Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for March 16, 2025

Another strip that raises the question of what Hobbes is. I started out assuming that he was a stuffed doll who only came alive in Calvin’s imagination. I later started to wonder whether Calvin’s imagination really does bring Hobbes to life. Several other readers have expressed this view and the Calvin and Hobbes Wiki entry on Calvin states that Calvin’s imagination does seem strong enough to bring Hobbes to life. However, Watterson stated in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book – which was published towards the end of the strip’s ten year run – “I do not see Hobbes as a stuffed doll who miraculously comes to life when alone with Calvin. Neither do I see Hobbes as a product of Calvin’s imagination.”

Another popular fan theory is that Hobbes is part of Calvin’s split personality. This is a pretty good idea. However, we sometimes see Calvin and Hobbes doing things in different places at the same time. It was the fact that Hobbes is sometimes shown doing things when Calvin is elsewhere that first led me to suspect that Calvin’s imagination was bringing Hobbes to life – which I now know was NOT what Watterson intended.

Watterson does go on to explain, “Calvin sees Hobbes one way. Everyone else sees Hobbes another way. I think this is how life works. No two people see the world in exactly the same way. Hobbes is more to do with the subjective nature of reality than with dolls coming to life.” This is a good enough explanation but I also like to remember that Hobbes is portrayed as Calvin sees him when he is alone in the strip. Calvin seems to see the true reality of Hobbes.