15 Funniest Far Side Comics That Prove It’s Obsessed with Miniature People

Gary Larson’s The Far Side has many obsessions, from dinosaurs to cows to (generally evil) ducks. However, inarguably Larson’s weirdest recurring subject is miniature people – tiny homo sapiens generally depicted as living alongside their far larger equivalents. Far Side‘s miniature people comics are some of its weirdest, as Larson’s predilection for surreal humor is fully unleashed.

These are the 15 best Far Side comics starring the strip’s miniature people, including several strips which accidentally end up telling one longer (pretty tragic) story. If you enjoy these comics, be sure to stick around and vote in our end-of-article poll for your favorite.

15

Fish Food

The Saga of Far Side’s Tiny Divers Begins

Gary Larson’s The Far Side is beloved by fans the world over for its command of both words and art. Larson loves to deconstruct popular turns of phrase, can always find a new take on a pun, and even the cadence of his captions helps to sell the punchline. Similarly, while Larson’s art is minimalist, he takes pains to stage and frame the exact perfect moment, often finding ways to ‘game’ the restriction of a single-panel comic (for example, adding extra details in the foreground or background.) Of course sometimes, all of that flies out the window, and Larson simply shows fans a bizarre image they can’t help but laugh at.

Larson addresses The Far Side‘s sense of humor in The Complete Far Side, drawing a distinction between “wit” and pure “sense of humor” – essentially, humor that’s funny when you think about it and humor that’s funny on a gut level. Larson makes it clear that The Far Side is all about the latter, crediting this with growing up in a family that had “a deep, sincere appreciation for the many uses of a good gorilla mask.” Larson elaborates:

Imagine your father sitting at the Algonquin Round Table, surrounded by that famous group of New York intellectuals. Would he most likely attempt to use his verbal alacrity and facile mind to impress and entertain everyone? Or would he find a quiet moment and simply lean over and ask Dorothy Parker to pull his finger? (Sorry, Dad, but I know the answer to this one.)

14

Attention-Getter

Gary Larson Imagines an Unfortunate Adventure for Poor Wendall

Far Side‘s miniature people strips are so funny because the comic never settles on one attitude to its subject. Are these tiny people pets, household pests, or one of the gang? In the case of poor Wendall, the jury’s still out. Larson never wanted The Far Side to have recurring characters or even a cohesive world, as he always wanted to be able to surprise the reader. In The Complete Far Side, Larson recalls an early editor asking if the strip could be more than a single panel and include recurring characters. Larson was relieved when they relented, as not only would the structure not suit his style, but it would make it hard for The Far Side to be as hard on its characters as he wanted. Larson says:

Once you’ve got your character established in the hearts and minds of readers, it’s not a good idea to run him over with a truck a few weeks later. … My ever-changing characters got crunched, speared, shot, beheaded, eaten, stuffed, poisoned, and run over about twice a week. (Tastefully, of course.)

13

Baby Pilots

Is This Far Side’s Weirdest Comic?

In one of the weirdest Far Side comics of all time (and that’s saying a lot), it’s unclear if the pilots are tiny or the babies are gigantic. A simple pun gag where “let’s get this baby off the ground” is taken literally, the strip offers up a truly baffling visual. As weird as this imagery is, these babies should count themselves lucky, as youth doesn’t equal mercy in the world of The Far Side. Larson has depicted babies being swallowed by snakes, eaten by witches, and carried off by ants, however there is one occasion where he’s glad he swapped youngsters out for a different target.

In The Pre-History of The Far Side, Larson reveals that the controversial strip ‘Bobbing for Poodles’ got a lot of hate mail. One reader wrote in claiming, “You have offended millions of pet owners with this garbage.” Larson reflects, “Thank god I didn’t go with my first caption, ‘Bobbing for babies.'”

12

“We Sure Got into a Mess of ‘Em”

The Saga of Far Side’s Tiny Divers Continues

The Far Side‘s miniature divers return in this strip, where they’ve graduated from the fishbowl to the ocean. Again, Larson is playing on the purely surreal, belly-laugh image of a bunch of tiny humans in diving suits. This is the rare Larson comic that’s hugely improved by the addition of color, turning the divers into a vibrant bouquet of weirdness.

11

“At Midnight, We Sail!”

Far Side’s Secret Recurring Character Is Hanging Out in the Background

While Larson actually penned multiple strips about miniature people sailing tiny boats (another is below), this one gets the top spot for two reasons. First, it’s funny that the tiny people in the ship are plotting, suggesting they’re aware that Al’s patrons might not take kindly to their escape. Second, the ship in a bottle is a perfectly Far Side image – the exact kind of oddity that draws Larson’s attention and begs for an ‘explanation’ in his weird world, even if that explanation doesn’t make much sense.

Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that the last two comics – “We Sure Got into a Mess of ‘Em” and “We Sail!” – have something in common. Both include a character addressed as ‘Al,’ known by many Far Side fans as the strip’s secret recurring character. Larson often has random businesses in the background of his comics owned by ‘Al,’ from glass-bottom boat tours to seafood catering.

10

Sandcastle Catapult

Far Side’s Tiny Sandcastle Denizens Will Return…

Another belly-laugh image sees a kid under attack by the sandcastle they just built. Larson’s gags are often heightened by the moments implied to have taken place before or after the single image he includes. In this case, the idea of a group of tiny people sneaking their way into the castle, then growing irritated enough at its creator to attack him almost immediately, is perhaps even funnier than the strip itself. Sadly, this won’t be the last time we see the sandcastle’s occupants on this list…

9

Frog’s Legs

The Saga of Far Side’s Tiny Divers Ends

It’s rare that newspaper comics play around with the subject of cannibalism, but Larson’s output was never that similar to the strips printed alongside it (except for the occasions where its captions were ‘accidentally’ swapped with Dennis the Menace.) While the image begs a million questions, it’s hard to read the preceding comics about the tiny divers and not come to the conclusion that they’re the poor people on the menu in this strip. Hopefully, Al gets found out for his cruelty, necessitating yet another change of profession.

8

Flowers

Far Side Flips a Classic Joke Shop Gag

Larson has gotten a lot of gags out of simply switching roles, and this strip sees a daisy wearing a human as its version of a joke store ‘squirting flower.’ Fans looking at this early Far Side comic might argue that the flowers in this strip are meant to be big, rather than their human prisoner being tiny. However, it’s harder to make that argument once you see the following comic, where Larson definitely intends the flora to be human-sized.

7

The Wilsons

Delivering the Mail Is a Dangerous Job in Far Side’s World

The United States Postal Service may claim that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” but they clearly haven’t reckoned with the Wilsons before. Like any great sketch, Larson’s world is impossible if you try to take it out of this one genius moment – if tiny people living in mailboxes are common enough for the Wilsons to be annoyed by questions, why is the postal worker surprised, and if they’re not, why are the Wilsons so annoyed at his incredulity? It’s worth noting that Larson uses one of his smartest tricks in this strip – having one character strongly imply or repeat what the other said, therefore squeezing a larger conversation into a single image.

6

REPENT!

Far Side’s Sandcastle Meets Its End

The sandcastle people return, but sadly this time a catapult can’t help them. While Larson’s art is sometimes seen as overly sparse, this strip makes it apparent how much work he puts into getting the important details right. The starfish, the tiny hooded robes, and the sign-holder’s minuscule mustache all work to make this gag perfect.

5

Your People and My People

Gary Larson Deconstructs Another Idiom

As already mentioned, Larson loves picking apart a turn of phrase. Here, the business idea of ‘my people’ is rendered literal, as miniature businesspeople flank Johnson and his colleague. Again, Larson doesn’t skimp on detail when it can improve the joke, as each of the tiny businesspeople have their own briefcases and one of Johnson’s people is pulling an insulting face at his opposite number.

4

The Little Woman

An Early Far Side Gets a Little Too Literal

In another turn of phrase gag, Larson takes a sexist term for someone’s wife and takes it literally, as an apparently storied woman scurries across the carpet. Only the twenty-sixth Far Side comic ever published, Larson’s signature art style is still taking shape, but his instincts of how to enhance the joke are already there – as shown by the little woman’s little handbag.

3

“So! They’re Back”

Far Side’s Characters Are Used to Dealing with Surreal Situations

Entering our final three, it’s difficult to articulate what makes this strip so funny. Gary Larson created a truly bizarre world in The Far Side, where nothing can be taken for granted. It’s therefore particularly funny to see one of this world’s denizens stumble across such a weird situation and take it totally in stride. In his foreword for The Far Side Gallery 4, Robin Williams wrote that “whenever I read The Far Side I feel like I’m watching a National Geographic special on Prozac” – a sentiment that summarizes this strip perfectly.

2

Little Women

Far Side Tackles a Literary Classic

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is a literary classic, charting the struggles of adolescence where adult responsibilities and childish emotions often clash. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are no longer girls, but they’re also not in a part of their lives where they truly feel like adults – a theme perfectly captured in Alcott’s title. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely the little men in this comic were looking for that nuance, seemingly believing they might have discovered some kind of directory. However, to give them credit, the comic shows them halfway through the book, suggesting that despite the misunderstanding, the story still grabbed them.

1

Car Radio

Far Side’s Take on “It’s a Living”

A farmer taking an infestation of miniature people in stride is funny, but a driver ‘catching’ the tiny people inside his radio is somehow funnier. Larson’s weird world imagines a scenario where miniature people are secretly behind the functioning of everyday gadgets, and where their larger counterparts somehow have reason to take umbrage at that fact. If the gag wasn’t funny enough, Larson’s depiction of the saxophonist is, as the musician covers his mouth in shock at being discovered.

Those were The Far Side‘s 15 funniest (and weirdest) comics about miniature people, including the tragic tale of the tiny divers, a literary misunderstanding, and the rage of the Wilsons – vote below for which of these comics you think is funniest, and help your favorite grab the coveted #1 spot.