Summary Throughout the fifteen-year run in syndication of Gary Larson’s Far Side , elephants featured in many memorable panels, often delivering some of the strip’s funniest jokes, as well as its most relevant social critiques.
Writer/artist Gary Larson humorously called out humanity’s encroachment on animal territory using many different animals in T he Far Side, though his use of elephants often turned out to be the strip at its best.
Elephants feature prominently in Larson’s illustrations throughout Far Side’s tenure in newspapers, always showcasing absurdity, social commentary, and brilliant humor in varying degrees.
Among Gary Larson’s most unforgettable uses of animal characters in The Far Side were his many depictions of elephants. Year after year throughout the strip’s run, elephants starred in some of Larson’s funniest strips, and at times some of its most socially relevant, as he displayed a particular affinity for the giant herbivores.
As the writer/artist behind Far Side, Gary Larson proved time and again to be a lover of animals, and a champion of their right to exist in the natural world. His strip frequently pointed out the inherent cruelty, and absurdity, of humanity’s encroachment on animal territory – often, by having animals, including elephants, get the last laugh on humanity, though in the end, it was always The Far Side’s readers that truly had the final laugh. Over the course of the strip’s tenure, Larson often used elephants in similar ways, making a comparative study of Far Side’s elephant panels a worthwhile endeavor for any fan.
Related 10 Funniest Far Side Comics Starring Apes The Far Side’s absurd world depicted a thriving animal kingdom, with apes & gorillas of all sizes appearing in many of Gary Larson’s funniest strips.
15 It Takes A Lot To Get An Elephant Drunk – But It’s Never Enough
First Published: June 16, 1980
Gary Larson’s knack for taking the most obvious joke and brilliantly illustrating it – to the point where the joke didn’t feel dumb or uninspired, but exactly the opposite – is on full display here.
Gary Larson’s knack for taking the most obvious joke and brilliantly illustrating it – to the point where the joke didn’t feel dumb or uninspired, but exactly the opposite – is on full display here, as a hulking elephant in a disheveled overcoat droops its trunk over a bar and moans to the bartender:
