Gary Larson's The Far Side has always served up interesting, often unnerving takes on everyday life by showcasing otherwise ordinary trappings and tropes through an abjectly absurdist lens. Throughout its run, The Far Side found a handful of trappings and tropes to fall back on with great frequency, and the realm of science was one of the best of them.
Between poking fun at the inner workings of the scientific community or just borrowing its members for one-off gags, The Far Side found a plethora of ways to turn what would normally be a very serious set of professionals into some of the funniest recurring characters of all time. And, while they didn't always need to lampoon science as a whole, these comics benefited from making it and its practitioners the crux, or punchline, of their respective jokes.
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10 Even Scientists Scream for Ice Cream in The Far Side
Of all the advancements in technology throughout human history, artificial refrigeration is one of the most important and underappreciated. It isn't just because such technology changed how people process, transport, and keep their food, but because these technologies made entire categories of food rarely seen before something that could be enjoyed by the masses year round.
Regarding the specific foods that became available with the advent of refrigerator technology, there is no doubt that ice cream is king. Ice cream is so popular that entire songs are dedicated to how beloved the frozen treat truly is. "You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream" is a near-ubiquitous verse that people worldwide are intimately familiar with. In contrast, the call of an ice cream truck is so enticing that not even the dedicated scientists of this The Far Side comic can resist its song.
9 Common Idioms are Worth Exploring in Full in The Far Side
The advancements made in medical science over the past few centuries account for some of the most important in human history. That being said, there are still a great number of medical marvels and mysteries that even the most modern technologies and methods have not been able to explain, leaving researchers to do whatever they can to uncover the truth.
Testing whether laughter is the best medicine.
This is especially true for the medical practitioners of this The Far Side strip, who heard that laughter was the best medicine and have decided to explore it as an option for themselves. Unfortunately for their patients, it doesn't seem like such methods are proving to have any real efficacy. At least, that is how things appear from the outside looking in. It also doesn't seem like the doctors in question intend to give up on their experiment.
8 The Far Side Suffers from a Disturbing Lack of Rocket Scientists
It isn't uncommon to hear someone say, "I'm not a rocket scientist," when posed with a question or problem that puts them out of their element. At this point, the phrase is so long-lived that it has been rewritten and riffed on countless times. Of course, that doesn't make the underlying idea behind it any less true when it is invoked in earnest, though rarely, if ever, has that occurred in a literal sense outside of The Far Side.
There are plenty of stories of homemade rockets and amateur aeronautics gone wrong. Still, it isn't every day that there is a tale of apparent professionals undertaking such a task with no actual understanding of the science involved. While there is a chance that this rocket could get off the ground, it is never going to end up where it is supposed to go. Then again, there is always the chance that this was a passion project, which would at least give readers some hope that these scientists aren't planning on unleashing their creation upon the rest of the world.
7 The Far Side's Stone Age Scientists Employ Any Methods Necessary
Modern science has given rise to plenty of miraculous discoveries. Still, long before the age of microchips and artificial intelligence, humanity made milestone discoveries using a decidedly less sophisticated set of tools. Or rather, they did outside of The Far Side, whereas the Stone Age scientists of Gary Larson's iconic comic strip found a way to scale things up to fit the needs of any given study or experiment.
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Gary Larson used plenty of recurring tropes and characters in The Far Side, and his Stone Age humans were among the funniest of them all.
This is precisely the driving thought behind the creation of these ambitious ancient humans' oversized microscope. Or microscope. Maybe mammoth-scope, considering the subject under its lens, although the fact that it was a necessary invention in the first place raises bigger questions than what to call it.
6 The Far Side Scientists Aren't Above Grade School Pranks
Mathematicians are well known for their love of numbers and for highlighting all of the interesting ways in which various equations can be utilized creatively. Of particular note is the art of translating various messages and concepts into mathematical functions. Unfortunately, not all of these translations are very highbrow, nor are they all meant to be harmless.
For these prank-loving mathematicians, the phrase of the day is "kick me," even if not everyone is going to pick up on the joke, their immediate peers most certainly will. That being the case, it is only a matter of time before someone takes this sign up on its instructions, which will all but assuredly result in at least one HR meeting and what could easily be the most ridiculous string of emails ever sent from within a scientific institute.
5 Door Handles are an Unexplained Science to The Far Side's Smartest Dogs
On the surface, dogs have the perfect life. Their owners provide them with food, shelter, and companionship, and they ask very little in return. At the same time, there are certain pitfalls to life in a human home that dogs cannot overcome, and rounded door handles are among the worst.
Knowing how it could change the lives of canines everywhere, the dog scientists struggled diligently to understand the Doorknob Principle.
This is precisely where the dog scientists of The Far Side have put their greatest minds to work. Whether they will ever successfully uncover the secrets to these household horrors remains to be seen, but there is little doubt that they will do everything in their power to get to the bottom of them. And, if those efforts don't prove fruitful, there is always scratching at the door until someone opens it for them.
4 Ethics Become an Exact Science in The Far Side
Ethics and morality are major sticking points for scientists all over the world. Apart from the implications of their various experiments regarding long-term impact and effects, there is the question of what kinds of testing and experimentation are considered reasonable in and of themselves.
Luckily, one scientist in the world of Gary Larson's The Far Side has taken it upon himself to put "two wrongs don't make a right" to the test. As it turns out, two wrongs do not, in fact, make a right. However, there is a formula for turning wrongs into a right, and so long as the math checks out, it could change everything - presumably for the worse.
3 The Far Side's Dogs Don't Have Much to Say
Dog owners can always count on their canine companions to be right by their side. At times, it can even seem like dogs understand everything that their owners say. This can make it that much harder when those same owners don't understand what their dogs are trying to tell them.
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As luck would have it, one intrepid The Far Side scientist has just the answer to that dilemma. To the surprise of no one, dogs don't have much to say. Maybe it is just because the dogs in question don't personally know said scientist, though their collective reaction does imply a great deal about their overall demeanor.
2 The Thagomizer is The Far Side's Greatest Scientific Accomplishment - Literally
Just as scientists are a recurring set of characters in The Far Side, Gary Larson greatly used humanity's prehistoric ancestors. On their own, these sets of characters were the source of some truly unforgettable comics. When the Stone Age scientists took center stage, however, truly historic things could happen.
In the case of the infamous Thagomizer edition of The Far Side, a throwaway gag starring Laron's Stone Age scientists ended up having a lasting real-world impact. "Named for the late Thag Simmons," the term "Thagomizer" has gone from being a joke in and of itself to an informally accepted term within paleontology. This was due to its use by professional paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter, whose lighthearted reference to the comic cemented its place within the very real circle of academia that Larson was lampooning.
1 The Far Side's Last Big Bang Began With a Loud *Pop*
Some Far Side scientists are Neanderthals and some are dogs. However, some are simply bored with the tedious work they have been toiling away at and need to let loose through some classic workplace antics.
Tragically, this scientist has taken it upon himself to break the doldrum of the day by popping a paper bag balloon behind his coworker's back at the absolute worst time possible. At best, this poorly received joke will kick off some major tension. At worst, it will be the littlest *pop* ever to kick off an incredibly big bang, one that no one near will have any hope of surviving.
The Far Side
Gary Larson's The Far Side is a single-panel comic strip renowned for its offbeat humor and unconventional take on everyday life. Featuring bizarre situations, anthropomorphic animals, and quirky characters, the strip delves into surreal and absurd scenarios that challenge typical comic norms. Often blending dark humor with insightful commentary, it explores a range of themes from science to society, making readers both laugh and ponder the absurdities of existence.
Writer Gary Larson
Publisher Universal Press Syndicate
Artist gary larson