Calvin is named after 16th century theologian John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism who had a strong belief in predestination, Calvin is a rather exaggerated six year old. As a character, especially in later strips, he serves as a medium to communicate painfully stupid ideas. For instance, Calvin recieves "Chewing" magazine, a parody of fitness magazines devoted to chewing gum and keeping one's jaw in shape. Calvin obsesses over the latest and greatest models of gum and feels left out because he doesn't have the latest spearmint. As that vehicle, Calvin rarely shows compassion and rarely tunes in to other's emotions, with some exceptions, such as the "dead raccoon" storyline.
Wisdom
Though he has extremely low grades, it is mostly because he has no interest in school. He is shown to be a very smart child, easily grasping ideas and vocabulary that many an adult could not understand. He has many childish aspects as well, however, principal among them being his "hatred" for girls, notably his neightbor Susie Derkins. G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS) is a club that Calvin made up to bother Susie. It is made up of Calvin and Hobbes assuming the roles of many arbitrary officers such as "President and First Tiger" and Dictator for Life." "You can tell it's such a great club by all the officers we have," says Calvin. Many meetings end in a fight, usually over Calvin's dislike for girls and Hobbes' liking to them. A truce is always agreed upon at a meeting's end, with Medals of Valor awarded to all.
Hobbes
Calvin is rarely seen without his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. Hobbes is Calvin's sensibility. Hobbes, although apparently a figment of Calvin's imagination, has a life of his own, frequently going against Calvin and being an outlet for things that Calvin doesn't want to admit he thinks. This includes being "captured" by Susie Derkins on many a G.R.O.S.S. mission, "forcing" Calvin to go to her house and get him.
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