Calvin and Hobbes/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


So, these are the characters.


Main Characters

This picture is as big as his imagination. And ego.


Calvin

Nothing spoils fun like finding out it builds character.

The star of the strip named after 16th Century theologian Jean Calvin, he's a six year old with an unusually large vocabulary and grown-up sense of humor.


Calvin: It's shameless the way we flirt.


Hobbes

Live and don't learn, that's us.

Calvin's stuffed tiger doll...or maybe his Not-So-Imaginary Friend. Named after Thomas Hobbes, he's usually seen through Calvin's eyes as an actual tiger while everyone else sees a doll. He's a proud tiger nonetheless and ultimately Calvin's best friend.


Secondary Characters

Susie Derkins

I'd ask you to play House, but you'd be a weird example for our kids.

The neighbor girl and one of the few people Calvin actually interacts with his age. She's a constant target of Calvin's pranks but seems to handle her own quite well.



Calvin's Mom

I haven't seen Calvin for about 15 minutes now. That probably means he's getting in trouble.

Calvin's mom.


  • Happily Married: Though if she knew that she was going to have Calvin, she might have second thoughts about marrying her husband.
  • Lethal Chef: Calvin thinks she is.
  • Mama Bear: Will turn into this if her husband goes too far in his teasing Calvin.
  • No Name Given: As such, we’ll be referring to her as Calvin’s mom.
  • Not So Above It All: When Calvin impersonated her husband, she actually finds it hilarious. It’s possible that she was like Calvin as a youngster.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Calvin doesn’t think so.
  • Tsundere: Type B over Calvin's dad.
  • Unnamed Parent: Like her husband.
  • Women Are Wiser: Inverted on a few occasions when dealing with Hobbes. She once confessed some of her fears to him when Calvin wasn't around, and on another occasion she called out for him when she and Dad were in the woods looking for him at night.

Calvin's Dad

Calvin's dad.



Mrs. Wormwood

It's not enough that we have to be disciplinarians, now we need to be psychologists.

Calvin's first-grade teacher, she's barely patient with Calvin and can't wait for retirement, which will happen in five years. Named after a demon.


Miss Wormwood: Next time, take a drink of water and a few deep breaths.


Moe

The class bully who often takes Calvin's money. He's the only kid Calvin knows that shaves.



Rosalyn

For eight bucks a night, I don't put up with much.

Calvin's babysitter. She's often the only one in the neighborhood willing to babysit Calvin for his parents, provided she gets paid extra of course.


  • Arch Enemy: Word of God says that she's the only person Voldemort Calvin truly fears.
  • Badass
  • Batman Gambit: In her final appearance in the strip, Rosalyn uses this to get Calvin to behave. She makes him want to do his homework and clean his room by offering to play Calvinball with him, and then actually wins the game when they play it.
  • Blackmail Is Such an Ugly Word: As the only babysitter in town who will agree to babysit Calvin, she's in a primo bargaining position. College tuition, y'know.
  • Child-Hater: From Calvin's point of view.
  • Designated Villain: In-universe; In Calvin's perspective.
    • Although in her final appearance towards the end of the strip she finally figures out how to deal with Calvin in a way no one else does and the two of them reach an understanding.
  • Invisible Boyfriend: Charlie.
  • Not So Different: In her last appearance, she bonds with Calvin in a game of Calvinball. And learns how to cheat very quickly.
  • Sitcom Arch Nemesis

Minor Characters

Calvin's Good Side


A duplicate Calvin made of himself.


Uncle Max

  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Essentially the reverse Rosalyn; he was intended to be a recurring character, but after the arc Watterson realized he didn't have much personality, didn't bring out anything new in Calvin, and also required some awkward writing to avoid having him call his brother and sister-in-law by their names.
  • Put on a Bus: Or rather, a plane.

Galaxoid and Nebular


Some aliens who think they bought the world from Calvin.


Calvin's Alter Egos


Stupendous Man



Spaceman Spiff

"It never fails. I just washed and waxed this thing..."


Torturer Dad: "Let's see how you withstand a calm discussion of wholesome principles!

Spiff: AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!


Tracer Bullet

"I got eight slugs in me. One's a lead and the rest are bourbon. The drink packs a wallop and I pack a revolver."