Cartoonist Bill Watterson has always been protective of his magnum opus Calvin and Hobbes, to the point where it’s tough to find any approved merchandise of the characters, but I like to think he’d smile kindly on this charming LEGO build of his two titular characters. Geneva Durand captures the boy Calvin and his tiger pal Hobbes crossing a log bridge in an image from one of their most iconic panels. Tiny white frogs make up Hobbes’s outstretched fingers, while Calvin’s characteristically touseled locks look good as sloped bricks. A red pot makes Calvin’s torso. Rocks and foliage spring up on either side of the bridge. It makes you wonder, what adventure are they off to next?
Tag Archives: Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes are back for one last ride!
If you love Calvin and Hobbes (and who doesn’t!?) you need to check out this LEGO build by Markus Rollbühler! Calvin and Hobbes ran in newspapers for ten years and has left behind a beloved legacy in the hearts of its readers. Markus here has captured the final panel of the entire run of Calvin and Hobbes in blocky form; Calvin and Hobbes riding off into the snowy magic of winter! To depict this scene, Markus has made use of a huge variety of sloped pieces to capture the chunky and cartoon-y shapes of the comic artwork. Part of Calvin’s gloves are made from armor pieces used in the Bouquet of Roses. The snowy slope the pair are sledding down features tonnes of 1×6 slopes cleverly aligned for a smooth surface, while the chunky shapes around the outside feature a number of the new 1×4 wedge from the new Speed Champions and Tuxedo Cat sets. All told, this build is a beautiful love-letter to a beloved piece of comic history! All that’s left to say is to do like the duo and get out there and explore!
This LEGO Calvin and Hobbes has all the right moves
Builder grubaluk is hitting all my nostalgia buttons with this wonderful Calvin and Hobbes model. The boy and his tiger are recreated perfectly and filled with life and personality. I am especially fond of the treatment of hair and fur here, from Calvin’s bangs to Hobbes’ ruffled chest fur and whiskers. But the fun doesn’t stop there. This model is motorized using a LEGO Powered Up hub, a few L motors and some clever programming in the Powered Up app. Be sure to check out the video after the break where the builder explains his process and shows how the magic is created.
Read on to check out this model in action
“It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy...”
In an era when cable TV and video games were just starting to compete for our attention, the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes inspired a generation of kids to have a renewed appreciation for the wonder of the outdoors and the versatility of cardboard boxes. But the cartoonist, Bill Watterson, was always adamant that his strip never be merchandised in the way comics like Peanuts and Garfield had been. So, outside of a few book collections, readers were left with few options when it came to celebrating their fandom. Thankfully, LEGO is a product that encourages you to build anything your imagination can conceive of. And Simon Liu has taken advantage of that fact to grace us with brick-built versions of Calvin and his feline companion.
This build recreates one of the more famous images of the pair, a shot of them balancing on a log which first appeared in The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book. It’s everything I’d want to see in a hypothetical licensed LEGO set. Not only are the characters perfectly realized, but the attention paid to the wilderness base they stand on has all the hallmarks of Watterson’s art. The soft palette of colors evokes the watercolors that were often used on supplemental book images. And details like the log’s crooked tiling and the small dip in the creek give the environment the same realistic feel that landscapes in the strip were known for. While Watterson may not ever want to see this as a set for sale, I’ve no doubt that seeing the effort that Simon put into honoring his creations would make him smile.
Off to an adventure with Calvin and Hobbes
Talented TBB alum Simon Liu brings us the iconic duo Calvin and Hobbes. Simon is no stranger to Calvin and Hobbes LEGO creations. This time he decided to challenge himself by using only 101 pieces. 101 pieces doesn’t sound like a lot, but the figures are quite small so to me it still is astonishing that these two figures consist of 101 parts. Most of the parts used are smaller than a 1×1 brick. Even though their faces are featureless the figures look instantly recognizable — Hobbes’ face is especially well made. I am quite curious how Hobbes’ ears are connected. My guess is through friction and I am perfectly fine with that as long as he doesn’t lose them when they speed of a steep hill in Calvin’s red wagon.
Want more LEGO Calvin and Hobbes creations? Check them out in our archives!
Calvin and Hobbes – a LEGO Retrospective
Today, as many LEGO builders look back at their builds and accomplishments for the year, I’d like to go back a few more decades to December 31st 1995. The last published Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was published 20 years ago today, and I thought it would be appropriate to take a look back at Calvin and Hobbes through the eyes of the LEGO Community, and why we love them so much.
Calvin and Hobbes always held a very special place in my heart. It was the first English ‘book’ I ever actually wanted to read. But what surprises me is that – despite it being 20 years since the last printing – we still see LEGO builders from around the world regularly paying tribute to this wonderful comic strip. In fact, just over a month ago marked the 30th anniversary of the first Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, and I built a little scene to commemorate the occasion. I was quite shocked when I had someone message me to say “thank you” for reminding them of Calvin and Hobbes, and all the good memories.
Click through to see more LEGO Calvin & Hobbes creations!
Calvin and Hobbes
Epic LEGO Calvin and Hobbes, complete with snowmen
There’s a giant soft spot in my heart for Calvin and Hobbes, some of my best childhood laughs came from his snowman antics especially. When I saw this creation by Tyler Sky (Bricksky), I had no choice but to share it here. Tyler has perfectly captured the characters, as well as the hilarious snowman antics. If you live in Vancouver, it sounds like you can even see it in person, at the Oakridge Mall Lego store.
Set Zorcher to Shake’n’Bake
Blake Baer (Blake’s Baericks) created this scene for the ongoing MOCathalon. I am sure most people are like Blake (and myself), in that Spaceman Spiff is their favourite Calvin & Hobbes character. Well Blake not only did the intrepid space explorer justice, he also did a wonderful job of creating a beautiful alien landscape full of exotic flora.
Be sure to check out this full size image to to see all the amazing details.