h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As I recall, Calvin's babysitter (I think she's called Rosalyn), plays Calvinball with them on one occasion. She picks it up quite quickly, as well.

It's a bit like the cup game which Chandler invented to give money to Joey in friends. Sorry I meant *lost* to Joey. However the rules are always felxible seemingly to allow Hobbes to usually win.

Hobbes always wins unless Rosalyn is plaaying, in which case he helps her win. Calvin, who invented the game, can't seem to catch a fair break. Anything he does ends up in the boomerang zone, or some such place. Interestingly they make up the scoring system as they go along, too. I recall one strip where Hobbes declared that the score was "Oogey to Boogey" and Calvin complained "I already had Oogey!"

~Irving

"Calvin, who invented the game, can't seem to catch a fair break. Anything he does ends up in the boomerang zone, or some such place."

Does this remind anyone else of the British cricket team? The part about making up the scoring sounds like cricket, also, at least to an American who understands they use tables of ballistic trajectories or something to decide who's ahead in cricket.

I recently re-read "The C&H 10th Aniversary Book", with commentary by Bill Watterson. I think Calvinball was a reaction to Calvin's Dad attempting to teach him baseball, which resulted in a grounder hitting Calvin in the nose, bloodying it: "I'b nod playig badeball eddy more! Nebber again! I hade it!"

Watterson's comment is "People have asked how to play Calvinball. It's pretty simple: you make up the rules as you go." Again, like cricket, where hitting a helmet on the ground get FIVE runs - the only way to do that, I think.

Well, there are set rules to Calvinball: Everyone wears masks, there's a ball (known as the Calvinball), and anything else goes.

~Irving

While the Calvinball is always there in the strips, I don't think it's a required part of the game.


At one point he joins his school baseball team, too. Had success somewhat like mine ... until he quit.

How could it be Calvinball without the ball?

Well, it just is. I seem to remember one strip where they start with football. Apparently, they're both double agents for the other team, until Hobbes announces that he's a badmitton player in disguise. Or something. The last pannel has one riding a hobby horse, and the other carrying a croquet mallet, but I don't recall a ball. Then again, I'm just going on memory here.

Well, if one has a croquet mallet, then it may be implied that there is a ball somewhere out of view... I think I remember the strip you mean. The masks are what really define Calvinball. They're never really explained, but Calvin makes Rosilyn wear one and proclaims that one of the rules is "don't question the masks".

~Irving

So the rules that have been established up to this point are:
1. Everybody must wear a mask.
2. Nobody is allowed to question the masks.
3. A ball may be involved in some way.
4. You must make up the rules as you go, and finally
5. You can't play the same way twice.

Am I correct about this? If so, we should start an international Calvinball league, because it sure beats the heck out of football! (American or otherwise.)

There's a slightly more elaborate version of CB rules here:

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/2990/cb_rules.htm

Not to worry, though, the last footnote is:

"** This rulebook is not required, nor necessary to play Calvinball."

That is true. i just read that the other day. Rosalyn seemed 2 like it very much.

HEY IRVING:

ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE MASKS-NO ONE CAN QUESTION THEM, IF U RECALL

This is a good point. I believe it was raised earlier in this very thread

Yeah, it might've come up once or twice before.

Why do I get the feeling I'm being followed?