Calvin and Hobbes/YMMV

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• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Hobbes appears as a Funny Animal to Calvin and a stuffed tiger to everyone else. But the Toy Ship of Calvin and Susie becomes interesting when you consider that Susie seems to like Hobbes more. Inversely, Hobbes frequently shows interest in Susie, which Calvin attempts to rebuff. Are we looking at some kind of projection, or a weird Love Triangle?
  • That could be a sign that Susie was more attracted to Calvin's nice side that he displays through Hobbes, rather than the asshole he fronts himself as.
  • Cartoonist Bill Watterson has supported the ambiguity of Hobbes' existence by occasionally making strips which are difficult, but not quite impossible, to explain if Hobbes was not an independent and physical entity, by having him do such things as cut Calvin's hair, help him climb trees, and on one famous occasion, tie him to a chair. A popular third take on this paradox is the theory that Calvin is a Reality Warper, and that the things he imagines really do happen, as long as no one else is looking.
  • Calvin's general obliviousness to the world around him, intricate, vivid fantasies and general inability to comprehend the motivations of other people are all consistent with descriptions of autism.
  • Dad and Mom: Are they good people trying to raise a "difficult" child in the best way they can? Or are they boarderline abusive/neglective parents, who have no patience at all with a six-year-old with undiagnosed autism?
• Base Breaking Character: It’s possible to criticize Moe for making bullying look like fun, seeing as he doesn’t suffer any repercussions for his behavior. Some of his comics can be funny though.
• Designated Villains: Calvin's parents, Miss Wormwood, Susie, and Rosalyn all fall into this trope at different times, since they only react to Calvin's own shenanigans (in Moe’s case, he will torment Calvin whether provoked or not). Even Bill Watterson himself feels sympathy for Miss Wormwood, whose staid, boring teaching style is just about the least effective way to get through to a kid like Calvin. As for Moe, Watterson writes the following in the Tenth Anniversary Book: "Moe is every jerk I've ever known. He's big, dumb, ugly, and cruel. I remember school being full of idiots like Moe. I think they spawn on damp locker room floors."
• Ensemble Darkhorse: Watterson had no plans for Rosalyn beyond her initial story arc, but quickly realized the way she could completely intimidate Calvin, unlike any other character, offered a rich vein of material.
• Fan Dumb: For such a philosophical strip which often mocked the concept of meaningless aggression, Calvin and Hobbes fans can be some of the most hateful, cruel people on the internet. They consider Watterson a near-literal god, and any criticism of him or the strip will lead to a backlash of epic proportions.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • In this strip, Calvin is trying on sunglasses in a supermarket. The pair he likes best looks like Kaminia's.
  • In this strip, Calvin writes a message in the snow requesting pilots to do a barrel roll.
• Jerkass Woobie: Let's not sugar coat it. Calvin is lazy, self-centered and a mild example of Small Name, Big Ego...but gets beaten up constantly by Moe, Susie and Hobbes, a Butt Monkey overall and is ignored by his parents. It's made very clear that Hobbes is his only friend. It's really easy to see why he's prone to Jerkass moments. It makes the tender moments he and Hobbes have together all the more touching.
• Memetic Mutation: THIS THREAD IS NOW INCREDIBLY AWESOME
• Nightmare Fuel: This strip, where some bubble gum pops in Calvin's face and he remarks, "Good heavens, I think I blew my face inside out!" It actually looks like what he just said, is EXTREMELY detailed, and is a lot creepier looking than described.
  • Not to mention the "Nauseous Nocturne"?
  • The strip where Calvin gets abducted by aliens and replaced by an alien duplicate. Luckily. It’s implied they eventually returned him.
• Older Than They Think: Watterson revealed in the 10th anniversary book that Spaceman Spiff is actually the first comic he tried to sell to newspapers, which had its origins in a very silly comic he wrote for a college German class. He quickly realized that Calvin's fantasies gave him the opportunity to actually use some of his ideas for Spiff, and occasionally give himself a break from writing Calvin and Hobbes.
• Tear Jerker: The death of Watterson's cat, Sprite, and the strip he did just afterwards.
• Toy Ship: Calvin and Susie. It's not really central to the ship -- primarily because Calvin's still at the 'girls are icky' stage of childhood -- but it is hinted at. A popular bit of Fanon is that Calvin and Susie end up getting married when they're older and having kids of their own.
• The Woobie: Despite being capable of great Jerkassery, Calvin can come across as quite sympathetic when he's getting picked on by Moe or when things are going badly for him. Susie tried to make friends with Calvin before she realized the futility of it, and was genuinely hurt by Calvin cruelly rejecting her time and again. Finally, the entire family were Woobies after their house was burglarized.