Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes is looked back fondly over its imaginative spirit. The charming comic strip followed a six-year-old who saw the world through creative eyes. When Calvin wasn't on an adventure as Spaceman Spiff or Tracer Bullet, he was simply chatting it up with his anthropomorphic tiger, Hobbes. But one underrated running gag was the use of dinosaurs and the former's many fantasies of them.

Like any kid, Calvin found the leviathans interesting and with his imagination, he'd pretend to be a dinosaur or just think about how much better life would be with dinos in it. Read on to discover ten of the funniest Calvin and Hobbes strips involving dinosaurs.

10 Know-It-All

It’s clear that Calvin has a deep knowledge of dinosaurs from his many imaginary scenarios. But readers actually get a look at just how much the young man knows about the prehistoric beasts in this strip. Here, Calvin and his parents walk through a museum, and he demands they not embarrass him, leading his father to question why they’re going if Calvin already knows everything. Calvin is usually the one embarrassing his family with his antics, so it’s quite funny to see him think that they’ll be the ones causing a scene.

9 Transmogrifier

Fans of Calvin and Hobbes are undoubtedly familiar with the Transmogrifier, the device that Calvin ‘invented’ that could turn him into anything he desired. Here, he introduces the machine, which is really just a cardboard box with writing on the sides. Hobbes is unimpressed with the device when Calvin reveals that it can only turn someone into a limited array of animals, including a dinosaur. But Calvin says that’s easily fixed thanks to the spare room he left on the sides. Despite creating something that could turn anyone into anything, Calvin surprisingly didn’t think outside the box with his initial options.

8 "Tyrannosaurs in F-14s!"

Hobbes might be Calvin’s closest confidante, but that doesn’t mean the tiger always agrees with his pal. In this strip, Calvin plays with Hobbes and sets a scene with a herd of chasmosaurs that take note of something unusual in the air. But instead of their normal predators, the innocent dinos are being hunted by tyrannosaurs in F-14s. The last shows the titular duo playing as Calvin is overjoyed at introducing fighter jets into his dinosaur play while Hobbes comments on how stupid the idea is. It’s a wonderfully absurd premise that even one of the title characters takes issue with.

7 Systemic Approach

Calvin and Hobbes was always at its best when the former acted as if he was in his own little world. In this strip, Calvin has decided to start looking for dinosaur bones. Unfortunately, he’s unsuccessful and laments that he’s not in an archeological spot. But Calvin continues with his work as the last reveals that he’s dug up nearly the entirety of his yard. Calvin is definitely a bright kid, but his hyper-fixation on his lofty goals often blinds him to reality and gets him into hilarious predicaments that are sure to land him in trouble.

6 "WAKE UP!"

Calvin and Hobbes might be best buddies, but that doesn’t mean the latter will stand for all of Calvin’s childish games. In this strip, Calvin attempts to play dinosaurs and acts like a mighty tyrannosaurus. Sadly for Calvin, Hobbes is more interested in catching some Zs than he is in playing. Calvin yells at Hobbes to wake up, and in a fit of rage, Hobbes chases after Calvin, who isn’t exactly a ‘mighty’ tyrannosaurus anymore. It’s always funny seeing Calvin bite off more than he can chew, especially when it’s his imaginary friend that’s teaching him a lesson.

5 "Tyrannosaurus Wants Cookies!"

Try as they might, Calvin’s parents just couldn’t get through to their son when he was caught up in his fantasies. In this strip, a routine trip to the grocery store becomes a hazardous outing when Calvin decides to pretend to be a tyrannosaurus. In his mind, Calvin is on a rampage, causing innocent people to flee in terror. In reality, all Calvin’s done is make a mess, leading to his mother throwing a fit as Calvin demands cookies. While it’s a nightmare scenario for parents, it’s always funny seeing Calvin utterly lost in his pretend world.

4 Denial

School isn’t exactly Calvin’s favorite thing in the world. But Miss Wormwood’s class isn’t enough to stop Calvin from daydreaming. This strip starts with a dinosaur flying high in the sky right before it gets into a fight with another mighty beast. Calvin’s teacher interrupts his thoughts and asks him what state he’s in, to which the clever child replies “Denial”. However, the teacher is just as quick on her feeet, saying she can’t argue with that. It’s quite funny seeing someone have a snappy retort to Calvin’s repeated dinosaur fantasies.

3 Snowball Fight

Calvin often butted heads with his neighbor, Susie Derkins, and would sometimes find ways to provoke her. This strip sees Calvin pull Susie into his dinosaur fantasy. He visualizes Susie as a brachiosaurus and, as a tyrannosaurus, attacks her. In reality, Calvin just threw a snowball, but that’s enough for Susie to start fuming and go on the offensive. Hilariously enough, Calvin’s own fantasy reflects this, showing the T. Rex flee from the brachiosaurus. With Calvin’s faith in the tyrannosaur shattered, he throws his entire dinosaur collection away.

2 Extinct

Sometimes Calvin could get a little too deep into his pretend games. This strip sees Calvin narrate his life as if he really was a dinosaur. The powerful tyrannosaur stalks through the prehistoric glades, terrorizing all who come across him. In actuality, Calvin is just stomping around driving his mom mad. But Calvin’s imagination gets him into serious trouble when he decides to take a bite out of his mom’s leg. Calvin’s playtime is over as he’s chased around the house, noting he’s discovered why the tyrannosaurus became extinct, a hilarious and fitting end.

1 Pteranodon

Yes, Calvin’s playtime could get him into trouble. But one funny, yet dark Calvin and Hobbes strip actually shows him putting his life in danger. Calvin is seen putting an odd outfit together and heading outside. While his mom initially thinks nothing of it, she puts two and two together once she sees a ladder on the side of the house. While readers don’t see what Calvin is doing, his imagination is focused on the flight abilities of the Pteranodon, hinting that Calvin is close to jumping. It’s a bit disturbing, but it’s quite funny as well.

Dinosaurs are one of the best running gags featured in Calvin and Hobbes, and these ten definitely stand out as some of the series' funniest.