Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson for February 06, 2023

I agree with Phoebe’s dad. Especially in the last panel.

Ok, millennial.

Friendly reminder that Ethan met his future daughter when he was a child, and learned of the existence of unicorns AND time travel at that age, and spent decades keeping that knowledge to himself, anticipating when that girl he met as a child would be born from that girl he had a crush on.

I still think that was a weirdly existential story arc. Someone should write a fanfic about it.

A reversal of Calvin. He spends all day inside watching TV until his parents tell him to play outside like they did at his age. Of course, once outside, Calvin shows a lot of creativity in having fun anyway.

Was Phoebe’s dad like Calvin?

This is a really good strip. Not just today, but always.

Ethan relates to me. I’m not yet sure whether that’s a good thing.

I would have loved to spend my time as a kid just watching TV and playing video games. Unfortunately, I had parents that controlled how much screen time I consumed, and the TV and console were in the living room.

90’s kids always crack me up..

I would be jealous too!

When I was a kid, no video games, no computers, and we had fun anyway! (Sure wish we had a Unicorn though)!

Same here, but replace “unicorn” with “transforming robot” or “mobile suit”.

He’s probably jealous because he doesn’t have hobbes anymore

I mean, who wouldn’t be?

Of course, our values involved day-glow neon shirts and parachute pants.

I think Ethan is simply being sarcastic. The roles are reversed here. These days the kids are the ones sitting all day in front of screens. They now have to be prodded to be active. The fact that the NFL’s “Play 60 ” program exists is a telling sign of the times. This is aimed at kids, encouraging them to spend an hour each day engaged in some sort of physical activity. Something that used to be a natural part of a child’s development.

I’d be jealous too!

So I’m wondering if unicorns existed in this version of the world when he was a kid.

I would think so because of how Marigold knows about the past and implies unicorns always existed in that world.

do they only appear to girls in Phoebe’s world?.

all the kid characters have a magical friend in Phoebe’s timeline so maybe they simply weren’t as involved with humans as now.

Phoebe’s dad didn’t have a dragon or other creature to be his friend at all?.

having a unicorn is better for Phoebe in so many ways.

She’s getting outside and exercising, she’s actually learning important stuff compared to playing games and sitting around inside.

There used to be a campaign to get kids outside more in the late 90s early 2000s.

and a unicorn is just an overall better friend and more advanced than any kind of technology.

and that game screen itself is not healthy when exposed to it for too long.

I got criticized for spending too much time reading. My dad was a jock.

hackeysack and frisbee and riding bikes (and unicorns, I guess) are more healthful AND more fun

Poor dad. Doesn’t know what he’s been missing. I do a little of both when I can. Recently started planting, and it’s so satisfying to see a seed become a plant. Time for a reforestation, cause the opposite is happening dangerously frequent.

I bet that in Phoebe’s grandparents’ childhoods, they also went outside to play until the advent of television.