The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics have captivated audiences around the world. But it’s not just real-life spectators who are inspired by sporting events. In comics like Calvin and HobbesSports have often been the basis for some of the funniest caricatures in newspapers and online.
Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes Calvin is a young, energetic child, so sports are a natural activity in his free time. Unlike the dedicated athletes who compete in the Olympics, however, Calvin doesn’t have the patience to learn complex rules or spend time training. Instead, Calvin thrives when he invents the rules of his own games or adapts familiar sports into entirely new creations.
10 Calvin doesn’t like his swimming lessons
Publication Dates: July 21, 1986 – July 25, 1986
Calvin is at an age in Calvin and Hobbes comics in which he learns many skills that will help him navigate the world as he grows up. These shared life lessons have helped Calvin and Hobbes to age well as a comedian. A major milestone that most children must take is learning to swim. Knowing how to swim increases children’s safety around pools and bodies of water, and many children find it fun.
Unfortunately for Calvin’s mother, he is not enthusiastic about learning to swim. He becomes even less enthusiastic when he discovers that his babysitter, Rosalyn, is the swim instructor. Ultimately, Calvin refuses to participate after hearing about the “undead float.” While he eventually enjoys the activity, it seems unlikely that Calvin will ever become an Olympic swimmer.
9 Football is not Calvin’s best sport
Publication date: September 17, 1986
2:32
Related
Calvin & Hobbes: The 10 Best Philosophies in Comics
Bill Watterson has explored different philosophies over the years, and titular authors Calvin & Hobbes have honored their namesakes with their many discussions.
There are many of them Calvin and Hobbes Comics are about American football, but soccer is much less so. This particular comic strip perhaps illustrates why. Calvin is initially enthusiastic about sharing the rules of football with Hobbes, but when he tries to head the ball and hits himself in the face, his enthusiasm fades.
Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. While it hasn’t caught on in the United States as much as it has in other regions, it remains a popular sport among school-aged children. Maybe one day Calvin will learn to love the game as he grows older and becomes more coordinated.
8 Baseball is much more creative when Calvin and Hobbes are playing
Publication date: May 22, 1988
As an energetic child, Calvin enjoys being active and playing sports, a common activity for kids in suburban Midwestern towns like Calvin and Hobbes. However, Calvin doesn’t like rules, and most organized sports have a lot of rules that players must follow. When players don’t follow the rules, the other people they play with get frustrated and don’t want to participate anymore.
Luckily for Calvin, he still has a willing partner in his best friend Hobbes. While Calvin isn’t interested in joining a real baseball team or playing baseball with the other kids at school, he can make up his own rules as much as he wants when playing with Hobbes. In this particular version, there are at least 24 bases in their baseball game, including a secret base that only Hobbes knows about.
7 Calvin and Hobbes put their own spin on athletics
Publication date: June 6, 1990
Related
The 20 Funniest Calvin and Hobbes Comics
Featuring Calvin’s wild imagination and the intelligent mind of creator Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes comics are full of hilarious stories.
Many children enjoy racing, whether it’s an actual organized race or just an impromptu contest to see who can reach a certain tree first. Calvin and HobbesCalvin always had a natural rival in his best friend Hobbes. The two men certainly ran at full speed, both to and from the scene, but they did something different this time.
Most races are a competition to see who can reach a certain point the fastest. In this game created by Calvin, however, he and Hobbes race to see who can go the slowest. As the duo moves at a slow pace, Hobbes claims he is going so slowly that he is going backwards.
Publication dates: October 28, 1990, November 15, 1987, September 10, 1989, September 30, 1990 and October 30, 1992
American football may not appear in the Olympics, but as fall approaches, football is on the minds of many Americans. Football is the sport that appears most frequently in the Olympics. Calvin and Hobbes Cartoons, especially on Sundays, when most football games are played in the United States. Calvin and Hobbes often play football together, but it rarely goes well for Calvin.
Several of Hobbes’ greatest moments in Calvin and Hobbes The comics show him ambushing his young friend and pouncing on him. Just as players tackle each other in football, the game is a great opportunity for Hobbes to practice his leaping skills. Hobbes always comes out on top in their football games, but Calvin doesn’t seem too fazed, as he keeps coming back for more.
5 Hobbes doesn’t care about world record details
Publication date: August 1, 1992
Related
20 Times Calvin and Hobbes Broke Our Hearts
Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes comics boldly explored life through the eyes of a child, and sometimes the discoveries were heartbreaking.
Despite Calvin’s reluctance to participate in swimming lessons, he loves to play in the water. Calvin and Hobbes have a kiddie pool that they play in during the summer. The pool keeps them cool but is not ideal for swimming laps. Regardless, any type of pool is exciting for a child Calvin’s age.
Many swimming world records are set at the Olympics. Hobbes wants to replicate this feat and claims to have set a new swimming world record after touching the opposite end of the pool almost instantly. Calvin astutely points out that it doesn’t count when you’re as long as the pool, but Hobbes doesn’t care about stupid things like rules and regulations.
4 Playing volleyball requires creativity for a young child
Publication date: May 23, 1986
Volleyball is a very popular sport, whether played on the beach or on a court. The game requires players to hit the ball in certain ways to get it over a high net. Due to the height of the net, taller players have an advantage in volleyball and are more likely to excel at the sport. Unfortunately for Calvin and Hobbes, neither of them are particularly tall.
At the beginning of this comic, Calvin and Hobbes appear to be playing a standard game of volleyball. When the view widens, however, it is revealed that the duo are playing across the short net of a tennis court. Calvin and Hobbes The comic is ideal for young children, who can be inspired to play games in a different way, adapted to their size.
3 Foot races are violent for Calvin and Hobbes
Publication date: August 7, 1988
Related
Top 10 Calvin & Hobbes Comics Featuring Susie
Bill Watterson focused on a limited number of characters in his iconic comic strip, although Calvin and Hobbes’ close friend Susie has some fun storylines.
Like many children Calvin’s age, Calvin and Hobbes love to race each other at every opportunity. Whatever destination Calvin is excited about, he will likely sprint to. However, because Calvin is creative and independent, neither he nor Hobbes are very particular about following the rules when racing.
Hobbes loves to pounce on Calvin, and Calvin doesn’t hesitate to play dirty to win a competition with his friend. The two spend most of their time racing, trying to sabotage each other. Constant grabs and tackles may slow down their opponent, but it also means that their foot races aren’t the fastest of events.
2 Calvin tried to build his own Olympic swimming pool
Publication date: August 16, 1989
Most kids who don’t have a pool in their backyard would love to have one. Since pools are a big investment, both in effort and money, many parents aren’t as excited about having one as their kids. Calvin wants a pool, but his parents aren’t ready to install one in their home, much to his dismay.
In a Calvin and Hobbes Following a comic strip that resonated with his parents, Calvin one day decided to take matters into his own hands and install a swimming pool himself. Calvin spent the entire morning digging but only managed to create a small hole. Calvin imagined his parents’ surprise at finding an Olympic-sized swimming pool in their backyard. However, given the state of his mother’s yard, Calvin’s parents’ surprise was probably not a positive one.
1 Calvinball is without a doubt the best sport
Publication dates: May 5, 1990; May 27, 1990; March 31, 1991; September 24, 1995; August 26, 1990
Over the years, Calvin and Hobbes The comics featured the couple playing many different sports. One sport, however, is unique to Calvin and Hobbes Calvinball is without a doubt the best sport ever to appear in comics. That sport is Calvinball. Calvinball is a sport invented by Calvin, and in the words of Hobbes, “no sport is less organized than Calvinball.”
When it comes to sports, Calvin prefers to make up his own rules. Calvinball is a sport where all the rules are made up, which is perfect for Calvin. The ever-changing rules of Calvinball are incredibly varied, from strange methods of movement to creating and reciting poetry. Even grumpy babysitter Rosalyn and Calvin’s rival Susie have enjoyed playing Calvinball, proving that it is one of the most joyful sports ever created.
Calvin and Hobbes
From 1985 to 1995, Calvin and Hobbes had a legendary career in newspaper comic strips. Nearly 30 years later, Bill Watterson’s strip about an imaginative, chaotic child and his stuffed tiger is still one of America’s most popular comic strips. Known for his versatile art style, sense of whimsy and imagination, and realistic characters, Calvin and Hobbes is undoubtedly one of the funniest and most intelligent comic strips of the 20th century.
- Writer
- Bill Watterson
- Editor
- Andrews McMeel Publishing
- Artist
- Bill Watterson