[Interesting Times]

You're sure Hobbes derived from the Snoopy / Garfield line, and not, say, the Pogo / Mr. Peabody branch, right?

Other than the coincidence of both being cartoon animals, it's difficult to see much similarity between Garfield and Hobbes. Their styles, humor and use of language are quite different, just for starters. Snoopy might be a bit closer, but to baldly assert that Hobbes is derivitive of Snoopy (and by way of Garfield, no less) is just silly.

I do grant you that they each have fur.

[Richard Kimball]

Yeah, I think Hobbes is more derivative of Snoopy, although it wouldn't surprise me to find that Watterston watched the old Rocky-Bullwinkle series. If there's a Pogo influence to the strip, I think it's when he tries to get philosophical, which I thought were some of the weaker story lines. Walt Kelly was a master of weaving political subthemes. Watterston did on occasion, but the results were far less effective.

I wasn't claiming that Watterston stole the characters, simply that they were strong influences. From the reaction I'm getting, I may have left the impression that I thought Watterston sat down with Peanuts and Garfield strips and copied storylines, which is not the case.