Summary

• Calvin and Hobbes mini-story implies that Hobbes is physically real after all, tying Calvin to a chair in a way impossible for someone to do to themselves.
• Bill Watterson clarifies that Hobbes isn't just Calvin's imaginary friend, but an independent person with his own thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
• The idea that Hobbes is real in Calvin and Hobbes adds to the fun and whimsical nature of the comic strip, encouraging readers to enjoy the adventures.

Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson was adamant for years that Hobbes wasn’t merely some imaginary friend, stressing how real he was to Calvin, which made Hobbes just as much a literal character as a representation of childhood imagination. However, there’s one Calvin and Hobbes mini-story that takes that idea a bit further, as it implies Hobbes is physically real after all.

Published between November 30, 1987, and December 5, 1987, was a single Calvin and Hobbes storyline that featured the titular troublemakers practicing their escape artist skills. Calvin asked Hobbes to tie him to a chair, and, like Houdini, Calvin was going to escape. However, right after Hobbes tied him up, Calvin was called for dinner. During the events of these strips, Calvin is yelling at Hobbes, begging the tiger to untie him, but Hobbes won’t budge.

Eventually, Calvin’s dad goes to see what is keeping Calvin from ing them at the dinner table, only to find his son tied to a chair. When his dad asked how Calvin managed to do this to himself, Calvin insisted that Hobbes tied him up, only for Calvin’s dad to scold him for lying. But, the thing is, Hobbes really did tie Calvin to the chair, and he did so in a way that would have been impossible for someone to do to themselves - indeed, the knot was tied behind Calvin.

Hobbes Really Did Tie Calvin to a Chair, Implying that He’s Physically Real - But, How?

Calvin and Hobbes has shown throughout the comic strip’s history - including in this storyline itself - that everyone who isn’t Calvin sees Hobbes as nothing more than a stuffed animal tiger. Hobbes is real to Calvin, and the two go on adventures constantly, but to the rest of world (including and especially Calvin’s parents), Hobbes isn’t really alive. However, that belief got flipped on its head during this story, since there’s no one else who could have tied Calvin to that chair.

With that, the real question arises: how? Again, Calvin’s dad saw Hobbes as a small stuffed animal when he went to untie his son, but Calvin sees Hobbes as an anthropomorphic tiger who’s taller than he is. Does this comic imply that Hobbes has some kind of shapeshifting power, able to transform between a stuffed animal and an anthropomorphic tiger on command? Or is this like a ‘Toy Story’ scenario, where Hobbes is a sentient toy and Calvin merely imagines him as a full-grown tiger?

As it stands, the ‘how’ of Hobbes tied Calvin to the chair, as well as the nature of his sentient existence, remains to be seen. However, what seems clear about this comic is that Hobbes is actually alive. That means Hobbes not only isn’t just a mere figment of Calvin’s imagination, but that Bill Watterson really meant what he said when he confirmed that Hobbes is more than Calvin’s imaginary friend.

Calvin and Hobbes Creator Bill Watterson Clarifies Hobbes’ Existence

Bill Watterson Interview with The Comics Journal, 1989

In a 1989 interview with The Comics Journal, Bill Watterson is asked about the nature of Hobbes’ existence. To Calvin, he’s an anthropomorphic tiger, but to everyone else - including and especially adults - Hobbes is just a stuffed animal, leading practically everyone to believe that Hobbes is just a product of Calvin’s creativity. Watterson clarifies, “That’s the assumption that adults make because nobody else sees him, sees Hobbes, in the way that Calvin does”.

The interviewer even brings up the 1987 comic strip that saw Hobbes tying Calvin to a chair as a reference to Watterson’s point that Hobbes isn’t just imaginary, but an independent person with his own thoughts, feelings and motivations. To that, Watterson said that he liked “the tension that that creates” where “something odd has happened and neither makes complete sense, so you’re left to make out of it what you want”.

It seems Watterson left it open to interpretation whether Hobbes is actually real or not, while maintaining the personal belief that Hobbes is real, not just imaginary. While many fans will likely continue to believe that Hobbes is a combination of Calvin’s stuffed tiger and a product of his creative imagination, it’s hard to argue with the creator of Calvin and Hobbes himself, not to mention the seemingly concrete evidence of Hobbes’ physical existence shown in this comic strip.

Why It’s Important that Hobbes Isn’t ‘Just’ Imaginary in Calvin and Hobbes

While the idea that Hobbes is simply Calvin’s imaginary friend does contribute to the overall tone of the comic strip, as Watterson was able to masterfully capture life as a child in a truly genuine and special way, it’s arguably better if Hobbes isn’t ‘just’ imaginary. If Hobbes was imaginary, then most of the Calvin and Hobbes strips would effectively be comics depicting Calvin playing by himself as opposed to playing with other kids, which could lead to Calvin neglecting real friendships.

With the idea that Hobbes is real, then the comic strip ceases to be one showing a kid playing by himself, but rather one depicting the very literal adventures of Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin isn’t isolating himself, and he isn’t neglecting to nurture friendships, he’s simply choosing to hang out with his very real best friend. Plus, seeing Hobbes as being real just makes the comic strip more fun to read. There are no undertones of a lonely kid making up friends who will play with him, just a fun strip that transports readers into a fantastical world.

What’s most important to when reading Calvin and Hobbes is, at the end of the day, it’s a comic. Nothing about it is supposed to be real, so lingering on in-world questions over whether Hobbes is real or imaginary is pointless - he’s a comic character. Hobbes is as real or imaginary as the reader sees him, and Bill Watterson made deliberate efforts to ensure that that line remained blurry. That being said, this one Calvin and Hobbes comic strip makes a pretty strong argument that Hobbes is real after all, since there’s no way Calvin tied himself to that chair.

Source: The Comics Journal