Throughout the 1980s, The Far Side became famous for its twisted takes on popular culture, as creator Gary Larson often flexed his knowledge of film, television, literature and more, creating jokes that encompassed both the obscure and the iconic. In the process, Larson’s comics earned their indelible place in the popular consciousness.
Fans of The Far Side We know that Gary Larson was a movie buff and a passionate music fan – and also a musician, which provides context for The Far Side frequent hilarious portraits of musicians – as well as being a writer and literate individual.
When most readers think of Larson, they quickly recognize Larson’s naturalistic tendencies. The Far Sidebut his jokes that distort, subvert, and occasionally pay homage to pop culture should not be forgotten, as they represented a significant part of the artist’s overall output during his career.
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Adding one word totally changes the context of this zombie movie parody (but isn’t it still kind of scary?)
First published: January 28, 1987
Subtitled “Night of the Living Dead Squirrels,” that Far Side cartoon directly lampoons George Romero’s legendary 1968 horror film, which effectively started the zombie genre as fans know it today, by turning the undead into squirrels, who broke into the front door of a woman’s house, causing her to flee in terror.
With just one word, Gary Larson completely changes the context of the horror here – with the cartoon’s humor coming from the incongruity between the illustration, which emphasizes the horror in its color tone, and the crackle of lighting outside the half-open door. , and the typically harmless diminutive stature of squirrels. Still, if one dwells on the possibility of zombie squirrels, they recognize an undercurrent of potential for real terror, adding another layer to this joke.
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This flip side reference has only gotten more obscure over time (What is Puddin’ Tame?)
First published: February 7, 1987
Contemporary readers may encounter this Far Side cartoon and I think it’s just some weird nonsense that Gary Larson came up with, but it’s actually a deep pop culture reference that would still have resonated with many fans in 1987. Although its exact origin is difficult to trace,”Domesticated pudding” is essentially one of the first analog memes, which Larson offers a variation on here. In its most common formulation, it’s a call and response, like this:
Q: What is your name?
A: Tame pudding!
Larson rephrases this by telling his joke in an interrogation room, after the suspect secretly gave “Domesticated pudding“to the authorities as a false identity – which only The Far Side the cunning lead detective catches on, telling his fellow officer, “you idiot, don’t write that!” Although the joke is deftly crafted in isolation, the fading of “Domesticated pudding“pop culture’s prominence has made it increasingly obscure over the years.
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Gary Larson portrays the invertebrate version of Jaws (how recent was this reference at the time?)
First published: March 9, 1987
In this Far Side cinema cartoon, a group of worms gathers to watch “Nozzle II”, a direct homage to the 1978 sequel to Steven Spielberg’s film Jaws. This is clear from the caption, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the topsoil…“, a parody of Jaws 2 legendary slogan “just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water.”
Even movie fans who love the Jaws the sequels for what they are will have a hard time denying that the second film represents a drastic decline in the quality of the first – but the film’s tagline has become as synonymous with the franchise as anything from the original film. Although “Nozzle II” Far Side cartoon was published almost ten years later Jaws 2Upon release, his reference would have been immediately recognizable; and to a large extent, to this day, it remains so.
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Gary Larson imagines the childhood of a jazz icon (who was Dizzy Gillespie?)
First published: March 14, 1987
Gary Larson himself was a jazz musician, so the greats of the genre such as Dizzy Gillespie would often be on his mind, and this manifested itself on this page Far Side cartoon, which depicts “Gillespie’s seventh birthday party.” Funnily enough, the boy identified as the future trumpet player is shown vigorously blowing a party horn, his cheeks exaggeratedly puffed out as he gives it his allshowing that he was destined for a career from an early age.
In 1987, most Larson readers could still be counted on to know Dizzy Gillespie’s name; decades later, of course, jazz enthusiasts will still immediately get this joke, and although some young people Far Side fans may have to look up the jazz pioneer, but once they know who he was, the joke is clear enough to be appreciated by anyone.
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Gary Larson Explains What Happened to the Sphinx’s Nose (Is This the Greatest Cinematic Homage on the Other Side?)
First published: August 28, 1987
In this panel, “an unpopular pharaoh“wakes up to discover that the Great Sphinx’s nose has been cut off and placed in his bed”by Egyptian mobsters,“ in a bright Far Side cartoon that answers a long-standing historical question and pays homage to Francis Ford Coppala’s 1972 masterpiece The godfatherand his infamous “horse head” scene.
For the past few hundred years, it has been claimed that Napoleon shot off the nose of the Sphinx during his invasion of Egypt in 1798, but this is apocryphal. Here, Larson presents an even more ridiculous theory, while also presenting one of his most elaborate, and perhaps funniest, theories, Far Side movie references. The joke is particularly impressive for the way it fuses real history with contemporary cinema to arrive at a strange but effective joke.
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The devil leaves home for a business trip to Georgia (does this change how far away fans hear the song?)
First published: October 28, 1987
In this hell Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson hilariously depicts what happened before Charlie Daniels’ beloved fiddle jam, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”“, as the Devil bids farewell to his wife as he picks up his pitchfork-shaped violin case and walks out the door, saying, “well… here I come.”
“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” is, of course, one of the great triumph songs of all time, as protagonist Johnny prevails over Satan himself, thwarting the ruler of Hell at his own game and drawing from a classic Faustian. bargain in a way that few pop culture characters ever have. By making the Devil so personal in this cartoon – with a wife and dog waiting for him at home – it cleverly changes the context of the entire story, to great comedic effect.
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Popeye gives up his right to self-incrimination (what did he do?)
First published: November 10, 1987
That Far Side comic is an example of Gary Larson reverse engineering his joke, starting with the pop culture reference he wants to make and working backwards. The character Popeye is famous for saying “I am what I am,” and Larson starts there, then finds a premise to place the quote that will produce a hilarious result.
This comes in the form of a classic Far Side court scene, In that a heated prosecutor corners Popeye as he testifies in his own defense, prompting the lawyer to ask, “Don’t you have remorse? What kind of monster are you?” By responding with his familiar statement, Popeye all but confirms that he is guilty, not only of the crime in question, but of having no remorse and of truly being a monster – leaving fans to wonder exactly at what horrific crime scene his pipe was discovered.
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Gary Larson Roasts Authoritarian Parents (How Did Michelangelo Do Anything?)
First published: November 16, 1987
Here, Gary Larson combines the trope of the overly critical father with the painting of the Sistine Chapel to great effect. In this Far Side panel, “Michelangelo’s father“is at the base of the latter’s son, while the artist works diligently to finish the ceiling of the Chapel.
Of course, although his work may stand the test of time and still be considered one of humanity’s greatest works of art more than 500 years later is still not enough to impress his father, who warns Michelangelo to “look at these skin tones“, and asks how much he is getting paid for the joband is generally anything but useful. This is a strong Far Side cartoon because of how it takes a widely recognizable cultural touchstone and uses it to deliver a highly relatable joke.
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The Cleverest Houdini Joke Ever (What Makes It So Universally Acclaimed?)
First published: November 21, 1987
Subtitled “Houdini escapes from a black hole,” this is another example of Gary Larson combining his scientific knowledge with his pop culture acumen in order to deliver top-notch work Far Side joke. The panel itself is deceptively simple, depicting a spaceship hurtling against a backdrop of stars – but that simplicity belies one of Larson’s cleverest jokes.
Harry Houdini is widely recognized as arguably the greatest – or at least the most famous – escape artist in history; Meanwhile, scientists generally believe that black holes are inevitable once an object has passed its event horizon. Therefore, for Houdini to escape a black hole would be a galactic-scale equivalent of his greatest feats on Earth. While this joke requires the reader to “get” it on two different levels, for those who make the connection, it’s a solid joke.
1
The smartest peanut reference on the other side (what makes it so good?)
First published: December 11, 1987
The Far Side did several Peanut references over the years, but this is by far Gary Larson’s cleverest reference to Charles Schulz’s comics, in the sense that it’s a niche archaeological joke, which uses Lucy as Peanut to connect with a wider audience.
The cartoon depicts the discovery of “a second Lucia”, which has the result of “shaking the anthropological world.” With Peanut with almost 40 years of publication in 1987, Gary Larson amusingly compared one of the strip’s iconic characters to a fossil, or an artifact from an ancient civilization, the discovery of which would completely upend the study of Peanut and its relationship with modern human society. In this way, Gary Larson delivered The Far Side best reference of 1987, the year that illustrated the peak of his ability to mock pop culture.