Calvin and Hobbes: The Series/Tropes A-M

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• Laconic
• Recap
  • S1
    • E01 Birth of a Friendship
    • E02 The Photo Man
    • E03 The World's Greatest Calvin
    • E04 Naughty Fireworks
    • E05 The Mighty School Escape
    • E06 Help Wanted
    • E07 The Black Turning Funnel Part 1
    • E08 The Black Turning Funnel Part 2
    • E09 The Time Pauser
      • YMMV
    • E10 Calvin Gets Professional Help
    • E11 Home Un Alone
    • E12 Full Moon Full Baloney
    • E14 The Night of the Living Television
    • E15 A Calvin And Hobbes Christmas
    • E16 Attack of the Vampire Babysitter
    • E18 Confessions of A Prank Loving Tiger
    • E19 Camping on a Deserted Rock Is Fun
    • E20 Tonsil Terror
    • E21 The Yellowstone Monster Part 1
    • E22 The Yellowstone Monster Part 2
    • E23 Eggs For Calvin
    • E24 Two Loons And A Kid
    • E25 Gasping For Air
    • E26 The Case of the Rogue Water Balloon
  • S1 TVM 1 Calvin's Batman Adventure
  • S1 TVM 2 Have You Seen This Tiger
  • S2
    • E02 It Will Build Character
    • E03 Monkey See, Monkey Maim
    • E04 The Transmitter Conspiracy Part 1
    • E05 The Transmitter Conspiracy Part 2
    • E06 Nighty Shut Up
    • E07 A Day at the Office
  • S2 TVM 1 Time Terror
  • S3 TVM 1 The Five Calvins
  • S3 TVM 2 Thunderstorm
  • S4
    • E09 Rhyme Time
• Trivia
• YMMV
• Haiku
• Crowners
  • Funny
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  • Shout-Out
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The rest of the tropes are on this page.

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#-G

• 20% More Awesome: The very name of the episode "62 Percent More Evil".
• 555: Calvin's parents' phone number, as shown in "Birth of a Friendship", is 555-7186.
• A Boy and His Tiger: As in the original strip.
• Absentee Actor: Only Calvin and Hobbes are present in "Roughin' It".
• Acid Trip Dimension: The Hypercube's interior.
• Actually a Doombot: The clones in "Electronic Invasion".
• Adaptational Badass: Calvin.
• Adaptation Expansion: Several new characters are introduced.
  • Also, the first episode ("Birth of a Friendship") is partly adapted from the first two strips of the original comic.
  • "CALVIN FOR PRESIDENT!" is an adaption of one of the author's older fanfics.
  • The former example was lampshaded in one of the marathon framing segments:

Socrates: In fact, we weren't even in the comic strip, so we probably shouldn't even be here.

• A Day in the Limelight: "Confessions of a Prank-Loving Tiger" for Socrates, "Hypercube" for the Hypercube, "An MTM Episode" for the MTM, and "Robot's Day Out" for Jack.
  • And "Insanity is In The Air" and "New Year, New Disasters" for Andy.
• Adults Are Useless: At the very least, they're really unobservant.
• Affectionate Parody: "Tracer Bullet in Color!" is this to the Film Noir genre.
  • "The Five Calvins" is also this as well, even the fact that there are only four Calvins to speak of in the story.
    • It could also count as a Recycled Script or Whole-Plot Reference
• A God Am I: From Calvin's epic tirade against everything in "Personality Test":

"I SWEAR ON ALL THAT IS HOLY THAT I SHALL HAVE MY REVENGE! I WILL! I'M THE GOD! I'M THE GOD! AAAAAAHHH—"

• Air Vent Escape: Inverted: Andy and Sherman are actually captured this way in "The Night of the Living Television II".
• Aliens Speaking English: Pretty much every alien on the (hypothetical) show.
• All There in the Manual: Season Two's bonus chapter reveals Andy is homeschooled, and also named for his voice actor, Andrew Lawrence.
  • Same with Klein (Robert Klein).
• Anachronism Stew: In the earlier episodes, several (relatively) modern conveniences are referenced alongside Garfield and Friends in the same timeframe.
• An Aesop: Subverted in "The World's Greatest Calvin"; Calvin seems to be headed towards a Be Yourself one... until he declares that he was the result on the suffering of millions.
  • Lampshaded in "That's MISTER Sherman to You!"

Hobbes: This is gonna be one of those moral shows, isn't it? Calvin: Eh, we gotta have a few every once in a while.

• And I Must Scream: Hobbes being captured by robots in "The Electronic Invasion".
  • Happens to Socrates during "Invasion" when his transmitter chip in his brain malfunctions, causing him to collapse to the floor in agony, much to Calvin and Hobbes' shock.
• Anime Hair: Calvin's is lampshaded in the first episode by the narrator:

No one knows why his hair does that. Is it static electricity? Is it hair gel? No, probably not.

• • It's also lampshaded by Sheila:

"JUST YOU WAIT! ALIEN! HE'S AN ALIEN! IT'S THE ONLY EXPLANATION! HOW ELSE COULD HIS HAIR DO THAT? ALIEN!"

• • Dr. Brainstorm and Thunderstorm also have it.
• Anti-Villain: Dr. Brainstorm is a Type I. Discussed in "Thunderstorm":

Dr. Brainstorm: Because I want to be the heroic villain, okay? There's got to be at least one time where I'm the one who has a victory!

• April Fool's Plot: "Let Us Prank the Fool", which revolves around Calvin trying to prank Socrates before April 1st.
• Apocalyptic Log: Dr. Brainstorm records something similar to one while trapped in his flaming lab in "Robot's Day Out".
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: This bit from "Dr. Brain Chill":

Lenny: Uh, bad news, boss! It would appear that Dave blew up the navigation console, and Biff knocked off the steering wheel. And Jeff just broke a window!

• • From "Pranking the Ghosts":

Andy: Where do you suppose that (a door) leads to? Sherman: I dunno. Dungeon, torture room, bloodthirsty zombie, the mansion's balcony.

• • And from "SHEILA'S BACK!":

Mother Brainstorm: YOU'LL MOW THE LAWN! YOU'LL DO THE GROCERY SHOPPING! YOU'LL SCRUB THE FLOORS! YOU'LL CLIP MY THICK YELLOW TOENAILS! YOU'LL BE WATCHING DAYTIME TALK SHOWS WITH ME!

• • "Pharaoh Andrew":

Sherman: (translating hieroglyphics) Let me see here, curse... curse... another curse... insurance guarantee... ah, here we go.

• Ash Face: Calvin and Andy after yet another one of Sherman's experiments fails.
• Attack Pattern Alpha: In "Electronic Invasion":

Calvin: Engage Emergency Protocol #5557490! MTM: Whatever.

• • And from "The Genius Hamster":

Calvin: MTM, initiate emergency protocol number 2235! MTM: I can't believe you can remember all these numbers.

• Author Appeal: Swing123 really likes Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Doctor Who.
  • And Nickelodeon cartoons in general.
• Badly-Battered Babysitter: The main cast takes on this role in "Two Loons and a Kid", climaxing in a water park.
  • Also happens to Rosalyn in "Attack of the Vampire Babysitter" when she goes for an involuntary ride with Calvin and Hobbes in their wagon.
• Bad Liar: Socrates, as "Mission: Socrates" shows.
• Bag of Holding: The Hypercube.
• Bag of Kidnapping: Calvin and Hobbes are on the receiving end of this trope from Dr. Brainstorm in "An MTM Episode".
• Baleful Polymorph: Calvin transmogrifies Hobbes into a rabbit in order to get Sherman to his house safely in "The Genius Hamster".
• Balloon Belly: "Forecast for Disaster" shows Mother Brainstorm demolishing an entire buffet, resulting in one of these.
• Bedsheet Ladder: Used in "Camp Blues".
• Better Than a Bare Bulb: A good amount of tropes are lampshaded.
• Big Bad: Retro in Season 4.
  • Thunderstorm fits this as well for the Made for TV Movie of the same name.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Retro's hologram and Electro in "The Night of the Living Television II".
• Big Eater: Sheila and her mother.
  • And Socrates, if "That's MISTER Sherman to You!" is any indication.
• Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: A Yeti attacks Socrates and Stupendous Man in "The Five Calvins".
• Big Red Button: One in Dr. Brainstorm's ship fires bombs in "SHEILA'S BACK!".
• Big Damn Heroes: The characters tend to become rather sarcastic versions of this trope.
• Big "Shut Up!": From Socrates, of all people, to Calvin in "Personality Test".
  • And another one from Jack to the alien crew in "Dr. Brain Chill".
  • And one more from almost all the main cast to Socrates in "That's MISTER Sherman to You!".
  • And yet another one from Hobbes and Socrates to Sherman in "Pharaoh Andrew".
  • And from Socrates again during "Remember" when even he can't stand Hobbes and Sherman's arguing anymore.
• Bill, Bill, Junk, Bill: "Chains"
• Black Comedy Burst: From "Thunderstorm":

Dr. Brainstorm: Now if you'll excuse me, I have an idiot to kill! Jack: You're committing suicide?

• Blackmail Is Such an Ugly Word: Nilvac and Sebboh react this way to being called "evil" (they prefer "dark").
• Blah Blah Blah: During Calvin's epic rant against the We Will Meet Again trope.
  • And justified in "Personality Test":

Andy: Dear Andy, thank you for purchasing my test, blah blah blah... That's what it says. "Thank you for purchasing my test, blah, blah, blah".

• Blatant Lies: From "Mission: Socrates":

Socrates: (upon being questioned as to why Hobbes can't go inside his house) Uh... we're... stinky.

• Blood Sport: The Death Zone in "The Five Calvins" functions something like this.
• Bottle Episode: "Hypercube" has a handful of characters and about two locations, tops.
  • "Roughin' It" only has two characters, and seems rather shorter than the other episodes.
• Bound and Gagged: Dr. Brainstorm in "The Yellowstone Monster".
  • Calvin's parents in "The Return of Dr. Brainstorm", though they were asleep the whole time.
• Bragging Theme Tune:

WHO HAS THE GRAND SENSE OF AD-VEN-TUUUURRE? (CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!) WITH A CARDBOARD BOX WITH A TIME SEN-SOR? (CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!) A VIVID IMAGINATION THAT'S A MAGNET FOR TROUBLE? (CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!) GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE AND PRAISE THEM ON THE DOUBLE! (CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!)

• Brain In a Jar: The true nature of Future Calvin.
• Brainwashed: Several people in "The Alien Huntress": see Mass Hypnosis for more details.
  • Calvin himself in "The Five Calvins".
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Calvin describing the "lady things" his mom would shop for:

"You know, makeup, lipstick, whips; that sort of thing."

• • And from "A Day in Your Shoes":

Calvin: Nice day today for a game of Calvin Ball. Hobbes: Yep, the sun is shining, the grass is soft, the birds are singing, Dr Brainstorm and Sheila have a giant pile of inventions at either end of the field…

• Breather Episode: "Roughin' It", given the insanity that goes on in the next episode .
  • Same with "Robot's Day Out".
• Brilliant but Lazy: Calvin - he can create a large plethora of inventions, and yet he'd rather complain that just do his homework.
• British Accents: The MTM gains one in Season 3.
• But He Sounds Handsome: Calvin thinks his robotic duplicate isn't bad looking.
• Burping Contest: Between Calvin and Klein in "The Insane Road Trip".
• Call Back: "The Mighty School Escape" references two other instances where Calvin has tried to escape school.
  • The series as a whole tends to reference the original strips.
• Calvin Ball: Given that the original strip was the Trope Namer, it's obviously included here as well.
• Cassandra Truth: Calvin's parents react this way whenever Calvin describes his previous escapades.
  • So does Miss Wormwood when grading Calvin's report on Egypt (which he completed by going there himself).
• Casual Danger Dialogue: From "Pharaoh Andrew":

Calvin: How many people are in this pyramid? MTM: Hmmm, let me see. Counting you, Hobbes, Socrates, Andy, that hamster and the five dead people following you down the hallway... ooooh... about ten.

• Catapult Nightmare: Calvin's nightmare about being stranded on an island during a camping trip gone wrong.
• Cerebus Syndrome
• Chain Letter: "Chains" revolves around Calvin and Susie receiving these. Susie rips hers up, causing her to have bad luck for the rest of the episode.
• Chainsaw Good: Sheila's murder attempt on Calvin.
  • Calvin also uses the MTM as one in "Electronic Invasion".
• Character Exaggeration: Calvin's inventiveness and Hobbes' tendency to avoid danger have been upped significantly here. The latter gets toned down during Season Four, though.
• Chekhov's Gag: In "The Falling Sky", Calvin at one point uses the MTM to absorb some lightning in an attempt to stop a storm from doing any further damage. He later uses it for revenge on Socrates.
  • Also, the lady with the clipboard recording anything related to Brainstorm in "Robot's Day Out".
  • Then during "Part Three", the episode starts with the characters mocking a B-Movie. When the same movie begins playing the next day with their made-up dialogue playing over it, it's a sign that an old villain has returned.
• Chekhov's Gun: Calvin's poker winnings from "The Night of the Living Television II".
  • And the 10th Anniversary Double-Length Special Edition Captain Napalm issue in "Hypercube".
  • And Jack's auto-repair system in "Robot's Day Out".
• Chekhov's Skill: Jack's ability to memorize fingerprints on things to distinguish them from similar things helps him put out a fire at Dr. Brainstorm's lab in "Robot's Day Out".
• Christmas Episode: "A Calvin and Hobbes Christmas!"
• Circling Birdies: Hobbes witnesses the star variant (along with checkers) after smashing Calvin's parents' cell open.
• Clear My Name: "The Case of the Rogue Water Balloon". The titular attack(s) was perpetuated by Hobbes.
• Cloudcuckooland: Calvin's hometown has seen a Mad Scientist and his robot exit their Yellowstone Park lair, had its citizens replaced by Creepy Monotone clones, attacked by a monster...
• Cloudcuckoolander: Socrates, who listens to heavy metal music to get to sleep and can spend several days at a time planning his next prank.
• Cobweb of Disuse: In Thunderstorm's ice cave.
• Comically Missing the Point: After returning home and finding the house almost perfect after an alien attack at the end "The Insane Road Trip":

Calvin: What have you done? You scratched some paint off of the house! Do you have any idea how long it took Dad to paint this place?

• • Upon discovering an arm in a tree in "Tracer Bullet in Color!":

Tiger Eye: (glancing at its watch) Wow! It's later than I thought..

• Contemplate Our Navels: Despite being more action-packed than the comic strip, it still maintains a slight philosophical tone.
• Continuity Nod: When Andy lists all the bad things that have happened to Socrates in "Personality Test":

"Well, let's see. Your voice has been switched into that of a duck's, you've been electrocuted by the MTM, you've been trapped in the hypercube, a transmitter has been inserted into you, you've been ejected into the clou..."

• • Something similar happens when Calvin's dad accuses him of not having character.
  • Upon Jack abruptly standing up straight, Dr. Brainstorm asks him if he's turned evil again.
• Conversational Troping: Lots of it in "Hypercube". Among the subjects discussed include some Fridge Logic about the Borgs, the origin of scotch tape's name, and a restaurant in Los Angeles advertising both doughnuts and chinese food in the same sentence.
• Cool Plane: Calvin's is a cardboard box.
• Cool Shades: Elliot wears his in his own house, which the narrator lampshades.
• Cool Starship: Plucked straight from the future in "RIP Calvin".

It was sort of roundish ship with red and blue wires running all across it. It had circular windows all around the front, and it had one of those escalators that futuristic ships have.

• Courtroom Episode: "A Day at the Office": Calvin sneaks into a courtroom with his dad and ends up solving a case.
• Crazy Enough to Work: From "Pranking the Ghosts":

Mom: Well, that's nice, but you don't need to broadcast it coast to coast! Just look for him (Hobbes) quietly. Calvin: Of course! If I continue to shout for him to show up, he'll know where I am and get farther away from me! On the other hand, absolute silence means absolute secrecy! It's so crazy it just might work!

• Crazy Prepared: Miss Wormwood has every encyclopedia ever published just in case Calvin tries to cheat.
• Creepy Monotone: The clones in "Electronic Invasion".
• Crossover: "Calvin's Batman Adventure"
  • A Dalek and some Cybermen show up in "The Five Calvins".
• Dark Horse Victory: Elliot is elected class president in "CALVIN FOR PRESIDENT!"
• Deadly Upgrade: The titular "Super Calvin" will die if he uses his powers too much.
• Deflector Shields: Calvin's box-plane has them.
• Department of Redundancy Department: This gem from "Wild Movie":

Hobbes: (acting in a Stupendous Man movie) Stupendous Man, we need to stop The Evil And-EE from sucking out all the drinking drinkable drinking water that people drink! Socrates: CUT! Hobbes, it's drinkable drinking water that's being drank by people.

• • Also, from "Personality Test":

Socrates: Greetings, citizen! Can I interest you in a personality test that will perhaps test your very personality?

• • And from "Thunderstorm":

Dr. Brainstorm: (defying the Enemy Mine trope) Oh, no. Oh no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Absolutely not! Negative! No way! Never! And in case you didn't pick on that, NO!

• Development Hell: The remainder of Season Five, as well as a rumored Season Six, have yet to see the light of day. Apparently some of the stories are finished, but the writers aren't posting them for some reason. It's a little unclear as to whether or not they will ever be finished.
• Different As Night and Day: Jacqueline and Jack. The former is considerably more active than the latter, though they both enjoy soda and lemonade.
• Disney Death: Everyone but Hobbes in "RIP Calvin".
• Dissimile: From "The Five Calvins":

Spiff: Hmmm, a hall of mirrors. This is kind of like one of those things they have in fun houses. If fun houses had pieces of broken jagged glass all around and forcefully bring you to them, then sure. A fun house.

• Distaff Counterpart: Jacqueline to Jack.
• Damsel in Distress/Dude in Distress: Calvin's parents in "The Return of Dr. Brainstorm", though they were asleep the whole time.
• Doom It Yourself: Implied in "The Genius Hamster":

MTM: And yet, this isn't half as dangerous as the time your Dad tried to fix the toaster.

• Doomy Dooms of Doom: The Doom Satellite in "Thunderstorm".
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": IT'S DOCTOR BRAINSTORM!
  • Lampshaded in "The Return of Dr. Brainstorm":

Dr. Brainstorm: DOCTOR BRAINSTORM! WHY CAN'T YOU PEOPLE JUST CALL ME THAT? Calvin: Well, where's the humor in that?

• Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud: "The Black Turning Funnel", "The Sky Is Falling", and takes a darker turn in "The Five Calvins".
• Donut Mess with a Cop: Referenced in "The Genius Hamster":

Klein: (in a standup act) Another car goes sliding into the ditch, "WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE DONUTS!"

• Double Meaning Title: "RIP Calvin". At first it appears that Future Calvin is dead... but he's alive, albeit as a Brain In a Jar. Then, later, their future selves start attacking them. Guess who's the first to die?
• Dramatic Shattering: Done with a cup of coffee when Shadow is freed in "Thunderstorm".
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: Mother Brainstorm. She commands Sheila to "give her 20" and berates her when she finishes in a mere 27 seconds.
• Drop-In Character: Lampshaded in "The Night of the Living Television II":

Socrates: I've gotta start locking that thing.

• • The very next episode also lampshaded it:

Andy: I wish you guys would knock before you barge into here to hide.

• Drowning My Sorrows: In "New Year, New Disasters":

Mom: Come on, dear. You can drown your sorrows in the cider.

• Elaborate Underground Base: Brainstorm's old lab, reactivated by Holographic Retro in "Electric Invasion".
• Elite Mooks: The Cybermen in "The Five Calvins".
• Emotion Eater: Dr. Brainstorm's Fear Detector collects fear and uses it to power a fear-making machine.
• Enemy Mine: Dr. Brainstorm attempts defy this in "62 Percent More Evil", trapping Calvin and Hobbes in a cage so he alone can stop Evil Jack. It ends up getting played straight later on.
• Engineered Public Confession: "Home Un-Alone" ends with a recording of Calvin admitting he likes Barbie being broadcast on his school's PA system.
• "Everybody Laughs" Ending: "That's MISTER Sherman to You!"
• Everyone Meets Everyone: "Birth of a Friendship" is a two-person variant.
• Everything's Better with Monkeys: One causes lots of trouble in "Monkey See, Monkey Maim".
• Everything's Worse with Bears: "Have You Seen This Tiger?" and "Camp Blues".
• Evil Doll: Socrates tricks Calvin into believing this in "Home Un-Alone".
• Evil Laugh: Dr. Brainstorm, obviously.
  • And Evil Jack.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: A fair amount of episode names, as this page will attest to.
• Excited Episode Title: "CALVIN FOR PRESIDENT!" and "SHEILA'S BACK!" being in all caps.
• Exorcist Head: Done by Evil Jack shortly after fully face heel turning in "62 Percent More Evil".
• Eye Scream: Future Andy wears an eyepatch, implying this.
• Face Death with Dignity: Calvin manages to do this at the end of "Our Solemn Hour".
• The Faceless: Elliot.
• Face Palm: Hobbes in "62 Percent More Evil".
• Fantastic Comedy
• Film Noir: Happens whenever Tracer Bullet turns up.
• First-Person Smartass: Hobbes narrates like this in "The Time Pauser".
  • Calvin also fits for the first part of "The Transmitter Conspiracy".
• Five-Man Band:
  • The Hero: Calvin
  • The Lancer: Hobbes
  • The Smart Guy: Sherman
  • The Big Guy: Socrates (he's something of a Boisterous Bruiser)
  • The Chick: Andy (he acts as the Only Sane Man and usually gets the group to stop fighting)
  • Sixth Ranger: MTM (technically he's been with Calvin from the start, but it's only Season Three that he starts acting more like a character)
• Flash Back: Lampshaded in "Thunderstorm":

Jack: It's a long story and should probably be done with a flashback...

• Flanderization: Averted with some characters, particularly with Andy, who actually gets more interesting as the series progresses.
• Food Fight: In "Camp Blues", and mentioned to be one tactic Calvin uses to try and get out of school in "Chaos to My Ears".
• Foreshadowing: Lampshaded in "The Return of Dr. Brainstorm":

Calvin: Ya know Hobbes, it's times like this that I wish that Mom and Dad would go away for at least a day! Gee, that little phrase built the plot up didn't it? I get a kick out of messing with the readers [sic] mind.

• • There's also a pretty blatant example in "The Night of the Living Television II":

Socrates: (after finding out that two villains had teamed up) Who teamed up? Rupert Chill and Dr. Brainstorm? Calvin: No, we're saving that for next season.

• For New Year's, I Am Going as Myself: "New Year, New Disasters":

Calvin: Aren't people going to freak out when they see a robot here? Someone at the party: Hey dude! Great costume! Jack: Nope.

• For Science!: The reason Dr. Brainstorm lets Jack swap places with Jacqueline in "A Day in Your Shoes".
• Freak Lab Accident: Calvin's attempt to combine all his inventions ends up giving him their powers.
• Frickin' Laser Beams: The MTM can fire them.
  • So can the Cybermen.
• Future Loser: Future Socrates.
• Futureshadowing: "Time Terror" shows statues of Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates, Andy, and Sherman labeled "Our World's Heroes".
• The Generic Guy: Andy.
  • This actually becomes a plot point in "New Year, New Disasters": he's upset that he hasn't had many exciting experiences.
• Genre Blind: Lampshaded in "Let Us Prank the Fool":

Hobbes: Wait a minute... There's a can of tuna fish on the sidewalk? Should I be suspicious? (beat) Hobbes: Nope.

• • Something similar happens with the roller coaster operator in "The Genius Hamster".
• Get Back to the Future: "Time Terror"
  • Everything's Better with Dinosaurs: Hobbes' destination.
  • The Middle Ages: Andy's destination.
  • The Wild West: Socrate's destination.
  • Zeerust: Sherman's destination.
• Getting Crap Past the Radar: From "Tracer Bullet in Color!":

Mimi: Is this some kind of bust? Tracer: Yes, it's very impressive, but we'd just like to ask some questions.

• • And from "Electronic Invasion":

Calvin: Yeah, but now he's a bit more… I dunno… stupid bland. I mean, it's like we have to reteach him everything! Sherman said that last night he tried to brush his teeth with toilet paper! Hobbes: Ick. I hate to think what he did with his toothbrush.

• • And from "Invasion":

Calvin: Where're Rowan and King Stor? Hobbes: We put them in the hypercube. Figured they'd be okay." Calvin: You sure? Hobbes: Yeah, they found an old Cosmo magazine. They'll be busy.

• Gilligan Cut: From "Chains":

Calvin: (trying to figure out if a Chain Letter is true to its word) Oh man, my problems are solved! Precious hamster will definitely know what to do! Sherman: I don't know."

• • And from "Pharaoh Andrew":

Calvin: [...] My report is an A plus guarantee. (later) Calvin: D MINUS? THIS KIND OF WORK DESERVES THE PULITZER PRIZE!

• Glad I Thought of It: Between Jack and Sheila in "A Day in Your Shoes".
• Good Is Not Nice: The five main characters may not be evil, but they are definitely not always nice.
• Guinness Episode: "The World's Greatest Calvin"

H-M

• Hall of Mirrors: Part of the Death Zone.
• Hard Light: Retro's hologram.
• Harmless Freezing: Dr. Brainstorm can even talk while frozen.
• Halloween Episode: "Home Un-Alone", "Full Moon: Full Baloney!", "The Great Halloween Heist", "RIP Calvin", and "Pranking the Ghosts".
• Haunted House: Dr. Brainstorm attempts to scare Calvin and co. with one in "The Great Halloween Heist".
  • Socrates' mansion (which has a rather gruesome backstory) is believed to be one in "Pranking the Ghosts".
• The Hedonist: The main cast's future selves turn out to be this. They'll go to any lengths to find enjoyment. Any lengths.
• Here We Go Again: "Calvin's Batman Adventure" ends with Calvin putting on a Superman suit, mirroring the opening.
• High-Pressure Emotion: Calvin after Socrates releases several turkeys into the streets.
  • Dr. Brainstorm after his sister claims their mother loved her more.
• He Went That Way!: Andy tells Susie this in "The Genius Hamster" after Calvin soaks her.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Socrates ends up falling into one of his own pranks in "An MTM Episode".
  • Happens again when Calvin tricks him with the classic "Your shoelace is untied" gag, resulting in him getting done up in a net covered in peanut butter.

Sherman: I can't believe he fell for that. Andy: It's worse. Socrates doesn't even wear shoes.

• Horrible Camping Trip: "Camping on a Deserted Rock is FUN!" manages to be much more horrible than normal, even by Calvin and Hobbes' standards.
  • "It Will Build Character" is slightly better, though it does have a mountain lion.
• Human Popsicle: The main cast is frozen in "Dr. Brain Chill", though there's no time traveling involved.
  • Thunderstorm was trapped in stasis for a good while.
• Hypocritical Humor: Hobbes dismisses the "scaredy cat" sterotype right before being startled by Jack's sudden appearance.
  • Another instance is lampshaded:

Sherman: (on Underdog) I'm just not in the mood to see another movie about talking animals. Socrates: Hypocrite.

• I Am Not Weasel: Dr. Brainstorm believes Hobbes and Socrates are robots.
• I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: The Death Zone and the Dark Tower in "The Five Calvins".
  • And the Doom Satellite from "Thunderstorm".
• I Have This Friend: Andy uses this in "Insanity is in the Air". Socrates thinks he's referring to him.
• I Have to Wash My Hair: Rupert and Earl do this in "Dr. Brain Chill".
• I Know Kung Faux: Hobbes claims to know "Tiger-Kaun-Dou" in "The Five Calvins".
• Imagine Spot: As in the original, though less prevalent here.
• Immortality: Rassilion has it...
• Immortality Seeker: ... and John Howard Chill (not Rupert Chill!) wants it.
• Incredible Shrinking Man: The Mega-Shrinker 5000 invokes this.
• The Insomniac: Calvin has a brief stint as this in "Nighty Shut Up!".
• Insufferable Genius: All the characters, in their own respective ways.
• Insult to Rocks: From "Electronic Invasion":

Mom: Calvin, I really wish you'd stop trying to sneak boxes of cereal and cookies into the cart. Calvin: Mom, stop doing that! You'll offend the groceries!

• I Think You Broke Him: After Socrates releases several turkeys into the streets:

Hobbes: Uh... Socrates? Socrates: Yes, Hobbo? Hobbes: Why'd you do that? Socrates: Simple: to wind him up! Hobbes glanced at Calvin, who was beet red and steam was leaking from his nostrils. Hobbes: I think you did a little more than winding. I think you cranked him up.

• I Warned You: From "An MTM Episode":

MTM: (referring to Sherman's project) Oh, don't do that. The box is too compacted. With the amount of energy you're pumping into it, it's going to burst at any second. Sherman: I think I know what I'm doing. And besides, I don't take advice from media players! MTM: It's going to explode on you. Sherman: Shut up! MTM: Very well. (beat) (BLAM!) MTM: I suppose this would be a bad 'I told you so' moment.

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Calvin has fleeting instances where he is actually very empathic to others. His biggest example of this was when he came to the aide of his alien friends when their planet was invaded.
  • Socrates is not totally without redemption either. He does come to the aid of his friends from time to time.
• Kids Are Cruel: A flashback in one episode shows that Calvin once drove his school psychologist mad.
• Kids Shouldn't Watch Horror Films: This take place with Child's Play in "Home Un-Alone", though it takes an interesting twist...
• Kill and Replace: What Holographic Retro intended to do with the Calvin clone in "Electronic Invasion".
• King of Beasts: Hobbes and a lion named Caesar argue about this in "That's MISTER Sherman to You!". Calvin ends it by beating him up and proclaiming himself as king of the jungle.
• Knockout Gas: Used by Evil Jack on Calvin and Hobbes in "62 Percent More Evil". It comes in a deodorant can.

"Designed to render unconscious and keep you smelling like pine for at least two hours."

• Large Ham: The Brainstorm family, oh so much.
  • Calvin also has his moments, as demonstrated here:

"HEY, EVERYBODY! LOOK AT ME! MY NAME IS CALVIN, AND I LIVE WITH A TERRIBLE EVIL THIN MAN WITH BIG GLASSES AND LITTLE HAIR! HE'S RUNNING ME RAGGED! I'VE BEEN WORKING FOR ALL OF THREE HOURS, AND I'M ONLY SIX! I'M NOT GETTING PAID FOR THIS! THERE ARE CHILD LABOR LAWS! SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING! ALL CHILD KIDNAPPERS IN THE GENERAL AREA PLEASE KIDNAP ME NOW!"

• • Lampshaded in "Roughin' It":

Hobbes: (doing a mosquito check) We're in the clear... supposedly. Calvin: Good boy, Shatner.

• Lampshade Hanging: Constantly. A notable example from "CALVIN FOR PRESIDENT!":

Calvin: (on the titular political campaign) I don't know about this… Maybe I shouldn't even be running in the first place! I don't even know the name of my school! Hobbes: Your school has a name?"

• • Another one from "Hypercube":

Calvin: (after repeatedly jumping in and out of hypercubes trying to get home) Am I the only one in the world with just one hypercube? Hobbes: Yes. And I thank you for it.

• Lemony Narrator: The narrator remarks "Gad! This show would be BORING if it was about Susie!" in the opening of "Calvin Gets Professional Help" (which revolves around Susie).
  • The narrator does this a lot. Among the more notable examples include this quip from "The Night of the Living Television II":

The inventions began glowing a bright yellow, combined back into one, and then split up going after our four heroes. And Sherman.

• Let Me Get This Straight...: In "Mission: Socrates":

Calvin: So let me get this straight, Socrates. We've spent this whole time wondering what you were doing, and all you were doing was obsessing over a stupid DVD?

• • And from "Pharaoh Andrew":

Andy: OK, so let me get this straight. You've just brought a bunch of people back from the dead and now they're after you?

• Let's Mock the Monsters: Happens a lot to Jark in "Attack of the Monsters".

Jark: I WILL DESTROY YOU! And I WILL take over the planet! MTM: Did your mummy tell you that?

• Let's Split Up, Gang!: "The Great Halloween Heist"
  • Calvin's possessed inventions also do this in "The Night of the Living Television II".
  • As do just Calvin and Hobbes in "Department Store Horrors".
  • And the whole group does it again in "Pranking the Ghosts".
• Lightning Can Do Anything: Lightning from Calvin's failed attempt to combine his inventions gives him their powers.
• Literal Cliff Hanger: Dad ends up in this situation on a mountain hike in "Gasping for Air". Calvin saves him using his box-plane thing.
  • Both of Calvin's parents find themselves in this in "The Insane Road Trip".
• Literal-Minded: From "Trader Bullet in Color!":

Tracer: (narrating) That night, when I got home, I received a call from Mimi Dejour. She said she wanted to meet me at the club right away. Since I had no idea where the Club Right Away was, I suggested the Club Flamingo. She agreed.

• Living MacGuffin: Socrates has an alien transmitter in his head that can only be activated when he says the number 98,562.
  • "The Transmitter Conspiracy" reveals it was the revenge of Shermin after a prank involving mustard.
• Living Toys: Evil ones attack Hobbes in "Department Store Horrors".
• Long Title: The 10th Anniversary Double-Length Special Edition Captain Napalm issue in "Hypercube".
• Love Makes You Crazy: Andy during "Insanity is in the Air". This was really the episode where he became a real character.
• Ludicrous Precision: This bit from "CALVIN FOR PRESIDENT!":

Socrates: "Everything is in place. Susie will be coming around that corner in 32 seconds. When she gets here, tell her you signed up, and I'll set the operation in motion." (Socrates leaves) Calvin: How did he... Hobbes: He plans every prank out, mathematically. Calvin: Oh.

• Love Triangle: Calvin, Andy, and Maria in "Insanity is in the Air".
• Mad Scientist: Dr. Brainstorm.
  • And, evidentially, Sebboh.
• Magic Mirror: One acts as a gateway to a Mirror Universe in "Mirror rorriM", thanks to one of Dr. Brainstorm's inventions.
• Make Me Wanna Shout: The Scream Horn.
  • Also, the "Stupendous Scream" in "Wild Movie".
  • One of Brainstorm's trademark shouts in "Thunderstorm" actually knocks Jack off his feet.
  • Deconstructed in "Hear My Voice", when Calvin's constant screeching results in laryngitis.
• Make Wrong What Once Went Right: Calvin's plot to eliminate turkeys from Thanksgiving in "Calvin, Hobbes, and the Pilgrims" ends up killing most of the Pilgrims and making ducks the holiday's bird instead.
• Mass Hypnosis: Most anyone who is even lightly associated with Calvin is brainwashed by Sheila in "The Alien Huntress".
• Medium Awareness: Now has its own page! Also notable, as it's the first work to have one.
• Metaphorgotten: Socrates' sign for Calvin in "CALVIN FOR PRESIDENT!":

SUSIE DERKINS: LOCAL STUDENT AND SPITTING CAMEL! NOT THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB OF PRESIDENT! VOTE FOR CALVIN! WHO IS DEFINITELY NOT A CAMEL!

• • And from "Let Us Prank the Fool":

MTM: Mark my words, time is a great healer... unless you've got a rash, in which case you're better off with ointment.

• Mind Screw: The titular "Personality Test", written by Socrates, has questions like "If the world's supply of hot dogs ran low, what would you do?" and "If giant mutant canaries were emerging from the sewers, how many would have three eyes?"
  • Parts of "Our Solemn Hour" have this.
  • As does the unreleased Socratesland, which would've taken place literally inside Socrates' mind.
• Mirror Universe: "Mirror rorriM", in which Nilvac and Sebboh have to keep their parents out of trouble. They're certainly glad to get to the "normal" universe so they can be obedient and Take Over the World, respectively.
  • Also taken literally, as everything is mirrored.
• Morally-Ambiguous Ducktorate: Socrates claims his cousin's brain was swapped with the brain of a duck. He then joined the Daffy Duck fan club and eventually wandered south.
  • Calvin later swaps his and Hobbes' voices with the voice of a duck.
• Moral Guardians: Discussed in "Roughin' It":

Hobbes: (after mentioning The Bible) And speaking of the bible- Calvin: Be careful. We've got censors. (gestures to the camera)

• • And later, after Calvin details how he thinks David killed Goliath by making him walk:

"We probably ticked off so many people by saying that."

• Movie-Making Mess: "Wild Movie"
• Mr. Exposition: Calvin's alter egos in "The Five Calvins" explain the nature of the Death Zone.
• Mummy: Five of them attack the main cast in "Pharaoh Andrew".
• My Future Self and Me: The basic plot of "RIP Calvin".