The Far Side Cartoons

"The Far Side," created by Gary Larson, represents one of the most significant examples of pre-internet meme culture, demonstrating how content could achieve viral-like spread through analog media distribution. This single-panel cartoon series, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995, embodied many characteristics that would later define digital memes: reproducible format, shareable content, cultural commentary, and transformative impact on humor sensibilities.

The comic originated from Larson's earlier work on "Nature's Way," which appeared in Pacific Search magazine starting in 1976 and later in The Seattle Times. After The Seattle Times dropped the strip due to reader complaints about its strange content, Larson approached the San Francisco Chronicle during a vacation trip. Chronicle editors renamed the strip "The Far Side" and began syndicating it nationally through Chronicle Features (Wikipedia, 2025). The strip made its official debut on January 1, 1980, in the Chronicle, initially appearing in just a few papers before expanding rapidly.

The Far Side's meme-like qualities became apparent almost immediately. Each panel functioned as a self-contained unit of meaning—a single captioned image featuring talking animals, bewildered scientists, cavemen, and other oddball characters engaged in bizarre, ironic, or existential scenarios. This format proved ideal for analog sharing behaviors that prefigured digital meme culture. Fans began cutting out panels from newspapers, photocopying them, and posting them on office walls, classroom bulletin boards, and refrigerators (Mel Magazine, 2020).

The strip's proto-meme status was particularly evident in workplace culture, where Far Side cartoons became ubiquitous in office environments. The single-panel format made them perfect for photocopying and sharing, while their blend of intellectual humor and absurdist content appealed to educated professionals. Specific panels achieved iconic status, functioning as cultural shorthand for shared experiences—such as the "Midvale School for the Gifted" cartoon showing a student pushing on a door marked "PULL" (current entry).

By 1985, The Far Side had achieved unprecedented commercial and cultural penetration. In January of that year, four Far Side books—The Far Side, The Far Side Gallery, Beyond the Far Side, and In Search of the Far Side—were simultaneously on bestseller lists, a feat previously accomplished only by Jim Davis's Garfield (Wikipedia, 2025). This commercial success coincided with The Far Side's peak cultural influence, as the California Academy of Sciences opened "The Far Side of Science" exhibit featuring 400 original cartoons, which later traveled to prestigious venues including the Smithsonian Institution.

The strip's influence on humor culture was profound and lasting. Modern meme scholars recognize The Far Side as a crucial precursor to contemporary meme formats, particularly captioned-image macros and object-labeled memes. Matt Schimkowitz, senior editor at Know Your Meme, notes that "The format has existed within comics and comic strips forever... that's also what makes it so easily spreadable" (Mel Magazine, 2020). The single-image, multi-layered comedic structure that Larson perfected became foundational to internet humor.

The Far Side also pioneered techniques that would become central to meme culture: anthropomorphizing animals, subverting familiar situations, and creating dense, reference-heavy humor that rewarded repeat viewing. Larson's approach of placing animals in human situations and humans in absurd circumstances established patterns of reversal and irony that continue to define successful memes.

When Larson retired the strip in 1995, citing "simple fatigue" and fear of creative decline, The Far Side had reached over 1,900 newspapers worldwide and been translated into 17 languages (Wikipedia, 2025). The strip's 23 collected editions have sold over 45 million copies, generating $70 million in revenue and demonstrating the commercial viability of meme-like content distribution.

The transition to digital culture initially posed challenges for The Far Side's continued spread. Larson has been notably protective of his copyright, actively discouraging digital distribution and sending cease-and-desist letters to websites featuring his work. However, bootleg scans and modified versions circulated widely in early internet culture, often with altered captions or contextual modifications that aligned with modern meme behavior patterns.

The strip's lasting influence on contemporary humor is evident in its continued relevance to meme culture. Modern commentators frequently compare Far Side panels to current memes, noting their shared characteristics of absurdist humor, rapid visual communication, and cultural commentary. Some panels, particularly the infamous "Cow Tools" cartoon, have themselves become internet memes, celebrated for their impenetrable absurdity in ways that anticipate contemporary "anti-meme" humor.

In July 2020, after a 25-year hiatus, Larson began publishing new Far Side cartoons on the official website, marking his adaptation to digital distribution while maintaining control over his work's presentation and context.