Calvin & Hobbes’ Very First Comic Reveals the Hilarious Way They Met

Calvin and Hobbes is a beloved comic strip that explores the imagination of a child through the many fun adventures he has with his stuffed animal tiger. However, upon taking a closer look at the origin of the series, it seems Calvin and Hobbes was a bit more literal than many fans gave it credit for, as the comic’s very first strip reveals the hilarious way the iconic titular characters met.

Calvin and Hobbes was created by cartoonist Bill Watterson, and the series ran from 1985 to 1995. Throughout every strip, Calvin and his ‘imaginary friend’ Hobbes go on mini-adventures that highlight both the joys and struggles of being a little kid. Every exciting or anxiety-inducing moment of Calvin’s life is creatively conveyed as if readers were actually seeing them through the eyes of a child, and Hobbes’ presence throughout nearly every strip makes that perspective even more pronounced.

While it’s assumed that Hobbes is Calvin’s stuffed animal tiger, the comic strips sometimes leave the nature of his existence a bit ambiguous. Sometimes it seems obvious that other characters see Hobbes as nothing more than an inanimate toy, while other times it’s unclear exactly how other people besides Calvin see him. However, the answer to whether Hobbes is actually real or imaginary may have been hiding in plain sight since the start of the series, and the answer may be a bit surprising.

Calvin & Hobbes’ First Strip Shows Calvin Catching an Actual Anthropomorphic Tiger

Hobbes may not be imaginary after all!

The first Calvin and Hobbes comic strip (featured above) shows Calvin telling his dad that he’s going to check on his tiger trap, explaining that he used a tuna fish sandwich as bait. Calvin’s dad then inquires about the use of tuna fish to catch a tiger, asking if that’s actually something tigers like.

Calvin answers his dad with a resounding ‘yes’, saying that tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich. The comic then cuts to Hobbes, stuck in Calvin’s trap while eating the tuna fish sandwich that was left there, reaffirming Calvin’s tiger-trapping knowledge by saying, “We’re kind of stupid that way”.

Hobbes Sticks Around Because Calvin Took His Dad’s Advice a Bit Too Literally

In the next comic strip (featured above), Calvin asks his dad what to do after catching a tiger. Calvin’s dad – who was busy with work at the time – curtly answers Calvin, “Bring it home and stuff it”. So, Calvin invites Hobbes back to his house and throws him a feast, giving Hobbes all the food he can eat from his refrigerator. Calvin’s dad was assuredly talking about taxidermy when he told Calvin to ‘stuff’ the tiger, but Calvin took his advice and went in a completely different direction with it. And as a result, Calvin made a friend for life.

While this entire origin story for Calvin and Hobbes was more than likely a product of Calvin’s imagination with his stuffed animal tiger, that’s not what the comic strip itself shows. If taken literally, Calvin actually caught a tiger, who he then invited into his home, fed, and earned the trust/friendship of. Calvin and Hobbes could have just as easily begun with Calvin’s parents buying him a stuffed animal tiger, but instead, there’s an entire story behind how they met, and whether it’s literal or imaginary, one thing is clear: it’s absolutely hilarious.