Some Far Side cartoons are indisputably smart. Others are gloriously, purposefully dumb. Then there are those that are something else entirely, where it comes down to the eye of the beholder. This list celebrates the Far Sides that tap dance on the line in between, deliriously and hilariously blending smart and dumb humor.
Far Side creator Gary Larson achieved this synthesis of smart and dumb, highbrow and lowbrow humor, in a number of different ways. Sometimes it took the form of a half-baked pun; often it was the result of a dumb punchline derived from a smart premise.
Occasionally, it was the opposite. The Far Side never took its own formula too seriously, or too rigidly, and the result was a comic that blurred, and crossed, lines routinely.
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“You’re A Hard Man”: The Far Side Didn’t Flinch Away From Obvious Humor
First Published: June 6, 1985
“You’re a hard man, Bud,” a woman tells her husband, who is made of literal stone, as they’re sitting on the couch watching television. It is a recognizable character trope: the emotionally obtuse, closed-off husband, the wife who just wants to get through to him. Except it is rendered literally here, turning this Far Side comic’s relatable sentiment into a pun.
Puns are often thought of as “low” humor, and subject to eye-rolling, but the truth is making puns requires a certain degree of perceptiveness, and the ability to draw connections. These were the hallmarks of The Far Side’s humor. The end result might have often seemed “dumb,” but it was the product of a highly intelligent process.
9
“Know Your Insects”: The Far Side Often Found The Dumb Side Of Smart Subjects
First Published: July 26, 1986
Gary Larson’s fascination with insects is well documented. So, Far Side readers can think of this as a peek into the author’s own childhood: a nerdy-looking kid sitting alone with an entomological textbook, “Know Your Insects.“ Except rather than the names of species, the illustrations of bugs are labeled with human names, such as “Bob,” “Linda,” “Carol,” “Dale,” and more.
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It’s the kind of Far Side joke that tends to get a laugh accompanied by a shaking head. Or a dismissive snort. The gag is rooted in scientific interest, but it takes such a decisively silly turn that it is clear Larson’s intention was not to flaunt any sort of knowledge, but rather to poke fun at his own proclivity for studying.
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“Aladdin’s Lamp, End Table, And Sofa”: Gary Larson Asked Questions Nobody Else Would Ever Think To
First Published: May 10, 1988
Captioned “Aladdin’s lamp, end table, and sofa,” and depicting precisely that, this is The Far Side’s humor at its most understated. Or, perhaps it is one of Gary Larson’s occasional “phoned in” cartoons. It’s hard to say. Certainly, there’s an intelligent quality to the joke’s premise, highlighting how Larson questioned things that most people take for granted.
In this case, that is the idea of Aladdin’s magic lamp. Except in this case, the “deeper” question being asked, and answered, in this Far Side comic, is “what other furniture does Aladdin have?” This is hilariously dumb, and that is the “point” of the joke, illustrating how even “dumb” humor is often the product of smart humorists.
7
“The Wimpdites”: The Far Side Routinely Made A Mockery Of History
First Published: May 22, 1988
Gary Larson was (and, decades after his retirement, presumably still is) a student of history, something The Far Side regularly displayed. So, once again, cartoons like this one derived from Larson’s smart interests, and then were forged into something inane for the purpose of getting a laugh. In this case, it was a highly effective process.
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Here, it is a Viking-adjacent culture, “the Wimpodites,” who use pillows as weapons, and ride around in a boat with a sheep’s masthead, instead of a dragon. And who, of course, are set upon by actual Vikings. With this Far Side punchline, Larson smartly dissects what makes Vikings fearsome, and then undermines it in ludicrous fashion.
6
“The Lawrence Milk Show”: Some Far Side Puns Left Readers In Utter Disbelief
First Published: October 19, 1990
Here, Gary Larson depicts a pair of elderly cows watching the “Lawrence Milk” show, a reference that has aged like….well, milk, in the thirty-five years since this Far Side comic was first published. This is, of course, a shout-out to The Lawrence Welk Show, an iconic variety show that ran for over thirty years, from 1951 to 1982.
In 1990, Welk would still have been a household name, but Larson’s joke is evidence his show was already a nostalgia program for older audiences. What makes this homage strange, of course, is that Larson stretches the linguistic limits of the pun here, by turning “Welk” into “Milk.” Some fans will find it amusing, though it might leave other readers sour.
5
“George Washington, Ballroom Breakdancer”: The Far Side Brought Levity To Heavy Subjects Like History
First Published: May 14, 1991
This Far Side cut-up of American history is brilliantly goofy, in Gary Larson’s signature style. That is, it is another example of a joke that mixes Larson’s love of history with an absurd anachronism, turning George Washington from a stoic statesman into a “ballroom break dancer,” with an illustration that features the first U.S. President spinning wildly on the floor.
Meanwhile, a group of sophisticated 18th-century party-goers look on, unsure what to make of the spectacle. “There he goes again,” one thinks, while another’s jaw drops. This Far Side cartoon hilariously undermines the gravity commonly associated with historical figures, and the result is a laugh-out-loud gag that straddles the boundary between smart and dumb.
4
“What’s Gotten Into Our La-Z-Boy?”: Gary Larson Was A Master Of Finding Humor In Unexpected Places
First Published: April 10, 1992
This is an all-time great Far Side pun, in which a pair of homeowners gawk out of their living room window at the unusual sight of their recliner mowing the front lawn. This is surreal, of course, but what makes it astounding? The chair is a La-Z-Boy, which would seemingly preclude the chair from doing strenuous household chores, even if it could.
Again, pun-averse readers might dismiss this joke, but when one considers the intuitive ability it took for Gary Larson to get from abstract concept to fully-realized cartoon with this punchline, it seems much more remarkable. Or, another way to put it: the most consistently smart creative choice behind The Far Side was embracing dumb humor.
3
“Cossack Accountants”: Low-Key One Of The Far Side’s Most Divisive Jokes
First Published: December 21, 1992
This Far Side comic is truly a Rorschach test for readers. Captioned “Cossack accountants,” it features modern-day white-collar workers doing the kind of elaborate horse-riding stunts found in Cossack culture. Some look at it and see a smart joke about history, while others think it is stupid and obtuse. Some don’t get the “point” of the joke, others praise it for its subtlety.
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This exemplifies an important truth about “smart” vs. “dumb” Far Side cartoons: for creator Gary Larson, the distinction didn’t matter, as long as he got some kind of reaction out of readers. It is really a matter for fans, and critics, to judge the intelligence-level of individual Far Side cartoons against their own standards.
2
“Don’t Even Have A Funny Bone”: A Clown’s Worst Nightmare Becomes An Iconic Far Side
First Published: July 28, 1994
“It’s worse than I first suspected, Mr. Binkley,” a doctor tells a clown in this classic Far Side comic, “you don’t even have a funny bone.” For a clown, of course, this is a tragic diagnosis, but for Far Side readers, it is a hilariously goofy punchline, one that is, in fact, elevated by the “dumb” or “obvious” quality of its humor.
Some of Gary Larson’s best jokes came as a result of embodying jokes that were “lying right there” waiting to be made. Larson was also a master of taking things too literally, and so naturally the “funny bone” must have been calling to him. If anything, it is a wonder it took until the last year of The Far Side to make this joke.
1
“My Pants Will Come”: One Of The Far Side Side’s Last Puns, And It’s A Weird One
First Published: December 23, 1994
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The Far Side ended on January 1, 1995, making this one of the last Far Side comics of the series’ run. It also stands out as Gary Larson’s last true “reach” of a pun, resulting in a really out-there cartoon, in which an empty dress pines locked in a tower pines for a pair of pants to come to its rescue.
“Pants,” of course, is a riff on “prince,” but the many Far Side readers who missed the joke at first glance can’t be faulted. It is a satisfying “click” moment when the joke does go from obtuse to obvious, but the fact that it comes across as both makes it a great example of a Far Side comic that mixes smart and dumb humor.
Writer
Gary Larson
Colorist
Gary Larson
