William Boyd Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is a retired American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995.
The family relocated to Chagrin Falls, Ohio in 1965 when Watterson was six. Watterson drew his first cartoon at age eight, and spent much time in childhood alone, drawing and cartooning.
Watterson found avenues for his cartooning talents throughout primary and secondary school, creating high school-themed super hero comics with his friends and contributing cartoons and art to the school newspaper and yearbook. From 1976 to 1980, Watterson attended Kenyon College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.
Watterson found avenues for his cartooning talents throughout primary and secondary school, creating high school-themed super hero comics with his friends and contributing cartoons and art to the school newspaper and yearbook. From 1976 to 1980, Watterson attended Kenyon College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.
Watterson graduated in 1980 and was hired on a trial basis at the Cincinnati Post, a competing paper of the Enquirer.
William Boyd Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is a retired American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995.
As he told the graduating class of 1990 at Kenyon College, "It's surprising how hard we'll work when the work is done just for ourselves." Calvin and Hobbes was first published on November 18, 1985.
Watterson also wrote an accompanying essay that served as the foreword for the exhibit, called "Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985–1995", which opened on September 10, 2001.
The book contained a lengthy interview with Bill Watterson, conducted by Jenny Robb, the curator of the museum. ==Awards and honors== Watterson was awarded the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in both 1986 and 1988.
127 in February 1989, an interview that appeared in a 1987 issue of Honk Magazine, and one in a 2015 Watterson exhibition catalogue. On December 21, 1999, a short piece was published in the Los Angeles Times, written by Watterson to mark the forthcoming retirement of iconic Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Circa 2003, Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post sent Watterson the first edition of the Barnaby book as an incentive, hoping to land an interview.
The book contained a lengthy interview with Bill Watterson, conducted by Jenny Robb, the curator of the museum. ==Awards and honors== Watterson was awarded the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in both 1986 and 1988.
127 in February 1989, an interview that appeared in a 1987 issue of Honk Magazine, and one in a 2015 Watterson exhibition catalogue. On December 21, 1999, a short piece was published in the Los Angeles Times, written by Watterson to mark the forthcoming retirement of iconic Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Circa 2003, Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post sent Watterson the first edition of the Barnaby book as an incentive, hoping to land an interview.
As he told the graduating class of 1990 at Kenyon College, "It's surprising how hard we'll work when the work is done just for ourselves." Calvin and Hobbes was first published on November 18, 1985.
Watterson's position eventually won out and he was able to renegotiate his contract so that he would receive all rights to his work, but later added that the licensing fight exhausted him and contributed to the need for a nine-month sabbatical in 1991. Despite Watterson's efforts, many unofficial knockoffs have been found, including items that depict Calvin and Hobbes consuming alcohol or Calvin urinating on a logo.
While he was set to return from his first sabbatical (a second took place during 1994), Watterson discussed with his syndicate a new format for Calvin and Hobbes that would enable him to use his space more efficiently and would almost require the papers to publish it as a half-page.
William Boyd Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is a retired American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995.
Watterson stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes at the end of 1995 with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium.
He added that he was not going to apologize for drawing a popular feature. ===End of Calvin and Hobbes=== Watterson announced the end of Calvin and Hobbes on November 9, 1995, with the following letter to newspaper editors: The last strip of Calvin and Hobbes was published on December 31, 1995. ==After Calvin and Hobbes== In the years since Calvin and Hobbes was ended, many attempts have been made to contact Watterson.
Since 1995, Watterson has taken up painting, at one point drawing landscapes of the woods with his father.
Watterson's syndicate (which ultimately became Universal Uclick) revealed that the painting was the first new artwork of his that the syndicate has seen since Calvin and Hobbes ended in 1995. October 2009 saw the publication of Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, Nevin Martell's humorous story of seeking an interview with Watterson.
The day that Stephan Pastis returned to his own strip, he paid tribute to Watterson by alluding to the final strip of Calvin and Hobbes from December 31, 1995. On November 5, 2014, a poster was unveiled, drawn by Watterson for the 2015 Angoulême International Comics Festival where he was awarded the Grand Prix in 2014. In 2015, three "original" Calvin and Hobbes comic strips were listed for sale on eBay.
Both The Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Scene sent reporters, in 1998 and 2003 respectively, but neither were able to make contact with the media-shy Watterson.
127 in February 1989, an interview that appeared in a 1987 issue of Honk Magazine, and one in a 2015 Watterson exhibition catalogue. On December 21, 1999, a short piece was published in the Los Angeles Times, written by Watterson to mark the forthcoming retirement of iconic Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Circa 2003, Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post sent Watterson the first edition of the Barnaby book as an incentive, hoping to land an interview.
Berkeley Breathed included Hobbes in a November 27, 2017, strip as a stand-in for the character Steve Dallas. ===Exhibitions=== In 2001, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University mounted an exhibition of Watterson's Sunday strips.
Watterson also wrote an accompanying essay that served as the foreword for the exhibit, called "Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985–1995", which opened on September 10, 2001.
It was taken down in January 2002.
Both The Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Scene sent reporters, in 1998 and 2003 respectively, but neither were able to make contact with the media-shy Watterson.
127 in February 1989, an interview that appeared in a 1987 issue of Honk Magazine, and one in a 2015 Watterson exhibition catalogue. On December 21, 1999, a short piece was published in the Los Angeles Times, written by Watterson to mark the forthcoming retirement of iconic Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Circa 2003, Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post sent Watterson the first edition of the Barnaby book as an incentive, hoping to land an interview.
Watterson's editor Lee Salem called the next day to tell Weingarten that the cartoonist would not be coming. In 2004, Watterson and his wife Melissa bought a home in the Cleveland suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
In 2005, they completed the move from their home in Chagrin Falls to their new residence. In October 2005, Watterson answered 15 questions submitted by readers.
In October 2007, he wrote a review of Schulz and Peanuts, a biography of Charles Schulz, in The Wall Street Journal. In 2008, he provided a foreword for the first book collection of Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac comic strip.
In October 2007, he wrote a review of Schulz and Peanuts, a biography of Charles Schulz, in The Wall Street Journal. In 2008, he provided a foreword for the first book collection of Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac comic strip.
In April 2011, a representative for Andrews McMeel received a package from a "William Watterson in Cleveland Heights, Ohio" which contained a oil-on-board painting of Cul de Sac character Petey Otterloop, done by Watterson for the Team Cul de Sac fundraising project for Parkinson's disease in honor of Richard Thompson, who was diagnosed in 2009.
Watterson's syndicate (which ultimately became Universal Uclick) revealed that the painting was the first new artwork of his that the syndicate has seen since Calvin and Hobbes ended in 1995. October 2009 saw the publication of Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, Nevin Martell's humorous story of seeking an interview with Watterson.
In his search he interviews friends, co-workers and family but never gets to meet the artist himself. In early 2010, Watterson was interviewed by The Plain Dealer on the 15th anniversary of the end of Calvin and Hobbes.
In April 2011, a representative for Andrews McMeel received a package from a "William Watterson in Cleveland Heights, Ohio" which contained a oil-on-board painting of Cul de Sac character Petey Otterloop, done by Watterson for the Team Cul de Sac fundraising project for Parkinson's disease in honor of Richard Thompson, who was diagnosed in 2009.
Explaining his decision to discontinue the strip, he said, In October 2013, the magazine Mental Floss published an interview with Watterson, only the second since the strip ended.
He also gave his opinion on the changes in the comic-strip industry and where it would be headed in the future: In 2013 the documentary Dear Mr.
The day that Stephan Pastis returned to his own strip, he paid tribute to Watterson by alluding to the final strip of Calvin and Hobbes from December 31, 1995. On November 5, 2014, a poster was unveiled, drawn by Watterson for the 2015 Angoulême International Comics Festival where he was awarded the Grand Prix in 2014. In 2015, three "original" Calvin and Hobbes comic strips were listed for sale on eBay.
The accompanying published catalog had the same title. From March 22 to August 3, 2014, Watterson exhibited again at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University.
127 in February 1989, an interview that appeared in a 1987 issue of Honk Magazine, and one in a 2015 Watterson exhibition catalogue. On December 21, 1999, a short piece was published in the Los Angeles Times, written by Watterson to mark the forthcoming retirement of iconic Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Circa 2003, Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post sent Watterson the first edition of the Barnaby book as an incentive, hoping to land an interview.
The day that Stephan Pastis returned to his own strip, he paid tribute to Watterson by alluding to the final strip of Calvin and Hobbes from December 31, 1995. On November 5, 2014, a poster was unveiled, drawn by Watterson for the 2015 Angoulême International Comics Festival where he was awarded the Grand Prix in 2014. In 2015, three "original" Calvin and Hobbes comic strips were listed for sale on eBay.
These pieces proved to be fakes after the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State released a statement saying the actual originals were in its archives. On April 1, 2016, for April Fools' Day, Berkeley Breathed posted on Facebook that Watterson had signed "the franchise over to my 'administration'".
Breathed posted another "Calvin County" strip featuring Calvin and Hobbes, also "signed" by Watterson on April 1, 2017, along with a fake The New York Times story ostensibly detailing the "merger" of the two strips.
Berkeley Breathed included Hobbes in a November 27, 2017, strip as a stand-in for the character Steve Dallas. ===Exhibitions=== In 2001, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University mounted an exhibition of Watterson's Sunday strips.
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