40 years ago, Calvin and Hobbes' raucous adventures burst onto the comics page

40 years ago, Calvin and Hobbes' raucous adventures burst onto the comics page

Renee Montagne

November 18, 2025 / 6:29 am

40 years ago — on November 18, 1985 — a new comic strip appeared in the newspaper: Calvin and Hobbes.

Hobbes was a stuffed tiger, but in the mind of 6-year-old Calvin he was a wryly observant companion for his day-to-day challenges and wildly imaginative adventures.

Adventures of the beloved duo lasted just a decade. Their creator — cartoonist Bill Watterson — walked away from Calvin and Hobbes at the height of its popularity.

Watterson — who has given few interviews — seamlessly combined the silly, the fantastic and the profound in his strip. That slightly demented quality captured editor Lee Salem, who spoke with NPR's Renee Montagne in 2005.

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