# Is The Far Side Returning? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244 "2019-09-15T02:22:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/42 "2019-09-18T02:06:26Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Oh please, oh please. [One of my all-time favorites](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/b8/94/d0b894cf5c6141071095541e08c60c67.jpg). Well played. ---
**Author:** ![kirkrapine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@kirkrapine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirkrapine)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/43 "2019-09-18T02:07:45Z")
> [@kirkrapine](#): > > I once had a hardbound collection with contained a section of “Censored Cartoons.” From the same volume: Gary told how an entomologist contacted him and asked his permission to name a [newly discovered species of louse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strigiphilus_garylarsoni) after him. His response: “Well, I knew nobody was going to offer to name a new species of swan after me . . .” See also the [thagomizer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thagomizer). ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/44 "2019-09-18T02:42:41Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Lol! > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > [One of my all-time favorites](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/b8/94/d0b894cf5c6141071095541e08c60c67.jpg). Well played. I must confess I stole the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/45 "2019-09-18T13:22:17Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Oh please, oh please. I’m glad others pointed out the classic joke. Very nice, well done. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/46 "2019-09-18T15:07:46Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Sounds a lot more like Bill Watterson, who resisted merchandising his characters in any way, and fought hard to get total control over them from the syndicate so they couldn’t merchandise them without his approval. Larson pretty clearly never had a problem with merchandising the heck out of his comic. Not a mind-reader, but I think he made a distinction between book collections and sticking his cartoons on calendars, and having his characters (though, as noted upthread, WHAT characters?) selling Zingers. YMMV. Hell, maybe it was Watterson. My galloping senility is definitely a thing. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > [One of my all-time favorites](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/b8/94/d0b894cf5c6141071095541e08c60c67.jpg). Well played. Yeah, mine too. It’s the dog’s understated expression that makes it funny. And the “CAT FUD” signs. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/47 "2019-09-18T16:22:37Z")
We still spell it that way on our shopping lists. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/48 "2019-09-18T16:24:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > We still spell it that way on our shopping lists. We do, too! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/49 "2019-09-18T17:23:54Z")
We also do. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/50 "2019-09-18T17:24:43Z")
[Mr. Osborne — May I be excused? My brain is full.](https://pics.me.me/mr-osborne-may-i-be-excused-my-brain-is-full-34392447.png) Ran into stuff similar to that all too often as a prof. [When cows ruled the Earth.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9jSj-AgfGRk/V8h3wFoxUuI/AAAAAAAABs0/lazsow8krF8ODedM1QT0hzx0OorxYu_qACLcB/s1600/cows.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/51 "2019-09-18T19:18:54Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > Yeah, mine too. It’s the dog’s understated expression that makes it funny. And the “CAT FUD” signs. After one of our dogs got into the kibble, we got a sealable “vault” that hold pet food securely. OF COURSE I hand-lettered a shaky “CAT FUD” on the label. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/52 "2019-09-19T01:08:42Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > After one of our dogs got into the kibble, we got a sealable “vault” that hold pet food securely. > > OF COURSE I hand-lettered a shaky “CAT FUD” on the label. Same here… ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/53 "2019-09-19T01:53:46Z")
Larson definitely did more than just calendars; I distinctly remember one of the older kids in my neighborhood had [this “bummer of a birthmark” T-shirt](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6c/9f/da/6c9fdaf3af4caa38653650a536af11aa.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/54 "2019-09-19T13:42:23Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I had the one-a-day calendar for many years in a row. I still have them all in boxes downstairs(I kept them as I ripped them off). I did that for several years, and finally decided it was just too much to keep up with. I think I kept two and have them somewhere: “Snake Talk” (which I realized much later than I should have was a parody of _Car Talk_) and my favorite _Far Side_ of all time: “before you leave this valley, each of you will be wearing a duck.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/55 "2019-12-17T17:39:21Z")
[It’s back](https://www.thefarside.com/), sort of. The New York Times has an [article](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/arts/far-side-gary-larson.html) about it (paywall warning). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/56 "2019-12-17T17:47:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Trying to exert some control over my cartoons has always been an uphill slog, and I’ve sometimes wondered if my absence from the web may have inadvertently fueled someone’s belief my cartoons were up for grabs. They’re not. But it’s always been inherently awkward to chase down a _Far Side_–festooned website when the person behind it is often simply a fan. (Although not everyone is quite so uncomplicated in their motives; my cartoons have been taken and used to help sell everything from doughnuts to rodent control. At least I offer range.) So I’m hopeful this official website will help temper the impulses of the infringement-inclined. Please, whoever you are, taketh down my cartoons and let this website become your place to stop by for a smile, a laugh, or a good ol’ fashioned recoiling. And I won’t have to release the Krakencow. > > So here we go. I hope you enjoy [TheFarSide.com](http://TheFarSide.com). I’m very grateful to the digital team at AMU, my longtime publisher, for all their input and hard work on this project. And for those of you who are familiar with _The Far Side_, and perhaps wishing it had been online before now (as opposed to those who are familiar with my work and have an opposing view), thank you for your patience. I hope all the reasons I’ve given here help explain why I’m so late to this party. But I’m finally here. And I could use a drink. > > — Gary Larson Excerpted from [here](https://www.thefarside.com/about/48/a-letter-from-gary-larson). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/57 "2019-12-17T18:29:04Z")
The New York Times article says that the site is mostly going to have existing strips, although it also mentions new stuff, “There will also be a look at doodles from the sketchbooks of Larson, who said: ‘I’m looking forward to slipping in some new things every so often.’” (I imagine that one of the tough things about being a daily cartoonist is having to come up with new ideas on a regular basis, so this frees him to only do new stuff when he wants to and has a good idea.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/58 "2019-12-17T22:40:52Z")
Or at least, an idea that he thinks is a good one. You can’t hit Larsonesque levels of absurdity without occasionally hitting a few duds. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/59 "2019-12-18T16:02:30Z")
here is another article about the website > **[The Far Side arrives online, along with the promise of new comics](https://www.cnet.com/culture/the-far-side-arrives-online-along-with-the-promise-of-new-comics/)** > > Gary Larson finally brings his oddball wit to the web. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/60 "2019-12-18T16:03:45Z")
Mods, pleas delete this. I got overexcited and did not see the other discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244/61 "2019-12-18T16:04:35Z")
already discussed here [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=882062](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=882062) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-far-side-returning/840244.md?page=4)