“Van Gogh would’ve sold more than one painting if he’d put tigers in them.” – Hobbes, Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is Bill Watterson’s classic comic strip that follows the adventures of a young boy named Calvin and his best friend, a tiger named Hobbes. The rest of the world sees Hobbes as nothing more than a stuffed tiger but to Calvin he’s very real, talking, walking upright, and joining in on the vast array of imaginative adventures that Calvin takes them on.
Hobbes’ looks and personality were based on Watterson’s cat Sprite, who was playful and known to seemingly jump out of nowhere at high speeds. This tendency can definitely be seen in Hobbes – Hobbes loves to pounce on and attack Calvin each day when he gets home from school. He also enjoys laying in sunbeams, naps, having his belly rubbed, and most of all, tuna.
Another typical feline quirk that Hobbes has is the belief that cats (or in this case tigers) are the superior species. He is proud to be a tiger and is glad that he’s not human. In fact, his suggestion for why humans were put on Earth is “tiger food”! This attitude is also reflected from his namesake – Watterson named him after the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who had a poor outlook on human nature (though tiger Hobbes’ high opinion of tigers is all his own philosophy!).
Like many cats, Hobbes seems perfectly content with life and enjoys the ‘little things’. In one comic strip, Calvin asks Hobbes what he would wish for if he could have anything in the world. Hobbes answers, “A big sunny field to lay in.” Calvin is annoyed by this unimaginative answer – why would Hobbes wish for a field, when he could have power or riches or anything else in the world? But, once Calvin sees how contented his tiger friend looks while napping in the sunny field he wished for, Calvin decides “Actually, it’s hard to argue with someone who looks so happy.” Anyone who has seen a cat relaxing in the sun can agree – when your cat looks that happy, it’s hard to imagine that anything could make life better than it already is!
Congratulations to one of our past Black Cat Contest winners - Bandit! Click 
