| Calvin |
Cavin is a 6 year old boy who is inseparable from his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. The name comes from a theologian who lived in the 16th century and believed in predestination. Calvin is not particularly smart; he is terrible at arithmatic, and he is incredibly lazy at school. However his vocabulary is amazing , and in terms of creativity, he is never short. In fact many of his stories and artwork are perhaps too imaginative for his school teachers ; His tellings of carnage, mayhem and death are often a little too descriptive for some people. However Calvin is not dumb, and he has an avid interest in dinosaurs, and a keen philosophical mind. (usually put to use justifying his child-like and selfish behaviour, either to himself or to his parents.)But in the end, Calvin is out to have fun. He is bratty, lazy, and selfish, and out for a good time. |
| Hobbes |
Hobbes is Calvin's stuffed tiger, and best friend. He is named after a 17th century philosopher who had a dim view of human nature. Hobbes is friendly, good-natured, intelligent, and enthusiastic. We see the latter especially in his habit of pouncing on Calvin when he walks in the door. Hobbes talks and walks up straight, but his feline side is still apparent, in his tact, grace, and barely contained pride in not being human. Hobbes is generally a good friend. |
| Calvin's Mum |
Calvin's mum has the job of disciplining Calvin, and this job takes its toll on her. However she handles it with good humour. She sometimes seems strict, but this is mainly because we mainly see her in the strip when she is trying to control Calvin. |
| Calvin's Dad |
Calvin's dad is a patent attorney, and copes with the task of raising Calvin with good grace. He is a cycling fanatic, and often rationalises the family's suffering by saying that it builds character. He tends to leave some of the nastier jobs to Calvin's mum (neither of them are given names in the strip) |
| Spaceman Spiff |
Spaceman Spiff is Calvin's alter ego. Calvin imagines himself as a fearless space crusader who bravely explores the universe in his red spaceship. Constantly battling against aliens, he is always in a struggle against his environment. It is funny to see how various real-life situations fit into Calvin's ongoing story of Spaceman Spiff |
| Susie |
Susie is the girl who lives down the road. She is basically the opposite of Calvin ; smart, hard-working, pretty, and sensible. She copes with Calvin's wierdness, and is friendly towrds him, even though he is constantly nasty to her. Generally a nice person. |
| Ms Wormwood |
Ms Wormwood is named after C. S. Lewis's apprentice devil. In the strip, she is Calvin's teacher at school. This job is particularly stressful, and we see signs that she is waiting to retire. She has to put up with Calvin, who often is the student from hell. |
| Rosalyn |
Rosalyn is a teenager who is sometimes called round to babysit Calvin. Calvin consistently plays up for her, and Rosalyn is just as firm in her response. She also takes vacation swimming classes, and we get hints that she puts up with these jobs to pay for college. |
| Moe |
Moe is the school bully. He is big, strong, mean, and selfish. He takes from people as he pleases, and hurts people for fun. He is incredibly stupid, and nasty to everyone.Consequently, he doesn't have many friends. |
Bill Watterson stopped writing Calvin and Hobbes books at the end of 1995, after starting 10 years earlier. It was a day of saddness for C & H fans all over the world, however Bill must be congratualted for a fine ending to the strip, one which was uplifting, satisfying, and still in character with the rest of the strip. By ending on such a strong note, Bill ensured that Calvin and Hobbes will remain a timeless classic, and a cartoon that will be remembered, even in an industry where readers are notoriously quick to forget individual strips.