Gary Larson

Gary Larson (born in Tacoma, Washington on August 14, 1950) is the creator of The Far Side, a comic panel which appeared in many newspapers for fourteen years until Larson's retirement January 1, 1995. The Far Side (which is considered by many to be the greatest single panel cartoon strip ever drawn) was original in that it catered to the more scientific mind for its material - the purity of science, and its seeming incompatibility with human beings and their erroneous ways, was a consistent theme underlying Larson's work.

Related Topics:
Tacoma, Washington - August 14 - 1950 - The Far Side - Comic panel - 1995 - Science

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In 1985, Gary Larson received the prestigious accolade of having a newly-discovered species named after him. The Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a biting louse of a genus only found on owls. Larson was far from offended, and has since said: "Actually, I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along."

Related Topics:
1985 - Strigiphilus garylarsoni - Louse - Owl

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One of Larson's more famous cartoons shows two chimpanzees grooming. One finds a human hair on the other and inquires about "doing a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?" The Jane Goodall Institute thought this was in bad taste, and had their lawyers draft a letter to Larson and his distribution syndicate, in which they described the cartoon as an "atrocity". They were stymied, however, by Goodall herself, who revealed that she found the cartoon amusing. Since then, all profits from sales of a shirt featuring this cartoon go to the Goodall Institute.

Related Topics:
Chimpanzee - Jane Goodall - Jane Goodall Institute

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Goodall wrote a preface to The Far Side Gallery 5, detailing the "Jane Goodall Tramp" controversy, and also praising The Far Side for Larson's creative ideas, which often compare and contrast the behavior of humans and animals. Larson also described the controversy in detail in The PreHistory of the Far Side (p.167). In 1988 Larson visited Gombe Streams National Park and was attacked by Frodo, a chimp described by Goodall as a "bully". Larson escaped with cuts and bruises.

Related Topics:
1988 - Gombe Streams National Park

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In 1998, he published his first post–Far Side work, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.

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