced this article from Progressive Boink in a paper I wrote for a Children’s Literature course at my university. The story arc about the little raccoon is definitely high up on my list of favourite Calvin and Hobbes moments because it was so human. I have yet to come across a comic strip that is as artfully poignant as Watterson’s.

The final comic strip is the one that has the most meaning to me, though. It was a perfect way to end the best series ever written.

Compare it to The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne – Christopher Robin informs Winnie-the-Pooh that he will no longer be able to visit the Hundred Acre Wood any longer because he has to go to school and grow up. The author informs us that “a boy and his bear will always be playing” but there is still that hint that there is change coming whether we like it not.

Watterson allowed the magic of childhood to continue forever. Sure, Calvin will grow up one day. He probably won’t be as close to Hobbes as he was as a child (see Toy Story 3), but where we leave the story, Calvin is still a kid. He still has his best friend. “Let’s go exploring!” is one of the single greatest lines ever written. It completely encapsulates the magic of childhood, the sheer joy of friendship, the beauty within the realm of the imagination.

This is one of the topics I intend to explore in my thesis. I owe much of my joy of Children’s Literature to Watterson.

Wow @muppetish, you brought a tear to my eye, a tug at my heart.

@muppetish I agree with you completely. It’s always been one of my favorite things to read.

This is at the top of my favorites list.
I really have tons of favorites.

The idea of simplicity is something I truly attempt to live by. The best things in life, the things that make me smile the most generally stem from something simple. People are greedy and have a grandiose sense of self. They forget how fantastic the little things can be, how much happiness something as simple as being able to lay in a field can bring.

@free_fallin That’s a great choice :) Calvin’s reaction is hilarious (and probably how most kids would react!) but the sheer contentment of Hobbes in the next frame is utterly convincing. He’s a pretty good role-model for all of us. It reminds me of Maude from Harold and Maude, actually.

@chyna Your words are most kind.

Here (perhaps predictably) is the one that has stayed with me the most vividly. I’m not sure that’s the same as “held the most meaning,” but there might be too many of those.

Out of the many, here is one. Why? Because it’s true.

Holy smokes, it’s gonna be so hard to pick just one.

I’ll come back to this…hopefully.

The last strip from the Racoon story
My best friend drew me a bigger version of it when one of my ponies died.
He died two months later.

Edit: I guess it’s not the moment that has meaning, it’s the strip itself that holds meaning.

when he tells the teacher that “He Has To Go… Bad” then goes home and tells his mom that he had to go… with the shocked look on his mothers face… is priceless…I should have tried that in school… I usually just slept in or walked to the bus stop and waited for my dad to drive off then go back home to bed…since I lost my key I would have to open the living room window to get in

Okay, the strip where they are trying to take a picture of Calvin sneezing. The last frame of the strip is a picture of Calvin in mid sneeze. I laughed so hard the first time I saw that.