The Far Sidehas an iconic visual style, and many of its classic single-panel cartoons would make great t-shirt designs. While someFar Sideshirts were produced over the years, there is stillso much untapped merchandising potential in Gary Larson’s creative oeuvre, with the cartoons below offering just a few stand-out examples.
Larson did licenseFar Sideimagery for merch during his career, especially at the peak of his cartoon’s popularity, when it would have been too profitable to pass up.
Nevertheless, though not to theextent ofCalvin and Hobbes’ Bill Watterson, Gary Larson left a lot of merchandising opportunities on the table, including producing far fewerFar Sideshirts than one might expect.
10The Far Side’s “Dog Drives Man” Cartoon Is Simply Hilarious
First Published: July 07, 2025
Simplicity at its finest when it comes toThe Far Side. Here,Gary Larson inverts the man/dog dynamic, by depictinga canine behind the wheel of a car, while its human sticks his head out of the passenger side window, tongue wagging wildlyas he catches a blast of air in the face while they cruise down the road.
The virtue of thisFar Sidecartoon, especially when it comes to prospective merchandise, is that it grabs peoples’ attention, yet it isn’t hard to “get.” Another way to put it: it is weird, but accessibly weird, not overly weird. In other words, it encapsulatesThe Far Side’shumor as well as any single panel Larson produced.
9"Cow Philosophy": This Irreverent Far Side Cartoon Is A Reminder That Life Is A Joke
First Published: July 29, 2025
Captioned “cow philosophy,“thisFar Sidecartoon depicts a Buddha-like bovinesitting on a small grassy hill,explaining to another cow seeking enlightenment that “as you travel life’s highway, don’t forget to stop and eat the roses.“It is a hilarious send-up of profundity, one that signifies a sense of irreverence regarding life’s greatest mysteries.
This is the kind ofFar Sidejoke that, if put on a t-shirt, would say as much about the person wearing it as it does about Gary Larson, the person who drew it. Which is to say, it connotes a certain sense of humor, at least partly shared by the two, which involves not taking things too seriously.
8"First Pants, Then Your Shoes”: The Far Side Was A Predecessor To Humorous T-Shirt Slogans
First Published: June 17, 2025
In thisclassicFar Sidehead-scratcher,a man wakes up at dawn and rolls out of bed, and is immediately confronted with a giant note tacked to his wall: “First pants, THEN your shoes.“The joke is funny because of the outrageously obvious nature of the instruction, suggesting this is one of Gary Larson’s most obtuse characters by a wide margin.
This is also what makes it perfect for a t-shirt; the joke has a bluntly silly quality to it, which makes it enjoyable, and moreover, it seems like exactly the kind of phrase that would appear on a graphic tee anyway. In fact, it is arguably a precursor to that kind of comedic sensibility.
7The Far Side’s “Piano Parachute” Cartoon Is A Killer Visual Gag
First Published: June 08, 2025
Even if a t-shirt version of thisFar Sidecartoon were to omit its caption, the hilariousvisual of a skydiver pulling his cord and expecting a parachute, only to get a piano, and then trying to deploy his back-up, and finding it is an anchor instead, would make a fantastic t-shirt design.
Yet as far asFarSidejokes go, the caption’s explanation that, “Murray didn’t feel the first real pangs of panic until he pulled the emergency cord,” indisputably adds a layer of comedic gold to this punchline. It gives the cartoon a degree of dynamic action, and fleshes out thisdoomedFar Sidecharacter, in ways that make it low-key one of Gary Larson’s best.
6The Far Side’s “Damned If You Do…” Panel Deserves To Be A T-shirt Option
First Published: June 23, 2025
When it comes toThe Far Side’sfrequent visits to hell, this is among the most iconic examples. In the panel, an irate devil says,“C’mon, c’mon…it’s either one or the other,” as he prods a man with his pitchfork, prompting him to choose between doors labeled “Damned if you do” and “damned if you don’t.”
It is a classic Gary Larson joke, turning a familiar axiom into an absurd, literal scenario. Of course, the choice is no choice, and that adds to the humor of the bit. As far as merch goes, thisFar Sidecartoon would work splendidly on a t-shirt both with or without its caption.
5"You’re Sick, Jesse”: This Far Side Cow Cartoon Is One Of Gary Larson’s Most Recognizable Jokes
First Published: June 28, 2025
This is one ofThe Far Side’smost unforgettable comics, and one of themost infamous Gary Larson ever produced, although it might seem tame by today’s standards. The joke centers on the idea of a cow committing the ultimate taboo of cannibalism, andflaunting it by standing out in the pasture grilling burgers, all while wearing a chef’s hat.
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It is a delirious image, which is taken to another level of hilarity by the pair of cows that confront the grilling cow, with one pointing an accusatory hoof and crying out, “you’re sick, Jesse…sick, sick, sick!” It is a joke that is just edgy enough, without going over the edge, in classicFar Sidefashion.
4"Hot Enough For Ya?": This Could Be The Far Side’s Hottest Selling Shirt Design
First Published: July 23, 2025
Captioned “nerds in hell,” thisFar Sidecartoon features a line of suffering souls shuffling through the fires of hell, all of them looking appropriately grim, except for one, whosports an out-of-place grin as he turns to the man in line behind him and asks, “hot enough for ya?”
Again, this is the kind ofFar Sidecartoon that doesn’t even necessarily need its caption, because its illustration, and single, short line of dialogue, give readers everything they need to get a laugh. This is why it would make a great t-shirt design; Gary Larson’s vision of a “wrong place, wrong time” moment in hell is immediately eye-grabbing, and easy to decipher.
3The Far Side’s “Photobomb” Comic Encapsulates Gary Larson’s Signature Art Style
First Published: June 23, 2025
ThisFar Sidecaption might be a little wordy for a shirt, but the image was made for merchandising. It features twofourth-wall breakingFar Sidecharactersleaping into frame, in a moment that prefigures the modern “photobomb,” obscuring the action in the background which is meant to be the “real” joke.
The intense, seemingly eyelid-less stares of these characters would be perfect on a t-shirt because passersby would be hard pressed not to stare back, at least for a moment too long, as if transfixed by the wild-eyed “rogue"Far Sidecharacters, who furthermore are shining examples of Gary Larson’s artistic style.
2"The Moods Of An Irish Setter”: This Far Side Comic Is Cute But With An Edge To It
First Published: June 12, 2025
FewFar Sidejokes are as tailor-made for dog loversas this one, although to be fair, the punchline of the joke does involve an abrupt, hard left turn from innocuous to abrasive humor in itsdepiction of “how to recognize the moods of an Irish setter,“which range from “happy” to “suicidal.”
The premise of the joke, of course, is that each of the faces the dog is making are exactly the same, no matter how dire its mood. The result is a cartoon that, if made into a t-shirt design, represents a point of convergence between fans ofThe Far Side’sdarker humor and canine-aficionados.
1"Recipe For Disaster”: A Classic Far Side Play On Words That Would Fit Perfectly On A T-Shirt
First Published: Aug 04, 2025
In this classiccaptionlessFar Sidecomic,a woman lies knocked out, or worse, on the floor, with her kitchen in shambles, after cooking from the “Recipe for Disaster” book.It is the kind of joke Gary Larson excelled at, which takes an extra beat for the reader to put together, even if this process isn’t difficult.
In other words, it is a shirt forFar Sidehipsters, those fans who want to rep Larson’s work in a bit of a more subtle way, showing off his art while not necessarily delivering the full brunt of his comedic sensibilities. It is an “if you know, you know” kind ofFar Sidecartoon, which makes it a great design.
