Calvin and Hobbes, the best comic strip, in my humble opinion, that ever rolled off the press. (Other competitors include Wally and Osbourne [which never rolled off the press, it was a webcomic], Peanuts, and Big Nate.) So, on one of those Saturday Afternoons when you have nothing to do, I pulled out Volume Four of my The Complete Calvin and Hobbes and flipped to 1993. I then read every Calvin and Hobbes of 1993 and tallied down how often different characters appear.
No, I don't have a life. Why do you ask?
Anyways, here are the results!
1.) The Main Character of Calvin and Hobbes is quite obviously Calvin, who appeared in all but seven strips in 1993 (the sample size). That equates to 98.1% of all strips with Calvin.
2.) Hobbes is obviously next to Calvin. Hobbes in 1993 appeared in 55.6% of all strips, which surprised me (I would have guessed 65-70). Hobbes never appears without Calvin, so Calvin only has Hobbes with him 56.7% of the time: the other 43.3% is Hobbes-free.
3.) Mom is next on the list, appearing in 19.7% of all strips. Dad, who works as a patent attorney, appears less often at 10.1%.
4.) Outside of Calvin’s family, Susie is the most popular character, appearing in 10.4% of all strips. Susie sporadically appears with her stuffed and completely materialistic rabbit Mr. Bun, which I never tallied.
5.) Miss Wormwood, Calvin’s teacher, appeared in just fourteen strips, or 3.8% of 1993.
6.) Luckily for Calvin, Moe appeared in just six strips, or 1.6% of 1993 Calvin and Hobbes.
7.) Only five strips had characters besides Moe, Wormwood, Mom, Dad, Susie, Calvin, Calvin’s Imagination, and Hobbes: a shockingly low 1.4%. Only twenty-five strips have characters outside of Calvin, Mom, Dad, Susie, and Hobbes (6.9%).
8.) Snowmen and art took up 3.8% of Calvin and Hobbes in 1993.
9.) Bill Watterson’s series took up ninety-one different strips. The longest one was a GROSS series that took up eighteen strips! Those eighteen were the only GROSS strips in 1993. Series took up 24.9% of Calvin and Hobbes in 1993.
10.) Calvin was playing a sport in 4.1%, while Dad was biking in just one strip (ironically, the strip was in January) for a measly 0.3%.
11.) GROSS appeared in 4.9% of strips.
12.) Stupendous Man appeared in four strips, Dinosaurs appeared in three strips, and Calvinball and Rosalyn shockingly did not make an appearance for all of 1993.
13.) I think the difference between Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts/Big Nate is that Calvin and Hobbes is an introverted comic. Calvin's imagination is on direct display in a great deal of comics. In comparison, the only time we ever get to see what the characters of Peanuts are talking about (minus Snoopy) is when they talk. They're both deep and humorous (I think Calvin and Hobbes is funnier, too. No bias here!), but Peanuts is extroverted, while Calvin and Hobbes is more imaginative and introverted.
14.) Some people think thirteen is unlucky.
No, I don't have a life. Why do you ask?
Anyways, here are the results!
1.) The Main Character of Calvin and Hobbes is quite obviously Calvin, who appeared in all but seven strips in 1993 (the sample size). That equates to 98.1% of all strips with Calvin.
2.) Hobbes is obviously next to Calvin. Hobbes in 1993 appeared in 55.6% of all strips, which surprised me (I would have guessed 65-70). Hobbes never appears without Calvin, so Calvin only has Hobbes with him 56.7% of the time: the other 43.3% is Hobbes-free.
3.) Mom is next on the list, appearing in 19.7% of all strips. Dad, who works as a patent attorney, appears less often at 10.1%.
4.) Outside of Calvin’s family, Susie is the most popular character, appearing in 10.4% of all strips. Susie sporadically appears with her stuffed and completely materialistic rabbit Mr. Bun, which I never tallied.
5.) Miss Wormwood, Calvin’s teacher, appeared in just fourteen strips, or 3.8% of 1993.
6.) Luckily for Calvin, Moe appeared in just six strips, or 1.6% of 1993 Calvin and Hobbes.
7.) Only five strips had characters besides Moe, Wormwood, Mom, Dad, Susie, Calvin, Calvin’s Imagination, and Hobbes: a shockingly low 1.4%. Only twenty-five strips have characters outside of Calvin, Mom, Dad, Susie, and Hobbes (6.9%).
8.) Snowmen and art took up 3.8% of Calvin and Hobbes in 1993.
9.) Bill Watterson’s series took up ninety-one different strips. The longest one was a GROSS series that took up eighteen strips! Those eighteen were the only GROSS strips in 1993. Series took up 24.9% of Calvin and Hobbes in 1993.
10.) Calvin was playing a sport in 4.1%, while Dad was biking in just one strip (ironically, the strip was in January) for a measly 0.3%.
11.) GROSS appeared in 4.9% of strips.
12.) Stupendous Man appeared in four strips, Dinosaurs appeared in three strips, and Calvinball and Rosalyn shockingly did not make an appearance for all of 1993.
13.) I think the difference between Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts/Big Nate is that Calvin and Hobbes is an introverted comic. Calvin's imagination is on direct display in a great deal of comics. In comparison, the only time we ever get to see what the characters of Peanuts are talking about (minus Snoopy) is when they talk. They're both deep and humorous (I think Calvin and Hobbes is funnier, too. No bias here!), but Peanuts is extroverted, while Calvin and Hobbes is more imaginative and introverted.
14.) Some people think thirteen is unlucky.
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