Calvin and Hobbes
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Calvin and Hobbes |
| Abbreviation(s): | C&H |
| Creator: | Bill Watterson |
| Date(s): | 1985 - 1995 |
| Medium: | comic strip |
| Country of Origin: | United States |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Calvin and Hobbes is an American daily comic strip about a six-year-old boy named Calvin and his animated stuffed tiger names Hobbes.
Fandom
As of March 2015, there are nearly 800 Calvin & Hobbes fics at FanFiction.Net and over 100 at AO3. It is a staple fandom at Yuletide, where it has had fic written for it every year since 2005 except 2007.[1]
hradzka writes in 2009 of Calvin and Hobbes's popularity as a Yuletide fandom:
Calvin & Hobbes fanfic does *really* well every year. Especially Calvin & Hobbes futurefic. I see this trend lasting for a while, because Calvin & Hobbes is *incredibly* well-suited for Yuletide popularity, for the simple reason that there is no active writing fandom for it but there is not a single person on the planet who does not love Calvin and Hobbes. This means that every Yuletide you will have an audience of people who love the fandom and loved last year's big C&H story, so if you write a really good C&H story your story may well achieve Yuletide-wide prominence.The only thing holding Calvin & Hobbes back, IMHO, is that there's not much of anyplace for the fandom to go. There's a reason why Calvin & Hobbes isn't a year-round fandom: fandom loves probing borders, and Watterson's genius is such that Calvin & Hobbes's borders are incredibly clear-cut and defined, and when you go outside them the results tend to be kind of final. "Every Day is a Reminder" and some other fics this year could be seen as rejoinders to last year's "The Sandwich Story." In "The Sandwich Story," Calvin grows up and doesn't see Hobbes any more. In "Every Day is a Reminder," Hobbes stays around as an animate creature even after Calvin grows up. Fandom loves writing the same stories over and over, but I'm not sure where Calvin & Hobbes fanfic can go from here. At most, it'll be a beloved Yuletide fixture.[2]
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
- the sandwich story by Meredith - Hobbes is changing. Futurefic, written for Yuletide 2008.
- Every Day Is a Reminder by ishie - “There's a certain fear that some children share as they grow up, that whatever they do will never be as good as what's come before. Among all the other things he will ever be, Calvin has never been one of those kids.” A coming of age story where Calvin, who has a difficult time maturing, faces the realities of growing up. He begins to learn, with great difficulty, how to handle life over the years, all the while grappling with his persistent feelings toward Susie. Hobbes plays his role as a mentor until the bittersweet end. Written for Yuletide 2009.
- Hello Operator, Please Give Me Number Nine by Starlingthefool - “The lesson here, Susie thinks, is that tricking Death is tricky business. How do you outwit the personification of oblivion? Chess, obviously, won’t be the answer.” This story takes place during the aftermath of Calvin and Hobbes. Susie is a prestigious college student now, ever the overachiever. None of it matters when she meets the inevitable, death incarnate, who she challenges to a game of Calvin Ball for her life. Facing oblivion, Susie revisits her childhood. Written for Yuletide 2013. Podfic by jedusaur.
- Suggestions by lalaietha - “Just because Calvin grew up and his world changed didn't mean he and Hobbes changed at all.” Calvin is a teenager who, through tragic circumstances, has ended up in an orphanage. Gloomy and still somewhat set in his childish ways, he's still seen as the weird kid amongst his peers, keeping Hobbes at his side as his best friend. Despite the world moving past Calvin, Hobbes, as well as Susie, support him and do their best to make sure he doesn't get left or linger behind. Written for Yuletide 2011.
- Attack Chickens, Children, and Other Hazards of Suburban Life by finesharp - “I'd hate to have a kid like me.” - Calvin. Calvin and Susie are married adults and adopt a kid. Calvin, always a child at heart, learns to channel that energy into becoming a good father, with Hobbes always at his side. Calvin learns to love the kid like him. Written for Yuletide 2012.
- The Calvinverse 2004-2016
Other
- 500 Year Diary (1985) is a rare example of a fanzine with Calvin & Hobbes content
- Calvin & Hobbes fan art and sculpture[3]
Links & Resources
- Calvin & Hobbes fanworks at AO3
- Calvin & Hobbes stories at FanFiction.Net
- Calvin and Hobbes recs at Crack Van
- Calvin and Hobbes recs at Fancake
- Calvin and Hobbes fic recs at TV Tropes
- Calvin and Hobbes Fanon Wiki
References
- ^ Calvin & Hobbes works in the "Yuletide" collection at AO3, accessed 16 March 2015.
- ^ hradzka at LiveJournal. yuletide 2009: hit counts, comments, and predictions for 2010. 01 January 2010. (Accessed 16 March 2015.)
- ^ Several Calvin and Hobbes sculptures (accessed 18 March 2015). WebCite.