Let’s Go Explore ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ Tattoos

Reading the funny pages (or comics, if you’re more refined) was a simple pleasure enjoyed by generations. Now that most people don’t get the newspaper in any sort of physical form, especially the younger generations, this is becoming a forgotten pleasure. Even as their presence in our pop culture wanes, the truly iconic comic strips live forever. “Calvin and Hobbes” is one of the heavy hitters, still beloved 25 years after it ended. 

Many of the people who grew up loving Bill Watterson’s tale of a precocious young boy with an overactive imagination and his toy tiger have shown their adoration by getting a “Calvin and Hobbes” tattoo. 

While comics are often aimed at children, this was one of the few comics that spoke to children without speaking down to them. Few writers are able to capture what goes on inside the head of a mischievous child as perfectly as Watterson does. This is particularly obvious whenever the comic veers away from its normal routine to jump into Calvin’s imagination. Personally, I was an enormous fan of Tracer Bullet, Calvin’s alter-ego ripped right from the pages of one of Raymond Chandler’s noir detective novels. More often, Calvin took on the form of the mighty Spaceman Spiff as he went on adventures across the galaxy. 

Of course, we need to talk about Hobbes, the stuffed tiger who came to life in Calvin’s mind for all of their adventures. For Calvin, Hobbes is everything. Sometimes he’s a mildly-annoying pet, other times he’s Calvin’s best friend. 

There is so much to relate to in “Calvin and Hobbes,” especially as you get older and reminisce about the hours of joy that a simple cardboard box could provide. In this gallery of “Calvin and Hobbes” tattoos, you’ll find many of your favorite panels of the iconic comic strip. Enjoy.