First Calvin and Hobbes: Tiger Trap Works
Posted: April 9th, 2012 | No Comments »
So long Pop! I’m off to check my tiger trap! I rigged a tuna fish sandwich yesterday, so I’m sure to have a tiger by now! They like tuna fish, huh? Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich. We’re kind of stupid that way. Munch Munch. Calvin’s dad polishes the hood of his car. Calvin says he’s off to check on his tiger trap. He wears a fancy hat. His dad is convinced that tuna is the right bait. He’s right. Hobbes is hanging upside down from a tree, munching the sandwich.
This first strip was released on Nov 18th, 1985. After a series of rejections, Bill Watterson finally made it as a cartoonist with Calvin and Hobbes. The figures had appeared in drafts a couple of times. Looking back, Bill described those two as a mischievous loudmouth and his somewhat more sensible friend. They became more and more like him in time.
There’s a well done Youtube video about this strip.