Calvin & Hobbes Infamous Urinating Decal, Explained

When it comes to comic strips, few are as wholesome as Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes. That’s why it may surprise some fans to learn the beloved duo found themselves at the center of legal trouble in the 1990s. Not because of Watterson, but due to overly enthusiastic and misguided fan creations.

During the 1990s, an inappropriate, unlicensed Calvin and Hobbes car decal began appearing on vehicle rear windows. The image showed Calvin peeing on automotive logos, most notably FORD, before evolving to feature him urinating on anything drivers wanted to express distaste for.

By the late 1990s, South Carolina took legal action, issuing $119 tickets to drivers displaying the decals for violating state decency laws. This was certainly not a legacy Bill Watterson ever anticipated for Calvin and Hobbes.

The Calvin and Hobbes Panel That Inspired the Infamous Urinating Decal

How a Water Balloon Gag Was Twisted Into a Crude Parody

The urinating Calvin decal was inspired by a Calvin and Hobbes strip in which the blond boy fills a water balloon at a hose nozzle before attempting to attack a napping Hobbes. The decal’s design pulls directly from Calvin’s pose while filling the balloon, including the devious grin as he looks over his shoulder.

Whoever created the urinating decal tweaked the image, so Calvin’s pants are around his ankles. He remains angled away from the viewer, still looking over his shoulder with the same devious grin, while a stream of pee lands on whatever logo the purchaser wants to show distaste for. Ultimately, it functions as a crude parody of Watterson’s original work.

Calvin and Hobbes walking through nature together.

Fans of Calvin and Hobbes know that Bill Watterson long resisted merchandising the IP. When asked why during a 2005 Q&A, he explained, “Actually, I wasn’t against all merchandising when I started the strip, but each product I considered seemed to violate the spirit of the strip, contradict its message, and take me away from the work I loved.”

During that same response, Watterson made it clear he was aware of the rampant urinating decal phenomenon. He jokingly remarked, “I clearly miscalculated how popular it would be to show Calvin urinating on a Ford logo,” when asked why he resisted merchandising. It’s clear that Watterson has maintained a good-humored perspective on the parody of Calvin and Hobbes.