Hobbes: Real when nobody is around or just imagined to real by Calvin?

“Real” doesn’t mean “flesh and blood”, does it? Hobbes can be real and think thoughts and have ethics way beyond Calvin’s capacity without being breathing flesh and blood.

Spaceman Spiff is imaginary.

And, oh, side note. I hate the way Red and Rover tries to rip off Calvin and Hobbes with the time machine.

C&H exist in an artificial universe. And I don’t mean on the comics page. There’s the “real world” and spun off via a mysterious, possibly psychotic, process from that is the C&H universe. So Hobbes is “real” in that alternate universe. But the rules of that universe are that only Calvin can see him “in action”. So the mother and others also are as “real” as Hobbes within that universe.

Watch the movie “Harvey” for an analagous situation. Hobbes, like Harvey, is a Pooka.

You almost sound like you’re personally offended that people might think Hobbes is real in a fictional, cartoon, comic strip.

"They don't believe in me, Calvin. You know what you have to do. "

I have no idea why you think my post sounded as though I was offended. That’s inane.

I just have never actually met anyone who didn’t realize Hobbes was Calvin’s stuffed animal imaginary friend and was looking for clarification.

Neither of which is relevant, since Hobbes is clearly out of their field of vision.

Well, to be fair, I think it takes a pretty willful disregard for the meaning/intent of the work (or lack of comprehension) to honestly ask the question “does Hobbes actually magically come to life?”

Of course Hobbes is “just” a stuffed tiger (and the transmogrifier is “just” a cardboard box, etc etc etc). That doesn’t mean any of the thoughts/stories/experiences that Calvin has are less honest or true than those that involve Mrs. Wormwood the teacher (as opposed to Mrs. Wormwood the monster).

That’s the blurred line in Calvin and Hobbes, not whether anything in it is actually real or not, but whether or not the imagination is important or frivolous; whether or not we can find value and truth in fantasy.

ETA: my first sentence sounds a little snarky, and it’s not meant personally . . . I just think that if one thinks that Hobbes actually comes to life than one is struggling with comprehension of the comic strip.

It’s certainly ambiguous, but Hobbes does things like throw footballs to Calvin and throw snowballs at him. He hits baseballs as well.

Unfortunately, I must agree.

Hobbes does, however, moralize on Calvin’s actions to a point above Calvin’s social mores.
:slight_smile:

See here for an example of something Calvin couldn’t do on his own:

http://www.movoto.com/beverly-hills-ca/2850-benedict-canyon-dr-beverly-hills-ca-90210-204_12-620631/

Idle thoughts – admit it, you posted this just to get some great comics posted.

I’m gonna need you to take that back.

Yeah, you’re probably right. I don’t think Calvin would make a very good realtor, with or without Hobbes.

Yeah, I don’t think stufffed tigers can earn real estate licenses, even in California.

CFSBs is our generic household term for any sugary cereal.

Then- who ate the cookies? Not Calvin.

As TreacherousCretin sez, Hobbes is a Phooka, who is seen as a stuffed tiger to everyone but Calvin. No one but Calvin can see him, but they can sometimes see the results, such as cookies eaten, Calvin messed up after a “tiger attack”. , etc

Just like Buzz and Woody in Toy Story. It’s not that hard of a stretch.

A Most Excellent point, Sir. :slight_smile:

Nope.

It’s a Harvey-kinda thing.

You know, I mentioned púca first in post 30. I guess I should have mentioned Harvey while I was at it.

Hobbes has an independent existence: while he and Calvin share a special friendship, Hobbes doesn’t seem to me to be a particularly credible imaginary friend. For one thing he’s a lot smarter than Calvin. He certainly doesn’t agree with Calvin all or even most of the time. They have consistently different outlooks.

As noted upthread, Hobbes is cartoon-real: he’s as real as the falling anvils that (temporarily) turn Wile E Coyote into an accordion. The transmorgrifier and the planets where Calvin and Hobbes have their adventures are also real: they just aren’t accessible by the other characters in the strip, who perceive an odd kid playing with a stuffed animal. Nothing wrong with that: Watterson has stated that the strip is partly about differing perspectives.

Anyway, those are 2 of the main themes in Calvin and Hobbes: friendship and differing perceptions.
ETA: T-Rex in F-14. Not all that real, actually. T-Rex Jet | Know Your Meme