The Far Side is famous for taking the mundane and twisting it fit into the topsy turvey world dreamed up by Gary Larson. And the imagination and wonder of the circus offersplenty of material. From the treatment of animals in circuses to imagining an intergalactic twist on the entertainment, Gary Larson's dark humor runs wild under the big top.

Likewise, the clowns of the circus are given the spotlight in many circus themed comic strips, with The Far Side imagining: what would it be like if clowns ran congress? How competitive does the industry really get? And how much do we really know about what goes on behind the scenes of the circus? The answers are guaranteed to make you laugh.

10 "An Alien Circus Company"

September 14, 1992

When a professor unfortunately gets abducted by aliens, he is given an odd job by his captors: to write calculus equations as entertainment as part of an alien circus act. Doing calculus is hard enough, but the pressure of an alien holding a whip three feet from you does not exactly help matters. An alien Far Side circus is a far cry from a human one, but there is still a center ring and a ringleader, leaving some odd similarities that establish the setting of the events of the strip for the reader. Nevertheless, Professor Doyle is one truly unlucky guy to not just get abducted by aliens, but an alien circus at that. At least his math knowledge is paying off for him in this alien circus, or who knows what would have happened for him.

9 "Lipizzaner Cows"

May 12, 1993

You might see outlandish animal acts at a circus, but a pyramid of cows, is downright astounding. which would understandably astound anyone who sees the sight. Moreover, a formation of cows where a farmer is milking the cow at the top is the act captured in The Far Side. Talk about multitasking. Not only is this pyramid a showstopper for the circus viewers, but it manages to do justice to the astounding legacy of the Lipizzaner Horses for which they're named. Albeit in a manner far more befitting of dairy cows.

8 "Clowngress"

January 15, 1992

Gary Larson loves a good pun, and is incredibly adept at delivering them (as seen in virtually hundrds of comic strips serving as a testament to his word play talents). Imagining a congress that is filled with clowns, this version of Congress gets a punny makeover and becomes Clowngress, which is a lot more colorful and zany. There are kick me signs on , while employees compete to make their ID badge photos as ridiculous as possible. The Clownrgress of The Far Side seems a lot more fun than the real world, but that could be said for many Far Side comic strips at the end of the day.

7 "Looks Like A Trap"

November 16, 1982

Two bears have gotten stuck as performers in a circus in this image, with one bear holding a tad bit of resentment towards the other, basically blaming them for getting them taken by the circus in the first place (and for their current position as trapped animals who have to ride around on bikes and sidecars for people's amusement). Thinking that there never could be a trap far out in the woods, the bears were unfortunately proven very wrong. Commenting on the captivity of wild animals for circuses, The Far Side makes it very clear, but in its typical morbidly funny sense of humor, that the animals themselves are not exactly thrilled to be circus performers. In the process, taking care to bring home the question of the ethics of animals in these forms of entertainment, years before the removal of animals from circuses occurred on a wide scale.

6 "An Old Dog"

June 3, 1992

A stellar attraction of the circus, Rex the dog unveils a new trick, which consists of him riding a unicycle on a tightrope high in the air while juggling several items at once, including cats, all while balancing a vase on his head. Sounding like an amazing feat, there is one catch: Rex is an old dog... and he is performing a new trick. The comic strip plays on the old adage, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." If that saying is true, then Rex is in a whole lot of trouble (and danger). It does not help that Rex keeps reminding himself of the fact that he is an old dog doing a new trick... while he is actively doing it. It is like he is trying to psych himself out, which we wouldn't advise.

5 "What A Red Noser!"

August 5, 1992

No one likes a suck up. The same apparently goes for clowns, except, in The Far Side, they have another term for it that is more fitting. Rather than a brown noser, clowns call a suck up a "red noser," thanks to their trademark red noses. Seeing one of their own sucking up to their boss, the other clowns are not too happy about the red nosing. One would not think that clowning would be such a cutthroat industry with red nosers like any other business, but instead be a little more light hearted. However, The Far Side would prove that assumption wrong as these angered clowns would illustrate. The other three clowns really need to step their game up in their own red nosing to compete with the object of their ire.

4 "These Things Just Snap Right Off"

June 8, 1983

As circus bears, the typically forest dwelling animals in this comic strip are stuck with muzzles over their sharp teethed mouths while they are taught to perform tricks. Unfortunately for the bear trainer and some good fortune for the bears, one of them has discovered that their muzzles snap right off. In a stroke of luck for the bears, their trainer did not invest in the most sturdy muzzles. That bear trainer better run before he meets a really bad fate if these bears are the vengeful kind after they are able to finally break free. Much like in the real world, The Far Side loved to populate their circuses with bears. In contrast, The Far Side liked to show the bears finally getting the one up on the humans of the circus by either running away or outsmarting their captors, like in this comic strip.

3 "Barnum And Bailey's Respective Sons"

August 30, 1993

It used to be said that kids would run away and the circus for a life of excitement and as a change from their usual lives. What happens though when a kid grows up in the circus? The Far Side answers this question with a very ironic answer. Showing the fictional children of the owners of the Barnum and Bailey's Circus, Sid and Marty are running away for a change up from their usual lives: ing corporate America. It is not often that a kid will dream of the rigidity and mundanity of corporate America, but when they have lived their whole lives surrounded by the excitement and craziness of the circus, they are bound to rebel against what they know like any kid. Seeing the high energy performers of the circus is no match for the water cooler and cubicles that Sid Barnum and Marty Bailey so deeply desire.

2 "Bobo"

May 3, 1987

It is no secret that animals were not treated well in circuses. In fact, there are no longer animals included in the Barnum and Bailey Circus and Ringling Brothers Circus after decades of protests against the maltreatment of animals in their shows. The Far Side uses that common knowledge about circuses and animals and uses it for a darkly funny comic strip. The comic strip portrays Bobo the bear, complete with tutu, making a break for it from the circus once and for all thanks to his ability to ride a bike. Readers get to know that the bear remained free for the rest of his life. Although, Bobo did need some counseling for help with his years when he was stuck in the circus. Bobo's escape from the circus is framed like a prison break, with the bear frantically pedaling to freedom.

1 "The Circus Is Back In Town!"

February 15, 1993

When two witches who look straight out of Oz see that the circus is coming to town, they reminiscence about how the year previous was an impactful day at the circus for one of them. A clown with a boutonniere that shoots water asked one of the witches, Ruby, to smell his flower, spraying her with water. Anyone who has seen the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz knows the effect of water on a witch: it melts them. As a result of getting sprayed in the face with water by the clown, Ruby's face is now melted. One would think that Ruby and her sister would be traumatized from the circus but they seem ready to go back for seconds. The circus ad is also a funny little detail because it is for the Dingling Brothers Circus, a play on Ringling Brothers Circus.