$75 would seem like an awful lot of money to a little kid like Calvin. Makes me think of that funny movie “Planes Trains and Automobiles” Oh ya..they’ll be able to buff this out , no problem…
Calvin’s extensive vocabulary has diminished. He’s almost speechless. However, if he changes ‘oh’ to ‘Bat’, he can still sing the Batman theme. Then Calvin can ‘sing’ to Mom trying to transfer the blame.
@ironclad2001- the gocomics people do a good job of removing flagged ads when noticed, but their point that the ad people move faster with new emails than they can is valid. Facebook is the same way. That said, flag the bad guys and enjoy the commentary. I always want to see whose pithy remark is the best for each day!
Good morning Marg!
Good morning Fran and Kizzzy!
Good Morning L’Wolf!
Good Morning Grog!
RUN CALVIN RUN!!!!!!!!!!!
More than the two headed snowmen, or the locking the babysitter out of the bathroom with her homework, or even the dead bugs in the shampoo, this is the incident his parents will always remember anytime they think about where he is and what he might be doing.
My brother’s ‘65 Mustang did that once all by itself…he left it in gear, didn’t set the parking brake, and looked out the window the next morning and it was gone. It had slipped out of gear and rolled down the driveway, taking out a couple of small trees. No damage though. That was back when they built cars with a little more steel.
Exactly the 1970 Buick Skylark my grandfather passed down to me, I hit a deer with, only broke a 1 inch piece out of the grill. We nicknamed it after, “The Mean Green Machine!” It got overheated in traffic once and police officer pulled up behind me and said I needed to move it over to the side of the road. I told him, “Good luck with that because it’s all steel and it would be like moving a tank!” Thankfully three guys came over and pushed and it took all their strength to move it to the side of the road. That’s still the best car I ever had for dependability and comfort and after 30 years I begrudgedly sold it just because it was a gas hog. The body was still in great shape and it was the limited edition model so I got good money for it. I cried as the guy drove it away!
Why doesn’t someone else question why the car door(s) wasn’t locked? All I hear are comments about the gearshift being in neutral instead of park, or the hand brake not on, etc. Is there something I’m overlooking?
No locked doors – two reasons: 1) comic was drawn when people didn’t lock their doors as much & 2) the car started out in the garage. Who locks their doors in their own garage? Maybe if Calvin were my son, I would definitely consider putting a bell around his neck to keep track of him! :-)
jcmckain, I’ll take your second point one step further. Lots of people put their car in neutral in their own garage, especially if they drive a stick shift. Also, some people (like my brother) never use the parking brake unless they’re parked on a slope. Most people don’t take precautions against theft or inadvertent movement while parked inside their own garage. Who would have thought a 6-year old could push any car hard enough to move it, or even want to.
Oh, I forgot. This is Calvin. Never mind the above.
Aren’t the doors irrelevant, Puddleglum? Didn’t Calvin just push on the front of the car without getting inside? It’s only the gear/brake combination that matters.
I seem to remember that mom and/or dad do take responsibility here and are thrilled that Calvin was not hurt as a result of their mistake. Presumably they (like many of us) will learn from it. I’m not so sure about Calvin (like many of us).
But then, if Calvin learned from his mistakes, he wouldn’t be Calvin. [The cartoon character - for certain other posters who think I’ve forgotten that.]
Comics don’t show everything. I think we were to assume Calvin released the brake and transmission, and opened the garage door (it wouldn’t take much noise to mask the sound from mom). If that is the case then the question of locking the car doors is valid. I would not have thought of locking my doors in the garage, but then I’m not Calvin’s parent.
jcmckain: We not only lock our car doors while they’re parked in the garage but the parking brakes are set too. You just never know what can happen so we don’t like to take any chances.
harriet, perhaps the person removing flagged items is not on duty today (vacation or sick) I’m reading at almost 2:30 PM. They usually are gone by this time (“15 hours ago”).
The only thing that ‘s going to get buffed is Calvin’s rear end. The thing that will REALLY hurt is if his parents take Hobbes away from him as an additional punishment. If I could have a brand new car for $75 bucks I would do it in a heartbeat…..
One thing about a comic strip- it’s not going to show every little detail. Otherwise it could get very tedious.
Perhaps the parking brake was on and the car doors were locked. Perhaps Calvin snuck into his mom’s purse, got the keys, unlocked the door, got in, shifted the car into neutral and released the parking brake, then despite being a small kid, if the driveway had a relatively small slope, it wouldn’t take much to get the car moving.
Of course, Bill could have shown us each of those things, but then again, why fill a comic story full of stuff that really isn’t important- he’s showing us all we really need to see.
Thank you for all the responses.
I realize that cartoonists take artistic license, but in a real-life situation with a son like Calvin, I’d have the shift in park, set the hand brake, lock the doors, and hide the keys (and “pray without ceasing”).
Have a restful and peaceful sleep thankful that we are not Calvin’s parents.
Thats basically what I said. Except I thought that it may be that one didn’t need a key to shift it back then. But apparently Camero had interlock as early as ‘69 or ‘70. I’m not sure about other cars.
margueritem over 14 years ago
Now it’s only worth $50…
Manitobaman over 14 years ago
$75 would seem like an awful lot of money to a little kid like Calvin. Makes me think of that funny movie “Planes Trains and Automobiles” Oh ya..they’ll be able to buff this out , no problem…
rentier over 14 years ago
Oh, a serious damage!!
gimmickgenius over 14 years ago
Calvin might get in trouble for crossing the road.
GROG Premium Member over 14 years ago
Mom is going to love you, Calvin
Good Morning, Marg, Mike & ♠Lonewolf♠!
margueritem over 14 years ago
Morning, Grog! Happy Saturday to you.
GROG Premium Member over 14 years ago
And a Happy Saturday to you, too, Marg!
COWBOY7 over 14 years ago
It can only get worse from here, Calvin!
G’Morning Marg, Mike & Grog!
margueritem over 14 years ago
GM, Terry. Did you get my email?
Puddleglum2 over 14 years ago
Calvin’s extensive vocabulary has diminished. He’s almost speechless. However, if he changes ‘oh’ to ‘Bat’, he can still sing the Batman theme. Then Calvin can ‘sing’ to Mom trying to transfer the blame.
harrietbe over 14 years ago
Oh, man, oh, man! I wonder how many weeks of solitary confinement you’re going to get for this little escapade, Calvin.
Just love the expression on his face in the last frame.
sutirtho over 14 years ago
DAD is at fault here… he should have put the hand brake on!!!..,and kept the gear anywhere but neutral… :)
suluclac over 14 years ago
Mexico here i come
cdward over 14 years ago
What odds will you give me that he runs for it?
kpreethy over 14 years ago
OH MAN …………..OH man …….OH man!!!
god ….. … .. . peace for calvin..AMEN!!
larney45 over 14 years ago
@ironclad2001- the gocomics people do a good job of removing flagged ads when noticed, but their point that the ad people move faster with new emails than they can is valid. Facebook is the same way. That said, flag the bad guys and enjoy the commentary. I always want to see whose pithy remark is the best for each day!
lewisbower over 14 years ago
$75. I earned a dime a week allowance, Calvin is 6, carry the eleventeen, divide by 12
CALVIN HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAYgobblingup Premium Member over 14 years ago
It’s good that ditch was there to soften the landing…
mike.firesmith over 14 years ago
Good morning Marg! Good morning Fran and Kizzzy! Good Morning L’Wolf! Good Morning Grog! RUN CALVIN RUN!!!!!!!!!!!
More than the two headed snowmen, or the locking the babysitter out of the bathroom with her homework, or even the dead bugs in the shampoo, this is the incident his parents will always remember anytime they think about where he is and what he might be doing.
fran650 over 14 years ago
Oh man, Calvin needs to be treated for shock.
ironclad2001 over 14 years ago
Hay Linda, I will take your advice. Thanks for your comment.
jpl83061 over 14 years ago
I’d run away if I were you.
kneatone over 14 years ago
My brother’s ‘65 Mustang did that once all by itself…he left it in gear, didn’t set the parking brake, and looked out the window the next morning and it was gone. It had slipped out of gear and rolled down the driveway, taking out a couple of small trees. No damage though. That was back when they built cars with a little more steel.
APPLESCRUFF over 14 years ago
2 Spammers Flagged! Wish they’d go away.
Poor Calvin. Mom will be torn between relief that he wasn’t injured or worse but will want to murder him for what he’s done.
lazygrazer over 14 years ago
This is definately mom and dad’s fault. ~If they had used precautions one night 6 years earlier, this would never have happened.
jiriji over 14 years ago
It would be interesting if it turns out that it’s a nightmare that Calvin’s been having.
rumplesnitz over 14 years ago
Run next door Calvin, there’s a big balloon leaving just in time for the six o’clock news!
cleokaya over 14 years ago
On the positive side, it didn’t hit another car or someone’s house.
Dino-1 over 14 years ago
Exactly the 1970 Buick Skylark my grandfather passed down to me, I hit a deer with, only broke a 1 inch piece out of the grill. We nicknamed it after, “The Mean Green Machine!” It got overheated in traffic once and police officer pulled up behind me and said I needed to move it over to the side of the road. I told him, “Good luck with that because it’s all steel and it would be like moving a tank!” Thankfully three guys came over and pushed and it took all their strength to move it to the side of the road. That’s still the best car I ever had for dependability and comfort and after 30 years I begrudgedly sold it just because it was a gas hog. The body was still in great shape and it was the limited edition model so I got good money for it. I cried as the guy drove it away!
Awtha over 14 years ago
Hmm… Calvin didn’t shift the car out of park, did he? So that means the last person to drive the car left it in Neutral!
It’s not Calvin’s fault… okay, maybe 10% for pushing on the car.
unemandarine over 14 years ago
Oh man, is right Calivin!
Puddleglum2 over 14 years ago
Why doesn’t someone else question why the car door(s) wasn’t locked? All I hear are comments about the gearshift being in neutral instead of park, or the hand brake not on, etc. Is there something I’m overlooking?
violet_music over 14 years ago
when situations are dire, there’s nothing to do but think you are in very HUGE trouble…. oh man, oh man, oh man :)
WineStar Premium Member over 14 years ago
No locked doors – two reasons: 1) comic was drawn when people didn’t lock their doors as much & 2) the car started out in the garage. Who locks their doors in their own garage? Maybe if Calvin were my son, I would definitely consider putting a bell around his neck to keep track of him! :-)
JTGAM over 14 years ago
Hi all! Now we know why the car went “GRUNTCH!”
JanLC over 14 years ago
jcmckain, I’ll take your second point one step further. Lots of people put their car in neutral in their own garage, especially if they drive a stick shift. Also, some people (like my brother) never use the parking brake unless they’re parked on a slope. Most people don’t take precautions against theft or inadvertent movement while parked inside their own garage. Who would have thought a 6-year old could push any car hard enough to move it, or even want to. Oh, I forgot. This is Calvin. Never mind the above.
dsom8 over 14 years ago
Aren’t the doors irrelevant, Puddleglum? Didn’t Calvin just push on the front of the car without getting inside? It’s only the gear/brake combination that matters.
I seem to remember that mom and/or dad do take responsibility here and are thrilled that Calvin was not hurt as a result of their mistake. Presumably they (like many of us) will learn from it. I’m not so sure about Calvin (like many of us).
But then, if Calvin learned from his mistakes, he wouldn’t be Calvin. [The cartoon character - for certain other posters who think I’ve forgotten that.]
jrcarter53 over 14 years ago
I don’t recall how the garage door got opened? He couldn’t open a manual door and an opener is loud enough to alert his mother.
Dads at work so why would the door be left open?
witewater over 14 years ago
Since Calvin’s namesake, John Calvin was born on July 10, 1509, is today our little Calvin’s birthday as well??
oldguy2 over 14 years ago
This is a good example of why you should lock your car no matter whare you leave it. With Calvin; every thing should be under lock and key.
mike.firesmith over 14 years ago
That’s a cool cat harrietbe
alviebird over 14 years ago
Comics don’t show everything. I think we were to assume Calvin released the brake and transmission, and opened the garage door (it wouldn’t take much noise to mask the sound from mom). If that is the case then the question of locking the car doors is valid. I would not have thought of locking my doors in the garage, but then I’m not Calvin’s parent.
BuzzDog over 14 years ago
harrietbe said: I flagged the spams at 2 AM PST, and they are still there at 10 AM. That’s pretty slow.
It’s the weekend. I’ve noticed that the comments aren’t monitored as frequently as on weekdays.
rentier over 14 years ago
Happy Birthday!
dahawk over 14 years ago
I also flag the flaggers for commenting on their flagging. Just flag the spammers and go on. No need to add to the bandwidth.
Now I have a dilemma. Do I flag my own post? LOL
ratlum over 14 years ago
WHAT if, WHAT IF mom wanted a new car and DAD said NO. We might get out of this yet Calvin my little Buddy
Gretchen's Mom over 14 years ago
Poor Calvin! I haven’t seen such a stricken look on his face since the break-in and he couldn’t find his best buddy, Hobbes!
Gretchen's Mom over 14 years ago
jcmckain: We not only lock our car doors while they’re parked in the garage but the parking brakes are set too. You just never know what can happen so we don’t like to take any chances.
orz over 14 years ago
He’s good with numbers at a time like this, huh?
Mythreesons over 14 years ago
I’m pretty good about keeping the car locked, but have never set a hand brake. I live in NW Oklahoma. Flat as a pancake here.
yankeewhaler over 14 years ago
Hey Jordaner, got my shoes free from the latest USA riot or rebellious incident.
yankeewhaler over 14 years ago
Sarcasm.
TheAuldWan over 14 years ago
How much flack will I get if I mention now a need for prayer?
alviebird over 14 years ago
Shhhh…..
You’ll wake the lynch mob!
Rockingwoman over 14 years ago
How does a parent deal with this one rationally. I’d be so angry, that I’d have to leave before I killed the kid. Man!
Rockingwoman over 14 years ago
Spammers are everywhere! CHIN GADO!
vldazzle over 14 years ago
harriet, perhaps the person removing flagged items is not on duty today (vacation or sick) I’m reading at almost 2:30 PM. They usually are gone by this time (“15 hours ago”).
wicky over 14 years ago
Calvin is in deeeeeeep doo doo.
khpage over 14 years ago
The only thing that ‘s going to get buffed is Calvin’s rear end. The thing that will REALLY hurt is if his parents take Hobbes away from him as an additional punishment. If I could have a brand new car for $75 bucks I would do it in a heartbeat…..
glitterygal07 over 14 years ago
MORE than that, Hobbes.
Crumbucket over 14 years ago
There goes the neighborhood!
rogcbrand over 14 years ago
One thing about a comic strip- it’s not going to show every little detail. Otherwise it could get very tedious.
Perhaps the parking brake was on and the car doors were locked. Perhaps Calvin snuck into his mom’s purse, got the keys, unlocked the door, got in, shifted the car into neutral and released the parking brake, then despite being a small kid, if the driveway had a relatively small slope, it wouldn’t take much to get the car moving.
Of course, Bill could have shown us each of those things, but then again, why fill a comic story full of stuff that really isn’t important- he’s showing us all we really need to see.
billdi Premium Member over 14 years ago
lot of nocturnal people stressing about spammers in the middle of the night! relax! get some sleep! calvin will still be here.
Puddleglum2 over 14 years ago
Thank you for all the responses. I realize that cartoonists take artistic license, but in a real-life situation with a son like Calvin, I’d have the shift in park, set the hand brake, lock the doors, and hide the keys (and “pray without ceasing”). Have a restful and peaceful sleep thankful that we are not Calvin’s parents.
tsyitee2001 over 14 years ago
I flagged the span two
alviebird over 14 years ago
@Brandon,
Thats basically what I said. Except I thought that it may be that one didn’t need a key to shift it back then. But apparently Camero had interlock as early as ‘69 or ‘70. I’m not sure about other cars.
goferrari28 over 14 years ago
The car may be $75, but the sellers will throw in a 6 year old boy for free.
Rakkav over 14 years ago
Add a couple of zeros, Calvin, and you just might be hitting the Blue Book rate.
Tigerprince over 14 years ago
hmm $75 i have no comment.
Celizabee over 12 years ago
You know Calvin’s Mom was preparing for this day, but she probably thought it would be ten years away..
jacob.c.bair about 6 years ago
75?! it takes like $1000!