Fenimore Art Museum: Calvin and Hobbes

Fenimore Art Museum: Calvin and Hobbes – by Neoptolemus.

“So long, Pop. I’m off to check my tiger trap!”

These words launched the Bill Watterson comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, on November 18, 1985.

Calvin, a 6-year-old boy with a seemingly unlimited imagination, and his best friend, Hobbes, a stuffed tiger who comes to life in Calvin’s private universe, wend their way through a variety of plots, including reckless sled and wagon rides, fierce dinosaur encounters, space monsters, evil babysitters, and lots more. Recurring supporting cast includes his mom and dad (not your typical comic strip parents); Suzy, a neighbor girl with her own stuffed animal, Mr. Bun; Miss Wormwood, Calvin’s teacher (and sometimes alien nemesis); Rosalyn, Calvin’s tormenting and tormented babysitter; and Moe, the school bully.

Back in the day, as new strips appeared in the newspaper, one could never predict what plot might ensue … but they were always worth reading. Sometimes it would make you laugh, sometimes lament Calvin’s situation, and sometimes just make you ponder the meaning of life. It always had an impact on the reader. Whether it was the gloriously colorful art or the imaginative storyline, the reader felt absorbed by the comic, ready and eager to share the duo’s adventures. It was an uplifting, almost spiritual, experience.

Photo by Neoptolemus

Which brings us to the latest exhibit at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY: “Exploring Calvin and Hobbes,” running until December 31, 2025, a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the strip, and the 30th anniversary of its end on that date in 1995. This exhibit first appeared at the Billy Ireland Cartoon and Library Museum in 2014, then travelled to Angoulême, France, before traveling to the Fenimore for this 40th anniversary occasion.

This colorful exhibit spans the gamut of the Calvin and Hobbes world. There are important historical artifacts, such as the original prototype strip, with a hair-covering-the-eyes main character; an original drawing of the first true C&H strip; and a caricature of Bill Watterson working at his drawing table. Hard-core fans will love these. There are also numerous, large-as-life, colorful depictions of the two beloved main characters. And, of course, there are representative strips for several of the different themes of the strip: there’s the cardboard box converted into the “Transmorgrifier” (and later, a Time Machine); there’s Spaceman Spiff, fighting against a six-year-old’s worst school experience —boredom — complete with fierce, dominating space aliens threatening to destroy Earth and invade Calvin’s attention-span; there’s the ever-dangerous arrival home from school, triggering Hobbes’ welcoming attack on Calvin (Hobbes IS a tiger, after all). Viewing these, I experienced a wave of joyful nostalgia, with fond memories of reading the strip in the newspaper.

Photo by Neoptolemus

The genesis of the Fenimore exhibit began with Ms. Julia Madore, the Director of Exhibitions at the Fenimore Art Museum, who thought a Calvin and Hobbes exhibit might be a public-pleasing event, for both adults and children. Madore, a dedicated C&H fan who remembers “reading the [Calvin & Hobbes] books, and always finding the humor and the art in them really funny and intelligent,” reached out to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum to inquire if a C&H exhibit at the Fenimore might be possible.

Madore says, “Imagine if you knew nothing about Calvin and Hobbes — this exhibit gives you an overview of some of the main themes … like when he [Calvin] is in school and imagining, literally, being anywhere else … and, having been a student, knowing which classes I day-dreamed in, I just really liked them.”

Ms. Jenny E. Robb, Head Curator of Comics and Cartoon Art, and Associate Professor, University Libraries, responded affirmatively to Madore’s inquiry. “It’s our most popular and most requested collection,” says Robb. “We often get inquiries from museums that want to borrow original Calvin and Hobbes artwork or host a traveling exhibition.”

Robb continues: “Exploring Calvin & Hobbes has only traveled to one other venue so far. It was part of the French Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2015, the year after Watterson won the Grand Prix, which is a lifetime achievement award. The Fenimore is the first venue to host the exhibition since then, so this is a rare opportunity for fans to see the original art.”

“In my role as Curator, the first thing I did was to reread the 3-volume Complete Calvin and Hobbes collection. I put post-it notes on all the pages with a strip that might be a candidate for the exhibition because it had a particularly funny gag, a poignant message, or fantastic artwork. When I was done, more than half the pages had post-its, which would be far too many to include in one exhibit! I was spoiled for choice because the quality of the strip was so high throughout the 10-year run, and because our holdings include all but a small number that Watterson gave away. While I was reading, some themes stood out to me, such as the rhythm of the seasons and the theme of friendship. I also noted the devices that Watterson came back to again and again throughout the run of the strip, such as the wagon and sled rides, Calvin’s alter-ego Spaceman Spiff, and Hobbes attacking Calvin. Once I decided on which themes and devices I wanted to highlight—basically the structure of the exhibition– I was able to go back and whittle down the number of strips to something much more manageable. Of course, that was the toughest part of the project.”

Photo by Neoptolemus

Robb worked with Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, to write the catalog for the Fenimore exhibit. “Mr. Watterson told me from the beginning that he didn’t want to choose the strips himself,” Robb says, ”but he did review my selections and approved the overall themes. He was wonderful to work with throughout the planning process, even helping with the exhibition design.”

“I’m fortunate to work with wonderful colleagues, who have assisted with the logistics of getting the exhibit ready to travel, everything from preparing the contract to building and packing the crates. Our partners at the Fenimore have also been amazing to work with. It’s incredible how much work goes into traveling an exhibition!”

Robb concluded, “I’m delighted that more people will have the opportunity to see Mr. Watterson’s original artwork!” I’m sure it’s safe to say that Bill Watterson feels the same way.

C&H no longer appears in newspapers. But you can still read daily installments at https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes.

Take the final advice of six-year-old Calvin: “It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy … let’s go exploring!”

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