FACTS ABOUT "CALVIN AND HOBBES" AND CARTOONIST BILL WATTERSON:

Facts about "Calvin and Hobbes" and cartoonist Bill Watterson:
The strip ran from Nov. 18, 1985, to Dec. 31, 1995. The first strip was of Calvin catching Hobbes in a tiger trap with a tuna fish sandwich as the bait.
Calvin is named for a 16th century theologian who believed in predestination.
Hobbes is named after a 17th century philosopher with a dim view of human nature.
Calvin's parents were never given names because Watterson felt as far as the strip was concerned they were important only as Calvin's mom and dad.
Watterson was a failed political cartoonist who was fired from his first job at The Cincinnati Post after a few months.
Watterson passed up millions of dollars by refusing to allow "Calvin and Hobbes" merchandising, feeling it would violate the spirit of the strip. "I clearly miscalculated how popular it would be to show Calvin urinating on a Ford logo," Watterson wrote recently, referring to the unlicensed decals often seen on pickup trucks.
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