On a rainy day, I’d spot him 49.5 points, and let him go first. On a sunny day, I’d suddenly have yard work to do. On the theory that he wouldn’t follow me there, lest he get pressed into service.
Like Calvin, I pretty much had no trouble winning this game (though we only played until someone dropped out, often looking green). My trick was the ability to not picture what I was talking about. Plus, the school cafeteria gave me a lot of material to work with.
Ah the memories. Summer session at my university, and a lot of little kids stayed for a week or two in our dorm for “sports camps.” This led to the brats sitting at our table, saying “You know what that looks like? You know what that smells like?” ad definite nauseum. We cured the little monsters though. I was “parenting” a group of Mexican highschool students, also living in our dorm. Made up a jar of my famous jalapeños in vinegar because they missed em so much. We’d pass the jar down the table and each take some. Finally one of the brats asked for a taste which we gladly gave. He gasped, and handed the jar to his little pals. We got our peace, and our table, to ourselves again.
My second grade teacher once"punished" two kids for being disgusting during lunch by making them stay in from recess and spend that time grossing each other out. Something tells me that it wasn’t much of a punishment. She had them start while we were lining up so we heard some of it. They were laughing and seemed to be having fun with it. The rest of us couldn’t help laughing either.
Friends used to do this in college at the dining tables. I always won even though I wasn’t playing. Try emptying a horse’s water bucket with two bloated rats who died of rat poison in it before your breakfast or doing frog dissections just after lunch. You get a strong stomach. Later in life at mystery writing conventions, I was able to sit through slide presentations by medical examiners of autopsies of murder and accident victims. I still had it with a strong stomach.
My brother and his friend used to play that game. The grossest thing I saw him do was with a mushroom. We were eating pizza (my brother, his best friend, my best friend and me) at a restaurant when he put a mushroom up his nose. He made weird noises until all the patrons were looking at our table, blew the mushroom out of his nose, looked at it and then ate it. Yes, we were thrown out all the while laughing hysterically.
Calvin may have stumbled upon a career calling, because there’s actually a large body of research on the science of disgust. Here’s one popular mainstream introduction,
BE THIS GUY about 5 years ago
Nobody has played half a game with you.
The Calvinosaurus That Calvin Wanted To Discover about 5 years ago
The roots of Calvinball?
GreasyOldTam about 5 years ago
On a rainy day, I’d spot him 49.5 points, and let him go first. On a sunny day, I’d suddenly have yard work to do. On the theory that he wouldn’t follow me there, lest he get pressed into service.
Bilan about 5 years ago
♫ You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t play Gross Out with Calvin, … ♫
frequency270 about 5 years ago
Sounds like a variation of “You know what’s grosser than that…?”
codycab about 5 years ago
I’ll play: ASPARAGUS! Top that.
MelanieMather about 5 years ago
Few stomachs are that strong.
whahoppened about 5 years ago
Just thinking; would Hobbes cough up a cotton wad?
Concretionist about 5 years ago
Like Calvin, I pretty much had no trouble winning this game (though we only played until someone dropped out, often looking green). My trick was the ability to not picture what I was talking about. Plus, the school cafeteria gave me a lot of material to work with.
Baarorso about 5 years ago
‘Course you know who’s going to win Hobbes. Calvin invented the game and no doubt has already appointed himself judge.;-D
enigmamz about 5 years ago
Invented? No, Calvin, “What’s Grosser Than Gross?” has been around for a long, long time.
orinoco womble about 5 years ago
Ah the memories. Summer session at my university, and a lot of little kids stayed for a week or two in our dorm for “sports camps.” This led to the brats sitting at our table, saying “You know what that looks like? You know what that smells like?” ad definite nauseum. We cured the little monsters though. I was “parenting” a group of Mexican highschool students, also living in our dorm. Made up a jar of my famous jalapeños in vinegar because they missed em so much. We’d pass the jar down the table and each take some. Finally one of the brats asked for a taste which we gladly gave. He gasped, and handed the jar to his little pals. We got our peace, and our table, to ourselves again.
rshive about 5 years ago
Playing “Gross Out” with Susie and winning a point is something you may regret, Calvin.
jpayne4040 about 5 years ago
Funny! Hobbes is already admitting defeat!
Watcher about 5 years ago
So Calvin has been skulking around in the gutter again. Good thing it’s not Mom or Dad because you’d be in bed.
Troglodyte about 5 years ago
In this game, Calvin is both gross and net winner.
ForrestOverin about 5 years ago
Peanut Butter and Mayonnaise. I win.
Doug Taylor Premium Member about 5 years ago
Didn’t Billy Crystal do something like that on SNL?
jel354 about 5 years ago
The verbal version of Calvinball.
demnuts1 about 5 years ago
grosses I ever got is when I was eating a hot snot sandwich and drinking a cold glass of puke……. and found a hair in it!!
geekboy_x about 5 years ago
Donnie Dump is president. I win.
vaughnrl2003 Premium Member about 5 years ago
I think this falls under the game category of ‘The only way to win is not to play.’
gantech about 5 years ago
The pie eating scene from the movie Stand By Me.
bookworm0812 about 5 years ago
My second grade teacher once"punished" two kids for being disgusting during lunch by making them stay in from recess and spend that time grossing each other out. Something tells me that it wasn’t much of a punishment. She had them start while we were lining up so we heard some of it. They were laughing and seemed to be having fun with it. The rest of us couldn’t help laughing either.
Snoots about 5 years ago
Sometimes you don’t have to go overboard either. Just describe food.
“Unborn chicken babies.”
“Dead cow muscle.”
“Vegetation sexual organs”
etc etc
etspi about 5 years ago
Sack of Schiff
rentier about 5 years ago
I’d better take the nicest word you can find!!
Snoots about 5 years ago
Suzie has played this game with Calvin several times, although unintentionally and against her will.
Jogger2 about 5 years ago
The last panel suggests Calvin told others about this game before he told Hobbes, his best friend.
Ermine Notyours about 5 years ago
These days Calvin would look for gross-out photos on the internet.
Agapostemon about 5 years ago
You may remember the lyrics differently:
Great green gobs of
Greasy grimy gopher guts,
Chopped up monkey butts,
Isolated chicken feet,
Two bloody eyeballs
Rolling, rolling down the street —
And I forgot my spoon!
marilynnbyerly about 5 years ago
Friends used to do this in college at the dining tables. I always won even though I wasn’t playing. Try emptying a horse’s water bucket with two bloated rats who died of rat poison in it before your breakfast or doing frog dissections just after lunch. You get a strong stomach. Later in life at mystery writing conventions, I was able to sit through slide presentations by medical examiners of autopsies of murder and accident victims. I still had it with a strong stomach.
A Hip loving Canadian... about 5 years ago
I’ll just sit this one out and thanks for the invite.
fireeyes about 5 years ago
Brussels sprouts!
pchemcat about 5 years ago
My brother and his friend used to play that game. The grossest thing I saw him do was with a mushroom. We were eating pizza (my brother, his best friend, my best friend and me) at a restaurant when he put a mushroom up his nose. He made weird noises until all the patrons were looking at our table, blew the mushroom out of his nose, looked at it and then ate it. Yes, we were thrown out all the while laughing hysterically.
Andrew Sleeth about 5 years ago
Calvin may have stumbled upon a career calling, because there’s actually a large body of research on the science of disgust. Here’s one popular mainstream introduction,
NOVA: What’s Behind the Disgust Response?
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/whats-behind-disgust-response/
WimtenBrink2 about 5 years ago
Go felch a cat! :P