History Trivia / CalvinAndHobbes

** Several of Calvin's dinosaur fantasies featured a dinosaur called the "ultrasaur", which was a brachiosaur-type sauropod known as ''Ultrasauros'' that was getting buzz in pop science at the time as the "biggest dinosaur ever". Subsequently, ''Ultrasauros'' was found to be a probable chimera of ''Brachiosaurus'' and a diplodocid sauropod known as ''Supersaurus'', and is now considered synonymous with the latter. ''Supersaurus'', as a diplodocid (known for being very long and thin, rather than brachiosaurs' tendency to be tall and wide), is nowhere near the weight necessary to be in the running for "biggest dinosaur ever" to boot, though it may well have been among the longest.
** One Sunday comic has Calvin narrating a story he wrote where Susie is eaten by a pack of ''Deinonychus''. They're very accurate for their time and even predate ''Film/JurassicPark'''s iconic raptors, but just like ''Jurassic Park'', they've since fallen under RaptorAttack with time, being depicted as both featherless and sophisticated pack-hunters. Likewise, a troodontid that appears in another Sunday comic is also depicted as featherless.
** In one 1993 arc, Calvin decides to do an assignment on the debate over whether ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' was an active predator or a scavenger. At the time, this was a serious question in the paleontological community; today, pretty much everyone agrees that the whole debate is a FalseDichotomy since virtually no land carnivore only does one or the other (though ''T. rex'' was almost certainly more of a hunter than a scavenger; incidentally, Calvin also comes to the conclusion that it was a hunter, [[RightForTheWrongReasons not that it helps him]]). He also refers to ''Tyrannosaurus'' as a carnosaur, echoing the belief of the time that most large theropods were carnosaurs, but this was right around the time that tyrannosaurs were reclassified as coelurosaurs.

** There are also a few minor anatomical mistakes in some of its depictions of prehistoric animals, such as sauropods depicted with nostrils on top of their foreheads, ''Stegosaurus'' with vertical tail spikes, and a ''Quetzalcoatlus'' with outdated proportions.

** In no strip did Calvin ever say "God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die."

* WhyTheFandomCantHaveNiceThings: Watterson has reportedly either stopped signing printed collections in his local bookstores or severely dialed back the practice after some of the copies he signed were turning up on [=eBay=].

* CreatorsFavorite: A non-character example. Watterson's favorite collection was ''Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat'', simply because he loved the title name so much.
* CreatorsFavoriteEpisode:

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* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: One Sunday strip where Calvin imagines he's Godzilla refers to Megalon as "his arch-rival". Megalon is actually one of Godzilla's lesser foes and has only appeared in [[Film/GodzillaVsMegalon one movie]] total out of thirty-plus; he's fought Mothra, generally considered one of his ''allies'', more often than he's fought Megalon.[[note]]Notably, ''Godzilla vs. Megalon'' was the Godzilla movie that had the biggest marketing push [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff in America]] during the baby boomer era, so it's reasonable to assume Watterson just happened to familiar with only this Godzilla film.[[/note]] This can possibly be justified by Calvin just having watched the one movie that afternoon and made up facts himself afterwards.

** Numerous examples of Calvin's SesquipedalianLoquaciousness were based on Watterson's readings of NewAge texts which he considered to be absurdly obtuse and pompous psychobabble, so he copied some of the worst of it down to [[TakeThat make fun of]] in his strip.

* NoAdaptationsAllowed: Unusually for such a popular comic strip, it has never had an AnimatedAdaptation. [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/otherpeople/watterson.html Official merchandise]] is also exceedingly rare (though bootleg material is common, such as the infamous "Peeing Calvin" decals). Bill Watterson won't allow adaptations for various reasons, including fear of loss of control over his work and a dislike for other comic strips getting adapted and marketed to the point of growing stale, such as ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}''.

* FanWorkBan:
** Watterson has been quite clear: '''''No''''' ''Calvin and Hobbes'' merchandise, of '''''any''''' kind, '''''EVER!''''' Infamously, neither he nor the syndicate have cracked down on the ubiquitous, unauthorized Calvin-peeing-on-things stickers in any effective way...because, since there is no REAL merchandise, there is no profit in trying to stop it.
** The lack of enforcement also works in favor of fans, too, since those who've always wanted their very own stuffed Hobbes can find loads of unofficial toys and patterns to create one online.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page You betcha.]]

** Someone actually wrote a book called ''Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie". The Author claims that it has nothing to do with Calvin and Hobbes, but [[BlatantLies she has the exact same first name as the fictional author of the book, so...]] Needless to say, most Calvin and Hobbes fans were not amused.

* TropeNamer:
** {{Calvinball}}: A sport Calvin invented where all the rules are made up on the fly, because Calvin hates having to follow the strict rules of organized sports.
** ChocolateFrostedSugarBombs: Calvin's favorite breakfast cereal, of which he proudly eats multiple bowls a day (occasionally with cola instead of milk), even though it makes him hyperactive as a result.
** CoolButStupid: Indirectly, from the line "This is so cool!" "This is so stupid!"
** FuzzTherapy: How Calvin describes the mutual pleasure both he and Hobbes incur when he rubs the tiger's belly after a "rotten day."
** MiseryBuildsCharacter: Often invoked by Calvin's Dad whenever he forces Calvin (or the family) to do something unpleasant. The line below is said by Calvin himself, parodying his own Dad. His mom nearly ''dies laughing''. Dad scowls in reply, but [[ActuallyPrettyFunny admits that's pretty good]].
--->''"Calvin, go do something you hate! Being miserable builds character!"''
** MostCommonSuperPower: The world of the strip itself does not contain examples; it's derived from Calvin and Hobbes [[ConversationalTroping discussing]] [[ShowWithinAShow comic books]]:
--->'''Hobbes:''' Is Amazon Girl's super power the ability to squeeze ''that'' figure into ''that'' suit?\\
'''Calvin:''' Nah, they can all do that.
** NoodleIncident: The mysterious "[[TropeNamers Noodle Incident]]." The story is just as fragmented and impenetrable in-universe; not even ''Santa Claus'' can piece it together. Calvin himself claims he was framed (on the few occasions he can even think about the event without having a panic attack.) WordOfGod has said that he never actually went into detail about the Noodle Incident on purpose. Watterson had plans to before he ended the comic, but he then figured that no matter what he came up with, it would never be as hilarious as the many things that the readers could have thought about it.
** NoodleImplements: By association from Noodle Incident.

** In one arc, Calvin decides to do an assignment on the debate over whether ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' was an active predator or a scavenger. At the time, this was a serious question in the paleontological community; today, pretty much everyone agrees that the whole debate is a FalseDichotomy since virtually no land carnivore only does one or the other (though ''T. rex'' was almost certainly more of a hunter than a scavenger; incidentally, Calvin also comes to the conclusion that it was a hunter, [[RightForTheWrongReasons not that it helps him]]). He also refers to ''Tyrannosaurus'' as a carnosaur, which was the belief of the time that all large theropods were carnosaurs, but tyrannosaurs have subsequently been reclassified as coelurosaurs.

** Watterson wrestled, for many years, with the idea of creating an AnimatedAdaptation of the strip. Although he rejected all other merchandising immediately, he has great respect for animation and considers it to have potential and possibilities that comics simply can't have. In the end, though, he decided against it; he was proud of the strip being his creation alone with no other hands involved, he found it scary to think of his characters being given voices (which would inevitably fail to match the ones in his or his readers' heads), and [[http://mentalfloss.com/article/53216/mental-floss-exclusive-our-interview-bill-watterson he decided that]], regardless of animation's possibilities, ''Calvin'' was designed to be a comic strip and a comic strip only, and would inevitably lose something if adapted. For what it's worth, Calvin and Hobbes did appear in a ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' skit in 2006, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyXJfUPSQhM "Happy Birthday, Calvin".]]

** During the late nineties, there was a rumor on a forum that there were plans to adapt an animated series featuring the voices of Creator/CharlieAdler as Hobbes, Creator/TressMacNeille as Ms. Wormwood, and [[DescendedCreator Bill Watterson himself]] as [[TalkingToHimself both Calvin and his dad]].

* AccentDepundent:

** One Sunday comic has Calvin narrating a story he wrote where Susie is eaten by a pack of ''Deinonychus''. They're very accurate for their time and even predate ''Film/JurassicPark'''s iconic raptors, but just like ''Jurassic Park'', they've since fallen under RaptorAttack with time, being depicted as both featherless and sophisticated pack-hunters.

* SeriesHiatus: Watterson took two sabbaticals during the original run of the comic. The first lasted from May 6, 1991 until February 1, 1992. The second began on April 4, 1994 and lasted through the end of that year. After the first sabbatical, the format of the Sunday strips changed to the expanded and more dynamic format, and after the second sabbatical, Watterson made the decision to conclude the strip at the end of 1995. At the time, Watterson was one of the very few newspaper cartoonists popular enough to be encouraged to take breaks by his syndication (the only others being the creators of ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'').

** Despite Watterson's merchandising ban on the series, [[https://www.amazon.com/Attatoy-17-inch-Striped-Sitting-Stuffed/dp/B0787GQGS3/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=hobbes&qid=1572201678&sr=8-4 Regit the Tiger]] is a stuffed tiger produced and sold by the company Attatoy that looks almost identical to Hobbes. There's even a thinly-veiled TakeThat to ''Calvin and Hobbes'', saying that Regit is "better than an imaginary friend!"

** Two strips featuring ''Pteranodon'' in Calvin's ImagineSpot show it leaping from a cliff to take flight, because at the time it was thought that this was the only way giant pterosaurs could achieve lift. Later studies indicate that pterosaurs could probably take-off from level ground by pushing off their wings, like pole vaulting.

** Despite Watterson's merchandising ban on the series, [[https://www.amazon.com/Attatoy-17-inch-Striped-Sitting-Stuffed/dp/B0787GQGS3/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=hobbes&qid=1572201678&sr=8-4 Regit the Tiger]] is a stuffed tiger produced and sold by the company Attatoy that looks very similar to Hobbes. There's even a thinly-veiled TakeThat to ''Calvin and Hobbes'', saying that Regit is "better than an imaginary friend!"

** In one arc, Calvin decides to do an assignment on the debate over whether ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' was an active predator or a scavenger. At the time, this was a serious question in the paleontological community; today, pretty much everyone agrees that the whole debate is a FalseDichotomy since virtually no land carnivore only does one or the other (though ''T-rex'' was almost certainly more of a hunter than a scavenger; incidentally, Calvin also comes to the conclusion that it was a hunter, not that it helps him). He also refers to ''Tyrannosaurus'' as a carnosaur, which was the belief of the time that all large theropods were carnosaurs, but tyrannosaurs have subsequently been reclassified as coelurosaurs.

** [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120812181540/candh/images/c/c3/Calvin_%26_Hobbes_Early_Version_Full.png Calvin was originally conceptualized]] with bangs and Hobbes' magical nature was just a very ''slight'' bit more explicit (as he was shown being sentient outside of Calvin's presence). He was also portrayed as a Cub Scout, a character trait which was present in the very earliest strips [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness but quickly phased out]].

* AccidentallyCorrectZoology: [[http://i.imgur.com/PQoI18Q.jpg This strip]] has the "''Calvinosaurus''", a monstrous giant carnosaur which eats sauropods... and happens to bear resemblance to a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that would be discovered a few years later and become well-known for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, known as ''Giganotosaurus''. Though this is canceled out by the fact that ''Giganotosaurus'' is actually not much bigger than ''Tyrannosaurus'' itself, nowhere near as large as ''Calvinosaurus'' which is ridiculously enormous to the point of eating the largest sauropods in a single bite[[note]]The SquareCubeLaw prevents any theropod from growing to such an enormous size as ''Calvinosaurus''[[/note]].

* AccidentallyCorrectZoology: [[http://i.imgur.com/PQoI18Q.jpg This strip]] has the "''Calvinosaurus''", a monstrous giant carnosaur which eats sauropods... and happens to bear resemblance to a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that would be discovered a few years later and become well-known for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, known as ''Giganotosaurus''. Of course, ''Giganotosaurus'' is actually not much bigger than ''Tyrannosaurus'' itself, nowhere near as large as ''Calvinosaurus'' which is ridiculously enormous to the point of eating the largest sauropods in a single bite[[note]]The SquareCubeLaw prevents any theropod from growing to such an enormous size as ''Calvinosaurus''[[/note]].

* AccidentallyCorrectZoology: [[http://i.imgur.com/PQoI18Q.jpg This strip]] has the "''Calvinosaurus''", a monstrous giant carnosaur which eats sauropods... and happens to bear resemblance to a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that would be discovered a few years later and become well-known for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, known as ''Giganotosaurus''. Of course, ''Giganotosaurus'' is obviously nowhere near as large as ''Calvinosaurus''; it's not even that much bigger than ''Tyrannosaurus'' itself[[note]]The SquareCubeLaw prevents any theropod from growing to such an enormous size as ''Calvinosaurus''[[/note]].

* AccidentallyCorrectZoology: [[http://i.imgur.com/PQoI18Q.jpg This strip]] has the "''Calvinosaurus''", a monstrous giant carnosaur who eats sauropods... which happens to bear resemblance to a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that would be discovered a few years later and become well-known for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, known as ''Giganotosaurus''. Of course, ''Giganotosaurus'' is obviously nowhere near as large as ''Calvinosaurus''; it's not even that much bigger than ''Tyrannosaurus'' itself. The SquareCubeLaw prevents any theropod from growing to such an enormous size as ''Calvinosaurus''.

* AccidentallyCorrectZoology: [[http://i.imgur.com/PQoI18Q.jpg This strip]] has the "Calvinosaurus", a monstrous giant carnosaur who eats sauropods... which happens to bear resemblance to a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that was discovered a few years later and became well-known for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, known as ''Giganotosaurus''. Of course, ''Giganotosaurus'' is obviously nowhere near as large as Calvinosaurus; it's not even that much bigger than ''Tyrannosaurus'' itself. The SquareCubeLaw prevents any theropod from growing to such an enormous size as Calvinosaurus.

* AccidentallyCorrectZoology: [[http://i.imgur.com/PQoI18Q.jpg This strip]] has the "Calvinosaurus", a monstrous giant carnosaur who eats sauropods...which happens to bear resemblance to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giganotosaurus a certain sauropod-hunting carnosaur discovered a few years later who is famous for usurping T. rex in size]]. [[note]]Even though ''Giganotosaurus'' is obviously nowhere near as large as Calvinosaurus; it's not even that much bigger than ''Tyrannosaurus'' itself. The SquareCubeLaw prevents any theropod from growing to such an enormous size as Calvinosaurus.[[/note]]