Video games news, releases, esports and culture — all the biggest gaming stories in one place.
31 Years Later, One ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ Line Remains The Greatest Quote In Comic Strip History
Polygon reflects on the continuing influence of Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, 31 years after the strip ended, and argues that its strongest line is “We need to start putting prices on the priceless.” The article says the quotation matters because it captures the strip’s enduring environmentalist and anti-consumerist concerns, particularly its appreciation of nature beyond commercial value.
The line appeared in a strip published on 11 November 1995, shortly before Calvin and Hobbes concluded. Watterson said Calvin’s home was imagined as bordering a nature preserve or national forest, giving the character space for often hazardous, imaginative exploration; the article argues this setting made the strip’s environmental message especially lasting.
In short
- Polygon highlights a 1995 Calvin and Hobbes environmentalist quotation.
- The strip’s nature scenes are central to its enduring appeal.
- Watterson ended the comic at the height of its success.
Explained simply
Calvin and Hobbes is a comic strip by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, about a boy called Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who appears to Calvin as a talking companion. The strip ran from 1985 until 1995 and became known for mixing Calvin’s imaginative adventures with reflections on everyday life.
Watterson imagined Calvin’s home beside a nature preserve or national forest, where he could roam and explore. The strip often drew attention to the value of nature and questioned the way people treat things as valuable mainly when they can be bought or sold.