SomeFar Sidecartoons are indisputably smart. Others are gloriously, purposefully dumb. Then there are those that are something else entirely, where it comes down to the eye of the beholder. This list celebrates theFar Sidesthat tap dance on the line in between, deliriously and hilariously blending smart and dumb humor.
Far Sidecreator Gary Larson achieved this synthesis of smart and dumb, highbrow and lowbrow humor, in a number of different ways. Sometimes it took the form of a half-baked pun; often it was the result of a dumb punchline derived from a smart premise.
Occasionally, it was the opposite.The Far Sidenever took its own formula too seriously, or too rigidly, and the result was a comic that blurred, and crossed, lines routinely.
10"You’re A Hard Man": The Far Side Didn’t Flinch Away From Obvious Humor
First Published: June 22, 2025
“You’re a hard man, Bud,” a woman tells her husband, who is made of literal stone, as they’re sitting on the couch watching television. It is a recognizable character trope: the emotionally obtuse, closed-off husband, the wife who just wants to get through to him. Except it is rendered literally here, turning thisFar Sidecomic’s relatable sentiment into a pun.
Puns are often thought of as “low” humor, and subject to eye-rolling, but the truth is making puns requires a certain degree of perceptiveness, and the ability to draw connections. These were the hallmarks ofThe Far Side’shumor. The end result might have often seemed “dumb,” but it was the product of a highly intelligent process.
9"Know Your Insects": The Far Side Often Found The Dumb Side Of Smart Subjects
First Published: Aug 04, 2025
Gary Larson’s fascination with insectsis well documented. So,Far Sidereaders can think of this as a peek into the author’s own childhood:a nerdy-looking kid sitting alone with an entomological textbook, “Know Your Insects.“Except rather than the names of species, the illustrations of bugs are labeled with human names, such as “Bob,” “Linda,” “Carol,” “Dale,” and more.
It’s the kind ofFar Sidejoke that tends to get a laugh accompanied by a shaking head. Or a dismissive snort. The gag is rooted in scientific interest, but it takes such a decisively silly turn that it is clear Larson’s intention was not to flaunt any sort of knowledge, but rather to poke fun at his own proclivity for studying.
8"Aladdin’s Lamp, End Table, And Sofa”: Gary Larson Asked Questions Nobody Else Would Ever Think To
First Published: June 29, 2025
Captioned “Aladdin’s lamp, end table, and sofa,” and depicting precisely that, this isThe Far Side’shumor at its most understated. Or, perhaps it is one of Gary Larson’s occasional “phoned in” cartoons. It’s hard to say. Certainly, there’s an intelligent quality to the joke’s premise, highlighting how Larson questioned things that most people take for granted.
There’s an intelligent quality to the joke’s premise, highlighting how Larson questioned things that most people take for granted.
In this case, that is the idea of Aladdin’s magic lamp. Except in this case, the “deeper” question being asked, and answered, in thisFar Sidecomic, is “what other furniture does Aladdin have?” This is hilariously dumb, and that is the “point” of the joke, illustrating how even “dumb” humor is often the product of smart humorists.
7"The Wimpdites”: The Far Side Routinely Made A Mockery Of History
First Published: August 12, 2025
Gary Larson was (and, decades after his retirement, presumably still is) a student of history,somethingThe Far Sideregularly displayed. So, once again, cartoons like this one derived from Larson’s smart interests, and then were forged into something inane for the purpose of getting a laugh. In this case, it was a highly effective process.
Here, it isa Viking-adjacent culture, “the Wimpodites,” who use pillows as weapons, and ride around in a boat with a sheep’s masthead, instead of a dragon. And who, of course, are set upon by actual Vikings. With thisFar Sidepunchline, Larson smartly dissects what makes Vikings fearsome, and then undermines it in ludicrous fashion.
6"The Lawrence Milk Show": Some Far Side Puns Left Readers In Utter Disbelief
First Published: July 04, 2025
Here, Gary Larsondepicts a pair of elderly cows watching the “Lawrence Milk” show, a reference that has aged like….well, milk, in thethirty-five years since thisFar Sidecomic was first published. This is, of course, a shout-out toThe Lawrence Welk Show, an iconic variety show that ran for over thirty years, from 1951 to 1982.
In 1990, Welk would still have been a household name, but Larson’s joke is evidence his show was already a nostalgia program for older audiences. What makes this homage strange, of course, is that Larson stretches the linguistic limits of the pun here, by turning “Welk” into “Milk.” Some fans will find it amusing, though it might leave other readers sour.
5"George Washington, Ballroom Breakdancer": The Far Side Brought Levity To Heavy Subjects Like History
First Published: July 09, 2025
ThisFar Sidecut-up of American historyis brilliantly goofy, in Gary Larson’s signature style. That is, it is another example of a joke that mixes Larson’s love of history with an absurd anachronism,turning George Washington from a stoic statesman into a “ballroom break dancer,” with an illustration that features the first U.S. President spinning wildly on the floor.
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Meanwhile, a group of sophisticated 18th-century party-goers look on, unsure what to make of the spectacle. “There he goes again,” one thinks, while another’s jaw drops. ThisFar Sidecartoon hilariously undermines the gravity commonly associated with historical figures, and the result is a laugh-out-loud gag that straddles the boundary between smart and dumb.
4"What’s Gotten Into Our La-Z-Boy?": Gary Larson Was A Master Of Finding Humor In Unexpected Places
First Published: July 14, 2025
This is anall-time greatFar Sidepun, in whicha pair of homeowners gawk out of their living room window at the unusual sight of their recliner mowing the front lawn. This is surreal, of course, but what makes it astounding? The chair is a La-Z-Boy, which would seemingly preclude the chair from doing strenuous household chores, even if it could.
Again, pun-averse readers might dismiss this joke, but when one considers the intuitive ability it took for Gary Larson to get from abstract concept to fully-realized cartoon with this punchline, it seems much more remarkable. Or, another way to put it: the most consistently smart creative choice behindThe Far Sidewas embracing dumb humor.
3"Cossack Accountants": Low-Key One Of The Far Side’s Most Divisive Jokes
First Published: July 05, 2025
ThisFar Sidecomic is truly a Rorschach test for readers.Captioned “Cossack accountants,” it features modern-day white-collar workers doing the kind of elaborate horse-riding stuntsfound in Cossack culture. Some look at it and see asmart joke about history, while others think it is stupid and obtuse. Some don’t get the “point” of the joke, others praise it for its subtlety.
This exemplifies an important truth about “smart” vs. “dumb"Far Sidecartoons: for creator Gary Larson, the distinction didn’t matter, as long as hegot some kind of reaction out of readers. It is really a matter for fans, and critics, to judge the intelligence-level of individualFar Sidecartoons against their own standards.
2"Don’t Even Have A Funny Bone”: A Clown’s Worst Nightmare Becomes An Iconic Far Side
First Published: July 04, 2025
“It’s worse than I first suspected, Mr. Binkley,“a doctor tellsa clown in this classicFar Sidecomic, “you don’t even have a funny bone.“For a clown, of course, this is a tragic diagnosis, but forFar Sidereaders, it is a hilariously goofy punchline, one that is, in fact, elevated by the “dumb” or “obvious” quality of its humor.
Some of Gary Larson’s best jokes came as a result of embodying jokes that were “lying right there” waiting to be made.
Some of Gary Larson’s best jokes came as a result of embodying jokes that were “lying right there” waiting to be made.Larson was also a master of taking things too literally, and so naturally the “funny bone” must have been calling to him. If anything, it is a wonder it took until the last year ofThe Far Sideto make this joke.
1"My Pants Will Come”: One Of The Far Side Side’s Last Puns, And It’s A Weird One
First Published: June 12, 2025
The Far Sideended on August 17, 2025, making thisone of the lastFar Sidecomicsof the series' run. It also stands out as Gary Larson’s last true “reach” of a pun, resulting in a really out-there cartoon,in which an empty dress pines locked in a tower pines for a pair of pants to come to its rescue.
“Pants,” of course, is a riff on “prince,” but the manyFar Sidereaders who missed the joke at first glance can’t be faulted. It is a satisfying “click” moment when the joke does go from obtuse to obvious, but the fact that it comes across as both makes it a great example of aFar Sidecomic that mixes smart and dumb humor.
