If you have ever had a good conversation with a stuffed animal, you should go check out the collection of “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strips at Ohio State’s Cartoon Research Library.
Bill Watterson, the strip’s creator and artist, recently placed his collection of 3,000 original Calvin and Hobbes strips on reserve at the library.
“It was a very important phenomenon, and these were the original works,” said Lucy Caswell, professor of communications and curator of the library.
Professor of arts Charles Massey Jr. said he has referred to the strips in classes that deal with aspects of art.
“It was a very strong strip,” he said. “It was educational, entertaining and philosophical. It made you think.”
Watterson has penned best-selling books and a nationally syndicated comic strip, so his contribution is an important body of work for the library to have, Caswell said.
The strip was about a young boy, Calvin, and his wild imagination. He would regularly go on adventures with his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. In some strips, they would discuss philosophy, from the existence of God to the meaning of life.
The collection is available for students to view under the library’s special collections regulations, Caswell said. It will be held at the library for five years with the option of renewal.
Massey said this resource will live for a long time.
“It is a unique collection already,” said Massey, referring to the library. “It lets us see quite a few things about our culture.”
Watterson published his Calvin and Hobbes comic strips from 1985 to 1995 in newspapers throughout the U.S. He retired the strip in 1995 to work on other projects.
He has also published several collections of his comic strips.
Watterson was born in Washington, D.C., but moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio when he was six. He graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in political science in 1980, according to Wikipedia.
In 1986, Watterson became the youngest person to win the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year, an award he would win again in 1988, according to Wikipedia. He currently lives in Chagrin Falls.
Watterson has not made a comment on why he placed his collection in the OSU library. Caswell said she did not wish to speak on his behalf.
Massey said there are probably several other professors who have used the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips as well.
“When (comics) are good, they’re really good, and this one falls into that category,” Massey said.
