41 Years Later, Only One Comic Strip Has the Right To Call Itself Peanuts' True Heir

When considering the greats of the comic strip world, practically no series casts as much of a shadow as Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanuts comic strip. It transcended being merely a beloved strip on the daily newspaper funnies pages, resulting in TV specials, feature-length film, and a forever-expanding merchandise presence still felt today. It’s never going to be truly replaced, but it has certainly inspired plenty of contemporary creators eager to make a unique creation of their own. There have certainly been other iconic comic strips since its debut such as Garfield, The Far Side, and many more, but few ever tap into the blend of childhood vulnerability and philosophy quite like Calvin and Hobbes did.

Created by Bill Watterson and running from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995, Calvin and Hobbes didn’t focus on a key group of kids, but primarily one incredibly imaginative child, Calvin himself. Instead of the group, this six-year-old’s primary social bond is, of course, the stuffed tiger Hobbes, who is seen by Calvin as a living tiger and his best friend with whom he escapes on his various flights of fancy. Calvin and Hobbes may certainly have more of an irreverent edge than its more melancholy predecessor, it has no less remained a provocative and extremely rewarding comic strip worth checking out, and one which easily cinched the status as the sole one-time heir to Peanuts.

Calvin and Hobbes & Peanuts Share Philosophical Aspects, But Take Different Directions

Despite both primarily focusing on grade school children, both Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts grant agency to their central kids while addressing questions of life that plague people of all ages. But while Peanuts focuses on resilience in the face of adversity, disappointment, and football gags, Calvin and Hobbes counteracts its predecessor’s reflection with direct, often elaborate imaginative scenarios to cope with or endure trials, even for something as simple as a basic math problem. But it’s not just Calvin’s vivid imagination, which in itself is already an interesting distillation of Snoopy’s most iconic traits; despite struggling to apply himself as a student, Calvin is rather clever in his own right.

Despite being visibly poor at spelling admittedly challenging words for six-year-olds like Australia, Calvin is deceptively intelligent with a strong vocabulary, engaging in thoughtful discussions with Hobbes on plenty of occasions. Even though the namesakes of the series may not perfectly share philosophical standpoints with John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes, that hasn’t stopped Calvin from asserting his own worldview in rather profound ways while showing shades of the French theologian’s principles. Such is the case in the April 9, 1988 comic strip in which Calvin lays out his reasoning for being okay with Calvinist predestination.

Life’s a lot more fun when you’re not responsible for your actions.

It’s a flawed way to look at life, but also entirely fair and perfectly succinct for a young child to say that. It stacks up rather nicely against Charlie Brown’s noteworthy quote on the topic, “Life is like an ice cream cone. You have to learn to lick it.” Calvin’s views reflect a more active, if chaotic and careless viewpoint, but they also capture the essence of being a kid on one’s own terms. That’s the point, as Calvin is also aware of how painfully fleeting childhood is, while ironically spending much of it watching cartoons.

Calvin and Hobbes Addresses Childhood In Fascinating Ways Much Like Peanuts Does

Watterson presents Calvin’s childhood as one not wasted even though characters like Uncle Max are concerned he only spends time with Hobbes instead of “real friends.” But in Calvin’s subjective reality, Hobbes is real enough, and a superior alternative to carrying out his elaborate fantasies alone. Calvin is consistently getting unstructured quality time with someone whom he believes is his best friend. The same can be said about Peanuts, in specific instances, like losing the next baseball game or attending class.

Much of the X factor in both cases, though, is in how it addresses childhood without talking down to young readers, while still having heavy implications for older audiences able to grasp its tougher concepts. This was present in Peanuts with Charlie Brown’s numerous Sisyphean acts, such as trusting Lucy to hold the football for him, or continuously flying a kite despite it always being devoured by the Kite-Eating Tree. It addresses these concepts by being both amusing yet thought-provoking, and Watterson was able to execute that in his work as well.

The wonder of “Peanuts” is that it worked on so many levels simultaneously. Children could enjoy the silly drawings and the delightful fantasy of Snoopy, while adults could see the bleak undercurrent of cruelty, loneliness and failure, or the perpetual theme of unrequited love, or the strip’s stark visual beauty.

-Bill Watterson, The Grief That Made ‘Peanuts’ Good

The wonder of “Peanuts” is that it worked on so many levels simultaneously. Children could enjoy the silly drawings and the delightful fantasy of Snoopy, while adults could see the bleak undercurrent of cruelty, loneliness and failure, or the perpetual theme of unrequited love, or the strip’s stark visual beauty.

Peanuts readers across its 50-year run easily stretched as far back as the Silent Generation and into the present with even Gen Z showing clear awareness of its concepts and younger audiences still having access to its newest projects. Calvin and Hobbes was particularly perfect for Gen X and Millennial audiences, with its topics being entertaining even when revisited far into adulthood, although often for different reasons. This is the difference between targeted, pandering fiction that does little more than entertain the readers, and something that sticks with people for years to follow.

Watterson’s Series Works Without Being Too Derivative Of Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes could never realistically be considered a Peanuts clone, but it’s a reasonable alternative for somebody seeking what Peanuts provided while also providing what it realistically couldn’t. Watterson’s series allows Calvin to properly interact with his family of fully-realized adults rather than vague off-panel presences like in Peanuts. It even has its own uniquely memorable concepts at play, from Calvin’s cinematic adventures in his imagination featuring aliens and Calvin’s transmogrifier, or the all-too-perfect encapsulation of childhood nonsense games with ever-changing rules as seen with Calvinball.

Calvin is also hardly reminiscent of just one Peanuts character, but rather, several. He has the self-absorbed and assertive aspects of Lucy van Pelt, while touting the philosophical aspects of her brother Linus, with Hobbes reasonably functioning much like Linus’ blanket. His bright imagination resembles that of Snoopy’s adventures, but takes it one step further with brilliantly-illustrated scenarios, all while presenting as a similar underdog child to Charlie Brown. Calvin contains multitudes, and demands closer examination for anything readers may have missed.

Calvin is a deceptively bright, articulate child whose antics and views are fascinating to watch unfold, so be sure to read all about it with the full Calvin and Hobbes collection alongside Peanuts on GoComics or its numerous print collections.

• <

  
  Peanuts
  

  Movie(s)

  A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Come Home, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don’t Come Back!), The Peanuts Movie

  TV Show(s)

  Peanuts, Peanuts, The Snoopy Show

  Comic

  Peanuts

  First Film

  A Boy Named Charlie Brown

  First TV Show

  Peanuts

  Genres

  Kids & Family

  
  Created by Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts is a multimedia franchise that began as a comic strip in the 1950s and eventually expanded to include films and a television series. Peanuts follows the daily adventures of the Peanuts gang, with Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy at the center of them. Aside from the film released in 2015, the franchise also has several Holiday specials that air regularly on U.S. Television during their appropriate seasons.

  
  

  Expand
  Collapse

• <

  Your Rating

  Your comment has not been saved

  Follow

  Followed

  
  Calvin and Hobbes
  

  Writer

  Bill Watterson

  Colorist

  Bill Watterson

  Publisher

  Andrews McMeel Publishing

  
  Calvin and Hobbes was a satirical comic strip series that ran from 1985-1995, written, drawn, and colored by Bill Watterson. The series follows six-year-old Hobbes and his stuffed Tiger, Calvin, that examines their lives through a whimsical lens that tackles everyday comedic issues and real-world issues that people deal with.

  
  

  Expand
  Collapse

Created by Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts is a multimedia franchise that began as a comic strip in the 1950s and eventually expanded to include films and a television series. Peanuts follows the daily adventures of the Peanuts gang, with Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy at the center of them. Aside from the film released in 2015, the franchise also has several Holiday specials that air regularly on U.S. Television during their appropriate seasons.

Your Rating

Calvin and Hobbes was a satirical comic strip series that ran from 1985-1995, written, drawn, and colored by Bill Watterson. The series follows six-year-old Hobbes and his stuffed Tiger, Calvin, that examines their lives through a whimsical lens that tackles everyday comedic issues and real-world issues that people deal with.