Calvin and Hobbes’ longest-running jokes is all about Calvin’s biggest source of frustration - and who’s secretly to blame.

Throughout Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin has been notoriously bad at math. He can’t pay attention to the lesson in class, and he has trouble understanding the problems during tests, quizzes, and homework. And the reason for that is explained in the series’ longest-running joke: it’s all Hobbes’ fault.

In the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip published November 21, 1985 (the first week of the comic strip’s publication), Calvin brings Hobbes to school with him. To everyone around them, Hobbes is merely Calvin’s stuffed animal. But, to Calvin, Hobbes is the anthropomorphic tiger fans know and love. As such, Hobbes can help Calvin out with his school work - in this case, math. When Calvin gets stumped on a particular problem (7+3), he asks Hobbes what the answer is, and the tiger confidently (and incorrectly) answers: 73.

Hobbes is to Blame for Calvin Being Bad at Math

Hobbes Confidently Gives Calvin the WRONG Answers in Calvin and Hobbes Strips Published 11/21/85, 1/6/88, and 9/12/94 (Just to Name a Few)

Hobbes giving Calvin the wrong answer to a math question in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip published November 21, 1985, was the first of many similar instances. While Hobbes wasn’t always hiding under Calvin’s desk at school, he did remain a notoriously bad influence on him when it comes to understanding his math lessons, something that’s shown time and again throughout Calvin and Hobbes’ publication history.

In the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip published January 6, 1988, Calvin is sitting at home, working on his math homework - and Hobbes is right there next to him. Calvin tells Hobbes that he can’t figure out the math problem: 9+4. He lets Hobbes take a look at the equation, hoping that his best friend can help him figure it out. Instead, Hobbes just makes the entire thing even more confusing.

Hobbes says that he needs to use calculus and apply imaginary numbers in order to solve this problem. Hobbes then proceeds to name off his own imaginary numbers - as in, numbers that don’t exist (which is obviously not how it’s done in calculus).

Then, in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip published September 12, 1994, Calvin once again goes to Hobbes for help on his math homework, and once again, he’s led astray by the anthropomorphic tiger. This time, Calvin can’t figure out what 6+3 is, and when he asks Hobbes, the tiger goes on a tirade of nonsensical gibberish that would only sound mathematical to the ears of a six-year-old kid like Calvin.

First, Hobbes straight up tells Calvin that they shouldn’t care about finding the answer, or the math problem in general. And he does this while explaining that the answer (which he represents as ‘Y’) might be a square number - so, naturally, Hobbes draws a square. Now Hobbes has Calvin doing geometry, just to solve a simple addition problem.

Being Bad at Math is Calvin’s Biggest Frustration for 1 Reason: Susie

As long-time readers of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip know, Calvin is actually a really smart kid. He lets his own imagination distract him from school work, sure, but he has a curious mind and can understand subjects that most six-year-olds can’t comprehend. That’s why being bad at math frustrates him so much, because he knows that he’s smart enough to understand it, he simply has no interest in it, so the lessons never stick. However, self-criticism has nothing on the level of frustration Calvin feels for a totally different reason: Susie.

Susie and Calvin have had a bit of a rivalry throughout the comic strip’s history. While they are friends for the most part, the two often cannot stand each other. In fact, every once in a while, they’ll make bets on which of them is more skilled or intelligent in any given scenario - and that includes math.

In the Calvin and Hobbes comic published September 23, 1994, Calvin and Susie are getting their quizzes back after they were graded, and Susie reminds Calvin about the bet they made before taking them. The bet was that whoever got a lower grade would have to pay the other 25 cents. Since Susie got a perfect score, Calvin would owe her money if he just got a single question wrong. Unfortunately for Calvin, he flunked the whole quiz, meaning he didn’t have a chance.

So, not only did Calvin owe Susie money, but she also won bragging rights over him by proving that she’s better at math than he is. Given the nature of their relationship, that is a major source of frustration for Calvin. He and Susie compete in everything, even when they’re just playing games with each other. Therefore, Susie having evidence of being smarter than Calvin at something like math really stinks for the six-year-old kid - and it seems he has Hobbes to blame for being so much worse at math than Susie.

Jokes Aside, Calvin Only Has Himself to Blame for Being Bad at Math

Calvin Failed the Math Quiz & Lost His Bet with Susie Because of Himself (NOT Hobbes)

Calvin being bad at math is a major source of frustration, mostly because Susie understands it better than he does, and he’s determined to be better than Susie at everything. It’s also frustrating for him because he knows he’s smart enough to do better. And, as previously mentioned, the reason he isn’t as good at math as he could be is because of Hobbes - or, is it?

Sure, Hobbes giving Calvin the wrong answers or tutoring him incorrectly may be the series’ longest-running joke (starting in the first week of the comic’s publication and going all the way to its last few months), but it is just that: a joke. In truth, Calvin is the only one to blame for being bad at math. He was the one who daydreamed about his Calvin and Hobbes' alter ego Spaceman Spiff during his quiz, which is why he lost the bet to Susie. Plus, if Hobbes truly is Calvin’s imaginary friend, then the bad advice he’s getting from him really is just coming from himself.

While Hobbes’ hand in Calvin being bad at math is just the punchline of the series’ longest-running joke, the frustration Calvin feels from being bad at math is very real, especially when it comes to being worse at math than Susie - and this running gag perfectly (and hilariously) details that frustration throughout Calvin and Hobbes.