Reading ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ to show how we grew up.

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betterlucknexttime81@reddit

My boyfriend loves Calvin and Hobbes, and it was one of my mom and dad’s special shared interests. My mom died many years ago. I started dating my boyfriend about two years ago and my dad’s really enjoying having someone to talk about Calvin and Hobbes with again.

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herpafilter@reddit

Man, Calvin was my hero growing up. I loved those books. I'd get a new one every Christmas for years, and it was the first strip I'd read in the paper. Such a joyful take on boyhood.

Seeing the strip end was a heartbreak. Looking back at it now I'm glad he ended it on his terms. Calvin and Hobbes were too good for the internet age.

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DustyScharole@reddit

Oh my God, I loved sitting on the floor with the paper eating lunch or something and reading the comics. Sunday was like a holiday.

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BusinessYou1657@reddit

I’ve tried explaining to my kids the excitement of waking up on Sunday and Dad returning from the corner store with the paper, but it just doesn’t sink in to them.

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Ok-Concert-6475@reddit

How did the series end? I don't remember.

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herpafilter@reddit

Perfectly.

https://www.reddit.com/r/calvinandhobbes/comments/knl9za/the_final_calvin_and_hobbes_strip_was_published/

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Ok-Concert-6475@reddit

You are right - that is wonderful.

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selkus_sohailus@reddit

Calvin for me at that age was an of irreverence, belligerence, disobedience, and pure imagination. It’s no wonder I sought counter culture all my life

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gooch_norris_@reddit

I vividly remember crying at that last Sunday strip

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Allaplgy@reddit

Still tear up at that last frame.

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Fantastic_Honey_7425@reddit

I also have a 7 y/o who’ve I introduced to C&H. Now when he makes up the rules at games on the fly and I call it Nateball instead of Calvinball, he gets it. Still does it, though.

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Magnificent95@reddit

Can confirm. Bought the fancy set on Amazon for my boys and the experience is indescribable. Good job, parent. We're doing okay.

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albauer2@reddit

Well done

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Snickrrs@reddit

My dad used to email me a Calvin & Hobbs strip every single day. This lasted for several years, and I loved it.

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bh4th@reddit

We got the omnibus s little while ago. Reading through it, I was struck by how much more I notice and empathize with his parents.

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optimaloutcome@reddit

I remember when I gave my calvin and hobbes comic books to my daughter. I was so stoked for her. She read them in the bathroom and would be in there forever :D

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3daycondor@reddit

I have the collected works, brand new in box, just waiting until my little dude is ready. I’m excited

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Trixie1143@reddit

Love it. Still the biggest fan.

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Crafty-Alfalfa5298@reddit

What a great idea!

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BookMan78@reddit

My son (7yo) pulled them off the shelf to read. I had a lot of explaining to do at first, and I'm not sure he gets it yet, but he had some good questions and understands that it's from a while ago. I started reading them at the orthodontist when I was 11yo so I hope he keeps reading them until he has the maturity and experience to get the subtext and context. He likes Invader Zim and other "classic" weirdly adult themed cartoons at the same basic level, and I have hopes that eventually he'll get the real jokes in it all

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SenorWeird@reddit

There is ONE Calvin and Hobbes comic I hate. One out of the thousands of amazing comics that are absolutely perfect. And it's a great comic too. But the one where Calvin and Hobbes are sure they hear Santa putting up presents and then the next panel is Dad cursing because he hurt himself on a present and Mom saying "Be quiet; he'll hear you" ruined Santa for me.

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cmotdibblersdelights@reddit

I showed my 7 year old Calvin last year and she is obsessed. She loves all of them. Unfortunately Calvin influenced her to go from loving baths to dragging her feet when time to bathe "because Calvin doesnt like taking baths so I dont either" dang it calvin!!

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DeuceOfDiamonds@reddit

As an untreated ADHD kid with a big vocabulary, Calvin was kind of an alter-ego for me. Not as much in the misbehaving side, but living in a world of fantasy was absolutely me as a kid.

And I have to say, even though it's not a Watterson comic, as an adult I find this both relatable and heartbreaking at the same time.

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moles-on-parade@reddit

I've been giving a couple Calvin and Hobbes books to my nephew every year. It's going to be rough when they run out. He loves 'em.

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J_Robert_Matthewson@reddit

Calvin was probably the first fictional character I ever I identified with. He was 6 when the strip debuted in '85. I was 6 in 85. He was the kid who narrated his own adventures aloud. Same. He had a cast of characters & personas he created. Yep yep. He was seen by adults and his peers as a weirdo. Oh, Jebus yes.

It was the most honest take on childhood I ever saw and I still treasure my beat up & battered collections.

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spderweb@reddit

Oh, that's a great idea.

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Appropriate-Diver301@reddit

All my kids have been exposed to Calvin and Hobbes and like(d) them. My daughter even had a crush on Calvin when she was small and would call him on her 'block' phone. You know, that wooden block that was old school phone receiver shaped.

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neonbrownkoopashell@reddit

I bought a friend’s kid the complete set. Everyone needs to know C&H

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MortgageRegular2509@reddit

I bought the complete collection for my two boys.

I was an only child, and watching them grow up has been an education in having siblings for me. I wanted to give them a glimpse into not only my childhood, but something I truly loved as a child

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pixeequeen84@reddit

So, don't judge me, my MIL bought some Calvin and Hobbes fleece blankets off temu. They aren't great and we didn't ask for them. I also live in a trailer park. The Calvin and Hobbes blankets are my current bedroom curtains. I fucking love the comic, and love that Bill Watterson never did any licensing. (yet this temu bullshit exists for whatever reason). Anyway, someday I'll get real curtains for my weirdly sized 1978 trailer house windows, but I wake up to Calvin every morning and I'm happy with that.

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JollyJeanGiant83@reddit

Our cats are brothers named Calvin and Hobbes!

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YcemeteryTreeY@reddit

Oh man, youre a great parent, kids lucky to have you. You may have to sprinkle in some Far Side, too

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Small_life@reddit

I've done this with all my daughters. It's actually amazing how much they understand but it's also a good window on the past

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YourOwnPunkyBrewster@reddit

Oh you’re so lucky!! I read ALL the books during my middle school years! Still the BEST comic strip of all time! I miss it, but also respect Bill Waterson’s art and non-commercialization, and reason to not put it in syndication forever and ever and ever

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YourOwnPunkyBrewster@reddit

Oh you’re so lucky!! I read ALL the books during my middle school years! Still the BEST comic strip of all time! I miss it, but also respect Bill Waterson’s art and non-commercialization, and reason to not put it in syndication forever and ever and ever

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seaderforge@reddit

gif

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unlovelyladybartleby@reddit

My kid loved those and I just gave one to my niece as a reward for competing in the school reading challenge. She's a Calvin through and through

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_bigeuge_@reddit

I saved up allowance to buy those books at school Book Fairs. I still have my dog eared and water stained copies on a shelf somewhere. Too shabby to pass on.

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JasJoeGo@reddit

My wife gave me the complete boxed set for Christmas a few years ago. I’m a professor with hundreds of books but that set is one of my favorites. Still amazing.

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Broad_Tie9383@reddit

Envious. I gave my kid one of my Calvin and Hobbes books just a few days ago, and he told me he wasn't going to read that.

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Future-Raisin3781@reddit

Watching my son read through my old Calvin and Hobbes books was one of the great joys of parenting for me.

IMO, one of the best traditions I think parents of our generation can hand down. Those books are sacred texts in my house.

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