Hobbes is seen by everyone but Calvin as a stuffed tiger. Calvin cannot seem to grasp this concept, like many children who are convinced of the reality of their dolls and stuffed animals. Calvin once took Hobbes to school to eat Moe, but when Moe walked away because he thought Calvin was setting him up, Calvin was convinced that Hobbes had scared him off. Hobbes' name comes from 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who had what Watterson described as "a dim view of human nature." Hobbes, like any animal presumably would, has little understanding of the customs of the human world. This is where he and the gripy Calvin get along well.
Common Sense
During dangerous activities that Calvin comes up with, Hobbes is much more rational then Calvin, oftening "chickening out" of a steep drop off of a cliff in the wagon. Even so, Hobbes rarely interferes with Calvin's other mischief. In the end, Hobbes knows he won't be the one in trouble.
Reality
No one ever believes Calvin when he says "Hobbes did it!" but in fact, Hobbes did do it many a time. Hobbes often attacks Calvin with a pounce, leaving him scraped up quite a bit, and Calvin has no way to explain it to his parents. This is one of the many ways in which the line between stuffed and real tiger is blurred.
Excuses
Hobbes is often Calvin's excuse for problems, such as objectionable drawings of tigers eating a village on school posters, making noise at night when they are supposed to be sleeping, scuffing the kitchen floor, and kncoking down cans of tuna. Most of the time, at least from what the reader can see, Calvin is telling the truth when blaming Hobbes, but other times Calvin uses Hobbes as a shield for getting in trouble. For instance, the time when Calvin asked Hobbes to tie him to a chair for a magic trick, and Calvin says Hobbes was holding him for ransom.
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