wndrwrthg - almost right - he has to be distracted, not deliberately, so he forgets all thought about his weight, how high he is etc (ref: 3w HHGproject org /entries/ flying) - if he makes it, he might become cool and froody, and remember to take a (stripey?) towel with him…
mum told me i did this after i rode my trike down 2 stories of stairs into the garden (abt 48 yrs ago). copeing with pain & shock / dealing with reality, until one can find mum, when its ok to let it all out. mum is more the safe haven and fixer-upperer than audience.
can remember the pink stained skin… but these days there is Betadine Ointment (no alcohol to sting). Thats what ist called here in Aus anyway (povidone iodine, ointment)
caterpillar = clothes, when calvin is imagining, he can carry the caterpillar; last frame shows the ‘real’ situation in which calvins imagination is operating. 50x, no worries!
if mum could only join in the imaginative play, be the queen ant, instead of being ‘grown up’… c&h illlustrates differences between children’s imaginative play and adults loss of same for ‘realism’, well.
If Hobbes is there to catch Calvin, maybe Hobbes becomes a towel from the force of the impact (if Calvin fails to miss the ground) …