The Far Side might not have followed the same cast from day-to-day, but it did have its share of recurring elements, including familiar settings and situations Gary Larson returned to again and again; perhaps the most memorable of these was the cocktail party, a set-up which allowed Larson to feature all kinds of characters mingling together, resulting in a variety of classic punchlines.

As a humorist, Gary Larson used The Far Side to analyze, interpret, and subsequently poke fun at and lampoon human behaviors – meaning that few social settings were as potent forums for his comedy as parties.

Parties themselves are a mix of awkward and over-the-top, just like the best Far Side cartoons, and these s starring an array of party-goers, from human, to animal, and beyond, represent a stand-out subset of Far Side joke. Among those collected here are some all-time great Gary Larson gags.

12 The Far Side On The Downside Of Certain Holiday Traditions

First Published: December 24, 1981

In this uncomfortable Far Side comic, a conventionally nerdy-looking, hunchbacked character shows up at a coworker's Christmas party and immediately makes things weird by hitting on the woman who answers the door, whom readers might assume is his coworker's wife. "Oh! Hey! Mistletoe!" he says in the middle of introducing himself, as it suddenly dawns on him that he might get to steal a smooch – as a trio of characters in the foreground shoot him judge-y, side-eyed looks.

Though on the surface, it might seem as though the humor here is based in the character's appearance, but, in fact, this Far Side Christmas comic seems to be more of a commentary on the inherent awkwardness of the "mistletoe" tradition, with the overeagerness of "Clarence Jones" meant to emphasize that.

11 The Far Side On The Joy Of Finding Someone You Vibe With At The Party

First Published: September 25, 1982

Again, the focus of this Far Side comic is on conventional vs. unconventional appearances, as it depicts two short, goofy-looking characters getting a look at one another for the first time in a room full of "normies." That is, most of the party-goers here are illustrated, by design, as exaggerated versions of an average person, in of body type, and also attire. The focal characters of the , by contrast, are deliberately depicted as extraordinary-looking, in the sense that they are out of sync with everyone around them.

Once again, a surface-level joke about appearances belies a deeper insight about going to parties – that if you're socially awkward, finding someone you have a connection with is what makes them bearable.

10 This Directionally-Challenged Far Side Dog Highlights The Strip's Goofy Side

First Published: June 22, 1984

This Far Side canine cartoon takes the party out of the main house, and into the doghouse, as "Tricksy" hosts some pooches from around the neighborhood at her place, with one of them stopping her to compliment the party, and also ask her "do you mind telling me which way to the yard?"

The punchline is meant to evoke the idea of an unfamiliar house guest fumbling around looking for the bathroom, but the composition of the make this joke seem especially silly, because the dog that can presumed to be speaking is standing directly in front of the entrance/exit to the dog house, making it seem extremely obtuse, if not downright dumb.

9 This Far Side Insect Shindig Shows The Comic's Penchant For Deep Thought

First Published: July 4, 1986

"I can't shake the feeling we're all just a bunch of bugs," one insect at a party tells another in this amusing Far Side comic, which captures a familiar phenomenon: that friend at the party who wants to by small talk and get straight to the meaning of life.

For some, this might represent an example of a Far Side joke that is too intellectual for its own good, at the expense of a strong punchline, while others will appreciate the scenario Larson is slyly satirizing here. By making his characters actual bugs, Gary Larson simultaneously amplifies and undermines this professed feeling of cosmic insignificance which, in itself, has become a trope of casual, faux-"deep" conversation.

8 The Far Side Version Of That Moment When Someone Shows Up To The Party Uninvited

First Published: February 5, 1987

The Far Side featured anthropomorphized versions of everything from cows to kitchen utensils, but this cartoon – which features a bunch of toes, disconnected from any feet having a party – certainly pushes the limit of this technique. It ultimately works, however, because it is in service to a joke about a familiar scenario: someone unwanted and uninvited showing up to crash the party.

In this case, it is "one wretched, mean-looking ingrown," and the visceral reaction most people will have to this imagery is what makes this Far Side punchline so effective; in other words, the ingrown toe nail equivalent of a human is not someone that polite society wants showing up at their door without warning.

7 The Far Side's "Chameleon Faux Pas" Cartoon Highlights A Classic Party Anxiety

First Published: March 30, 1987

This Far Side cartoon depicts a "chameleon faux pas," which is "arriving at a party in the same color as the host," echoing the human concern of wearing the same outfit to a party as someone else in attendance. Though this joke is filtered through a familiar Larsonian perspective, it is still an example of how The Far Side was often actually highly relatable.

What is curious about this cartoon, though, is why Gary Larson chose to render it in black-and-white – even in the 2003 Complete Far Side, which included many updated color editions of classic Far Side s – when the punchline centers on a reference to color, which could have been emphasized by the illustration.

6 Sometimes, There Ain't No Party Like A Far Side Party

First Published: May 2, 1987

As this list illustrates, The Far Side's party s often represented Gary Larson's humor at its most relatable – but just like with any conversation about The Far Side's conventions, one must always be prepared for a complete curveball. Case in point, this flummoxing cartoon features a party full of people holding porcupines, leading to an embarrassing moment for one of them, when "inexplicably, Bob's porcupine goes flat."

Likely, it is that sensation of embarrassment that this joke is supposed to evoke, yet the punchline here is arguably too "confusing, obtuse, esoteric, and strange" for readers to readily connect with it. For some, this might actually make this Far Side comic more memorable, but for many, it will stand out less in their mind in comparison to more successful party punchlines.

5 The Far Side Was Often A Catalog Of "Embarrassing Moments"

First Published: January 26, 1988​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​For a human party-goer, the peak of embarrassment might be to accidentally split their pants while busting a move on the dance floor – but in this strange and hilarious Far Side cartoon about microscopic characters, a gene named "Vinny" takes this one step further, full-on "mutating" in front of the other guests.

It is a bit of a high-brow joke, ittedly – one that is certainly funnier the more one knows about genetics, and genetic mutations – but Gary Larson pulls it off in this case with a strong illustration, as Vinny's warped, asymmetrical appearance sharply contrasts with the symmetry of the other genes in a way that makes the joke accessible to the average reader.

4 One Angry Guest Can Ruin A Whole Party, As This Far Side Cartoon Shows

First Published: March 23, 1990

In this classic Far Side cartoon, a Tarzan and Jane-esque couple host a party for their jungle friends, which features primates and pachyderms co-mingling just fine – that is, until "Tantor" the elephant "saw the ivory keyboard," at which moment, as the seemingly captures, he tosses his glass of wine and flies into an indignant rage.

This is a strong Far Side premise, almost laugh-out-loud in its own right, and Gary Larson skillfully captures the absurdity, and edge of danger, inherent in the scenario, with perhaps the funniest aspect of the illustration being the "uh-oh" look in the eyes of the human characters, as well as several of the apes.

3 The Far Side Gives "Shrimp Cocktail" An Entirely New Meaning

First Published: March 28, 1990

This Far Side cartoon takes place at a crustacean party, as a pair of crawfish flirt, with one asking, "listen, you want to come over to my place?" and then further trying to entice its potential mate by saying, "I get great FM" – in reference to the excessively large antenna sprouting from the top of its head.

It is another example of eliciting reactions from his readers, even if their response wasn't always positive.