Just in time for the 37th anniversary of the first Calvin and Hobbes syndicated strip on November 18, two original works of art by the reclusive artist are up for auction by Heritage Auctions (per Intelligent Collector). The pieces are sure to go for significant amounts as sales of any Calvin and Hobbes-related merchandise are incredibly difficult to come across.

Bill Watterson's comic of a stuffed tiger and young boy was an immediate success and even though it only ran for 10 years, every year brings new fans as they discover the series. In only 10 years, Watterson managed to create a number of running gags that readers would look forward to. Each gag gives an insight into Watterson's philosophy and sense of humor while still being laugh-out-loud funny.

Hobbes' Attacks On Calvin

Calvin and Hobbes strip of Hobbes tackling a panicking calvin.

One of the best running gags throughout Calvin and Hobbes is Hobbes' love of tackling Calvin. Usually, it happens when Calvin opens the front door on the way home from school. His awful, boring day is punctuated with an exclamation point as he finally makes it home only to be mauled by a tiger.

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It's amazing the way Watterson is able to reuse the exact same gag over and over with slight tweaks that make each one fresh and unique. The way he could draw explosive movement was one of a kind, and it always looked like Calvin was really taking a pummeling whenever he was tackled.

Snowmen

Calvin and hobbes comic, line of snowmen saluting Calvin's angry dad who says, "he knows I hate this"

Whenever it became wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere, snowmen were sure to start appearing in Calvin and Hobbes comics. Calvin's artistic and engineering skills when constructing his sculptures sometimes stretched credulity, but the results were all funny to see.

Watterson used this running gag as an excuse to draw in a style that would be more at home in a Gary Larson comic. It also gave Calvin and Watterson an excuse to philosophize about art and the industry surrounding it, a theme the comics often touched on.

Calvin Getting Up For School

Calvin and hobbes sundat strip, Calvin dresses for school but in the last panel it is all revealed to be a dream.

Calvin loves to sleep, and he especially loves to sleep in, as long as there aren't any Saturday morning cartoons on. It's a long-time running gag of Calvin either oversleeping or being forcefully dragged out of bed by his mother.

There are very few comic strips that show Calvin enjoying the morning before the school bus comes, in his household, every time he has to get up is the beginning of disaster. These were perfect comics for younger kids and teens to read before they themselves went off to school, probably sympathizing with the half-awake state Calvin would often find himself in.

Calvin's Fear Of The Naughty List

calvin and hobbes strip, Calvin threatens to throw a snowball at Suzy but she convinces him he won't get Christmas presents so he relents.

Christmas plays a huge role in the Calvin and Hobbes comics and while some are heartwarming, plenty are more concerned with Calvin bending over backward to try and get off the naughty list. Calvin is a bad kid, he's not unlikeable, and he's even sort of charming, but he has a lot of energy to get into trouble.

It is a hilarious reminder of all Calvin's misdeeds throughout the previous year when Christmastime rolls around, and he has to fight against his base urge to be bad in order to get gifts. The logical loops he gets himself into are hilarious and well-thought-out, and it's good to see even Calvin knows there are repercussions to his actions.

Calvin Hates His Mom's Cooking

Calvin and Hobbes sunday comic, Calvin tries to eat gross looking food that attacks him back.

The quality of Calvin's mom's cooking is up for debate the whole series. It's never shown whether her cooking is actually terrible or if Calvin is just incredibly picky, but it's probably a combination of both. There are numerous examples of Calvin refusing to eat what his mom has prepared, some devolving into absurd situations like this one.

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Watterson has a way of drawing the dishes that Calvin is served like they are the most disgusting entrées ever, so it's no wonder he never wants to eat them. Eating plays a big running gag in general in Calvin and Hobbes as even when he likes the food he tries to gross-out whoever is eating with him.

Calvin And Rosalyn

calvin and hobbes comic, Calvin's parents are struggling to leave for a date while the babysitter Rosalyn looks on at Calvin screaming

It's funny that Calvin never seems to have a lot of affection for his parents yet every time they leave, he loses his mind trying to stop them. For some unexplained reason, Calvin hates his babysitter Rosalyn who he both fears and despises.

Calvin is usually on his worst behavior when it comes to Rosalyn, once even locking her out of the house all night. His hatred of her even led to the creation of a second running gag, "Stupendous Man" an alter ego who fights, often literally, "Baby-Sitter Girl. It's a great joke that every time Rosalyn appears, her first line is usually about how her rates have increased.

The Cardboard Box

Calvin and hobbes discuss getting into a cardboard box, Calvin says it's a time machine, Hobbes is dubious.

Calvin's cardboard box is an iconic plot point for many Calvin and Hobbes comics. The cardboard box has taken on a variety of roles across the comic's run. It has been a transmogrifier that changes Calvin into different things, a duplicator, a plane, a time machine, and more.

Every orientation of the box makes for a different sci-fi machine and seeing how Calvin tries to get Hobbes to go along with the hijinks is always funny. These running gags also often indicate that the next few strips will be all related as one story which was always a special treat for newspaper readers in the 80s and 90s.

Miss Wormwood

Calvin and hobbes comic, calvin is in class with Miss Wormwood trying to avoid handing in his homework.

Miss Womrwood's name comes from the apprentice devil in C. S. Lewis' the Screwtape Letters so that alone should let readers know that Calvin and his teacher were never going to get along. Many funny Calvin and Hobbes comics take place at his school and the way he deals with the work and authority are a constant source of humor.

Calvin is constantly trying to avoid doing homework or take a test and Miss Wormwood is constantly trying to catch him cheating or being a distraction. The best of these comics are when Calvin makes a speech about some issue he has with the lesson or school in general and is met with frustrated silence by his teacher.

Wagon And Sled Rides

Calvin and Hobbes sunday comic, the pair are sledding down a hill talking about television before ultimately crashing.

In wintertime, Calvin and Hobbes ride sleds through the forest, and in the summer, they ride their wagon, but both running gags serve the same purpose. They allow the pair and Bill Watterson to philosophize and discuss particular random topics about themselves and the world.

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But the action-packed, downhill ride serves as a way to add some interesting movement to a comic that could have been static and boring without it. The crash that almost always happens at the end of these comics often serves as a visual metaphor for Calvin or Hobbes' conclusion about their discussion.

Calvin's Dad's Explanations

Calvin and Hobbes, calvin's dad sits on the porch and makes up a story about how the sun sets to trick calvin.

One of the few times Calvin's parents get one over on him rather than the other way around is in the running gag of Calvin's Dad making up an absurd explanation to Calvin about a question he has. He seems to always take great joy in creating the most ridiculous answer he can and passing it off as fact.

Sometimes Calvin is suspicious of these explanations and other times he accepts them without a second thought. It's very funny watching these comics unravel as each successive panel adds another layer of absurdity to the explanation and the reader can feel the joy radiated off the dad for this deception.

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