Calvin and Hobbes is the beloved comic strip series it is today because of its focus on characters over gags, its ability to perfectly capture the world through the eyes of a child, and its witty humor mixed with its iconic art style. Not only that, but Calvin and Hobbes has also offered surprisingly insightful commentary on society from time to time, making the series even more interesting for readers.

The comic strip medium is rife with gag-based humor and one-off jokes that usually don’t amount to anything more than brief escapism for the reader. While Calvin and Hobbes occasionally follows that trend, it’s also so much more than that. The series takes its time fleshing out the personalities of characters, allowing the jokes to flow naturally. Calvin and Hobbes also doesn’t shy away from social commentary, with jokes that are a bit more substantial than one-off gags. While there’s no shortage of them, here are 10 times when Calvin and Hobbes made surprisingly insightful commentary on society!

10 Calvin and Hobbes Calls Out Society's Tendency to Reject Living in the Moment

As Calvin and Hobbes are riding in their red wagon together, speeding down a hill through the woods, Calvin starts talking to Hobbes about how people tend to not live in the moment, and as a result, their entire life just es them by. The comic strip is a self-aware joke, as Calvin is literally not living in the moment, but it also speaks to a larger problem found in society.

As a society, people tend to allow their lives to them by for the sake of conformity. They work jobs they hate for most of their lives to buy things they don't need in order to present a level of sustainability that they might not even care about. This doesn't apply to everyone, of course, but it's a large enough issue to be addressed, and Calvin and Hobbes did just that.

9 Calvin and Hobbes Comments on the Problems with Modern Friendships

Calvin and Hobbes are walking through the woods one day - as they often do - and Calvin starts talking about how he wished people were more like animals, specifically when it comes to friendships. Calvin says that animals don't care about things like money or status, they become friends with each other for no other reason than a genuine connection, which is something Calvin doesn't see people do.

Too often in society, people only become friends with each other because there's something in it for them. They will see someone who is wealthy or popular, and try to become their friend for those reasons alone. No genuine connection or interest in actual friendship, just superficiality. It's an interesting take on modern friendships, and Calvin and Hobbes articulates it perfectly.

8 Calvin and Hobbes Understands the Nature of Children's Television

Calvin runs up to his television set, turns it to his favorite channel, then sits right in front of the screen and says, "Pander to me". On the surface, this is just a simple comic showing Calvin watching TV, which is a great representation of the childhood experience (especially in the '90s). However, this comic also addresses something interesting about modern society as it relates specifically to children.

While Calvin is self-aware enough to understand that certain shows are created to target children for the sole purpose of selling them something (toys, junk food, etc.), most kids aren't. All they see is bright and flashy content, and when they see that same brand in the store, of course they want their parents to buy it for them. Society has totally accepted targeted ads at children through entertainment, and Calvin and Hobbes points that out.

7 "Enmity Sells": Calvin and Hobbes Calls Out 1 of Society's Biggest Shortcomings

Calvin is writing a fundraising letter to raise money through donations. The trick is to convince people to donate as much money as possible, and Calvin tells Hobbes that he's found the perfect way to do just that. Calvin says, "the secret to getting donations is to depict everyone who disagrees with you as the enemy" before he goes on to say, "Our only hope is well-funded antagonism", as that's the only way to 'win the fight'. Hobbes disagrees with Calvin's methods, but the six-year-old simply says, "Enmity sells".

Depicting the opposition as the enemy in a 'spiritual war' over the morals of society as a whole is a trick that politicians use to raise money all the time - and people always fall for it. Manufacturing animosity for money has become a mainstay in modern society, and Calvin and Hobbes calls out this shortcoming.

6 Calvin and Hobbes Highlights the Grueling Facts of Life

Calvin shouts at his dad that he doesn't want to go, so Calvin's dad tells him that that's fine, and that he'll go to school in Calvin's place, and Calvin can be responsible for going to work and providing for the family. In the end, Calvin decides that school is better than work (if only by a small margin), and while he's waiting for the bus, Calvin says, "It's nice to know there's so much in life to look forward to".

As a kid, one has to go to school until they're old enough (and educated enough) to the work force, and then they have to work a job until they're old enough (or financially stable enough) to retire. It's a vicious cycle that begins for everyone at the age of six, and Calvin and Hobbes highlights that.

5 Calvin and Hobbes Highlights the Importance of Societal Empathy

Calvin and Hobbes are walking through the woods together, and Calvin tells his best friend that he's decided to do away with empathy. He's going to throw ethics out the window to focus on purely selfish pursuits. In response, Hobbes pushes Calvin in the mud, saying he did it because Calvin was in his way, hoping to teach the kid a lesson.

Calvin's belief system in this comic strip is something that's rampant in modern society, as everyone seems to be competing with one another, each of them holding the mindset that they'll do whatever it takes to get ahead no matter what they have to do, or who they'll have to 'step on'. Calvin and Hobbes highlights the importance of societal empathy by presenting this mindset as wrong, and it does so in a hilarious manner.

4 Calvin and Hobbes Comments on Society's Collective Desire to 'Grow Up'

Calvin's dad is wide awake in the middle of the night, having a bit of an existential crisis. When Calvin's mom catches him in said crisis, she asks what's keeping him awake. Calvin's dad says that he can't stop thinking about the fact that adults don't automatically know how to handle life just because they're older, regretting how much he wanted to grow up when he was a kid.

The crisis Calvin's dad is having in this strip is indicative of society's collective mindset. Everyone is always in such a hurry to grow up, and that can be seen everywhere. From kids adopting more mature interests to young adults choosing security over experiences, society's collective desire to 'grow up' is rampant - and Calvin and Hobbes reveals being an adult isn't all it's cracked up to be.

3 Calvin and Hobbes Perfectly Captures the Downside of Being a Kid

In this Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, readers are given 'a day in the life of Calvin'. Calvin is woken up early for school where he's scolded by his teachers and picked on by the school bully until it's time to go home, where he's forced to do homework before eating a dinner he doesn't like, followed by a bath and then right back to bed, only to start the vicious cycle over again the next day.

Calvin's experience depicted in this comic is one that millions of kids can relate to, and it's pretty sad to look out when it's laid out in a single-page comic like this. Sure, children need structure to become productive adults, but it's also important for society to address the toll this can have on them - and Calvin and Hobbes perfectly captures that.

2 Calvin and Hobbes Points Out the Annoyances of Societal Conformity

Calvin's dad tells him that he's proud of him for ing the softball team, but Calvin its that he only did it to stop getting teased. Calvin's dad explains that playing team sports is a good thing because it builds character and teaches the importance of teamwork. However, Calvin says that he doesn't want to build character or learn about teamwork, he just wants to do his own thing while it's still socially acceptable for him to.

The whole reason Calvin's dad wants him to learn about teamwork is that, when he becomes an adult, Calvin won't be able to just go off and 'play by himself'. And, the only reason Calvin agreed to play a team sport is that he was pressured into it. Basically, this whole comic strip points out the annoyance of societal conformity, a sentiment that many people assuredly share.

1 Calvin and Hobbes Gives a Meta Perspective on Comics' Social Commentary

Aside from Hobbes pointing out how absurd certain costumes can be in comic books, this Calvin and Hobbes comic strip offers a meta perspective on how comics actually deal with serious topics despite seemingly being nothing more than children's entertainment. Obviously, Calvin and Hobbes itself is a comic, and as every strip on this list confirms, it's no stranger to dealing with serious topics, including and especially when it comes to society.

Indeed, Calvin and Hobbes has made insightful social commentary many times throughout its publication history, including in this very comic strip, where it points out how comics as a whole regularly offer meaningful commentary. By doing so, Calvin and Hobbes proves its own point, making this one of the 10 standout times Calvin and Hobbes made surprisingly insightful commentary on society.