Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)

Calvin
First appearance	November 18, 1985
Created by	Bill Watterson
Comic	Calvin and Hobbes
Information
Age	6

Calvin is a fictional character, and is the title character of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Calvin demonstrates a level of wisdom, vocabulary and humor unusual for a six-year-old boy. However, he is a stereotyped six-year-old and is seen as a misfit among his classmates: he absolutely hates baths, fears and hates his babysitter, refuses to go to school, frequently disobeys his parents, and is lazy and selfish. Calvin frequently loses himself in various fantastical worlds of his own imagining. On the rare occasions on which he applies himself, Calvin's projects in school are very well received, to his confusion or indifference. He shows relatively minor interest or success in interacting with any "real" characters, choosing instead to spend the majority of his time with Hobbes, with whom he frequently embarks on adventures, debates philosophical issues, plots various pranks against girls, and fights.

Named after 16th century theologian John Calvin, the character of Calvin is presented as being intelligent and verbose, with an imagination that usually manifests itself in the comic strip as an apparent physical existence. He despises school as an institution, directly criticizing teaching methods and enforced conformity. He often delivers sarcastic responses to dull fact-oriented questions on tests. Calvin consistently receives bad grades, simply because the subjects do not interest him enough for him to work at them. Occasionally, Calvin will receive excellent grades for a project he truly was interested in, such as dinosaurs. Calvin has a wide vocabulary and an advanced sense of irony. His grapples with philosophical quandaries are explored most elaborately during hazardous sled and wagon rides, often visual metaphors for the point of discourse which are usually cut short by a crash, banal distraction, mischievous urge, or sarcastic retort from one of his parents.

Calvin's precocious vocabulary, imagination and curiosity frequently clash with his refusal to learn things he does not want to, from teachers, parents or the lessons that emerge from his follies. He does, however, enjoy learning by choice and has a wide knowledge of dinosaurs. When his father asks why his enjoyment of learning is not reflected in his school performance, Calvin replies, "We don't read about dinosaurs." He frequently daydreams in class, imagining it variously as a prison, an alien planet, or the setting of a space battle, with the characters of Miss Wormwood or other students appearing as antagonistic aliens. He is not against learning new things so long as he doesn't feel like he's being forced to do so, he believes that "if no one makes you do it, it counts as fun."

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