If there is one single thing that can arguably be said to define The Far Side in the popular consciousness, it is anthropomorphic cows. In general, animals acting like humans represents The Far Side’s most ubiquitous trope, and within that category, cow characters stand out as the most instantly recognizable of the bunch, to an even greater degree than artist Gary Larson’s equally-beloved chickens, bears, elephants, etc.

According to Larson, cows were the perfect comedic proxy for people, which is why they almost immediately became a Far Side staple when the comic launched in 1980, and remained so until it ended in 1995. Though the strip also featured its share of “regular” cows, it is the human-like ones that are most fondly ed.

From the The Far Side’s multiple comics about cannibal cows, Gary Larson drew too many anthropomorphic cows to count; collected here are just some of the many classic examples of bovines’ paramount place in Far Side lore.

10 "I Warned You Not To Invite The Cows": Barnyard Antics Invade A Suburban Couple's Home

First Published: September 17, 1982

In this hilarious Far Side cow cartoon, a cow is depicted getting rowdy and dancing on the coffee table, after being invited inside for a few drinks by the farmer, who is scolded by his wife for not listening to her when she advised against it.

Here, Larson takes a familiar human anxiety, about the potential drawbacks of having guests over to one's house, and makes it hyperbolically absurd, courtesy of the use of cow characters. This was the conceit of many of The Far Side's best jokes about humans and animals coexisting; that is, the inherent tension of different species trying to get along was an essential factor in the humor of these s.

9 "Stop And Eat The Roses": The Far Side's "Cow Philosophy" Is An Absurdist Masterpiece

First Published: March 28, 1983

In this deceptively simple Far Side comic, Gary Larson pokes fun at the search for the meaning of life itself, by depicting a monk-esque cow, in a red robe, sitting on an idyllic green hill, dispensing wisdom to a learner, telling the other bovine: "as you travel life's highway, don't forget to stop and eat the roses."

In this way, Larson lampoons the profundity of religion, while also underming pop philosophy, such as embodied in the phrase that this Far Side comic subverts, "stop and smell the roses." With this masterful gag, Larson reminds readers that the secret to appreciating the beauty of life is all a matter of perspective.

8 "Think It'll Run On Hay?": These Cows' Astral Ambitions Are Undermined By Their Farmers

First Published: July 30, 1984

In this Far Side comic, a pair of cows are hard at work, using what appears to be material from a torn-down barn, attempting to build a rocket to outer space, all while being heckled by farmers standing on the other side of the fence, making jokes like "think it'll run on hay?" and "maybe you'll go to the moooooooon!"

As funny as the Far Side comics where cows stand in for humans might be, there is a unique charm to the cartoons that depict them living alongside humans, but still possessing their own (at times obtuse) bovine goals. Why the cows here are constructing a rocket isn't relevant to the punchline; what is meant to be funny about this cartoon is the haphazardness of the construction, and the derision of the farmers.

7 "Are You Chewing Cud While I'm Talking?": "Muriel" Interrupts The Meeting At A Pivotal Moment

First Published: December 27, 1984

As often as they were depicted living in The Far Side's equivalent of harmony, it is also worth noting the times in which Larson's anthropomorphic cows and his human characters had an adversarial relationship. Here, one cow stands in front of its cohort and diagrams a plan to take out "Farmer Bob," only to irately snap at "Muriel" for "chewing cud" during the presentation.

The Far Side was a dangerous place to be a farmer, and often the greatest threat was an uprising of the farmers' livestock. In this case, the casual air with which Gary Larson treats this bovine insurrection plot is a key factor in the humor, as the interruption by "Muriel" leaves the reader wanting to get back to the details of the strategy being outlined.

6 "Eventually, Murray Did Take The Job:" Desperate Cows Do Desperate Things On The Far Side

First Published: June 19, 1985

This is a laugh-out-loud example of a Far Side comic in which an anthropomorphic cow's human-like actions are contrasted with that of more traditional bovine behavior. Unlike some other Far Side cows, "Murray" here isn't caught eating beef himself, but he's arguably doing the next worst thing, but driving a delivery truck for "Foley's Meats."

"His friends never did speak to him again," the caption explains, with the illustration of this Far Side cartoon made an instant-classic through its composition, which features "normal" cows grazing in a field in the foreground, while Murray, at the wheel of the meat truck, zooms by in the background, forcing readers to have to look twice to the joke.

5 "Just Too Common": This Far Side Cow's Dreams Are Quickly Crushed

First Published: August 31, 1985

Here, Gary Larson slyly parodies the experience of thousands of individuals who have left home chasing their dreams, only to find out they are not the exceptional specimen they believed themselves to be. This Far Side comic features a cow, suitcase in hand, waving goodbye to its parents as it "leaves home to the zoo," only to have to come back soon after, having been rejected for being "too common."

The idea of a cow being unwanted by the zoo perfectly parallels the experience of not "making it" as a star, in a way that only the idiosyncratic perspective of a creator like Gary Larson could identify, and only a unique piece of art like The Far Side could embody as simply and effectively as it does in this cartoon.

4 "Farmer Brown Froze In His Tracks": The Far Side's Cows Are Caught Red-Hooved

First Published: February 12, 1986

In another iconic Far Side cartoon subverting the farmer-cow dynamic, Gary Larson depicts "Farmer Brown" stepping into the barn at the wrong time, catching two of his cows in the act of studying how to butcher a human.

The role-reversal premise of this joke is funny enough, but it is made truly unforgettable by Larson's use of details, both in the caption and the illustration. The wide-eyed "caught in the act" look on the cows' faces is a Far Side staple, while the caption's quasi-literary explanation of the silent tension of the moment, ending with "somewhere, off in the distance, a dog barked" gives this punchline a pastoral quality, leaving readers to question precisely what happens next between this farmer and his animals.

3 "We Could Show Each Other Our Brands": Gary Larson Gets Borderline Risqué With This Cow Comic

First Published: February 27, 1986​​​​​​​

Captioned "cattle hustler," this cartoon amusingly reinvents the meaning of the term, taking its character out of the pasture and into one of The Far Side's many bar settings. In the , a bull hits on a cow, pitching her on the idea that they can "go back to [his] place...have a few drinks...a little alfalfa...maybe show each other [their] brands."

In this way, Gary Larson captures the seediness of bar room flirtations, while also once again delivering a cartoon in which the details take the humor to the next level; in particular, the contrast between the bull's plaid shirt, and the cow's dress, along with their reflections in the mirror, all add up to an immersive Far Side that fans won't soon forget.

2 "That's My Herd!" This Far Side Cow Knew Exactly Where To Go In A Crisis

First Published: August 21, 1986

This Far Side cartoon features a cow at a "Lost and Found" booth, but what is funny is that the bovine character seems to have been turning itself in as lost, rather than looking for something, as it tells the woman working there "thank you anyway ma'am" after catching sight of its herd off in the distance.

Again, the humor of this Far Side joke relies on the flux state in which the cow is anthropomorphized, but still fundamentally livestock, in order to get a laugh out of readers. ittedly, this is a bit of a more obscure Far Side punchline, in the sense that what is funny about it might not be evident to readers immediately, but it upon closer inspection, it certainly stands out as a strong example of the nuances of Gary Larson's cattle humor.

1 "That Night, Their Revenge Was Meted Out": The Far Side's Funniest Cow Vs. Farmer Comic

First Published: January 7, 1992

In this unusually verbose Far Side comic, a group of cows approach the house of "Farmer MacDougal and his wife" to finally dole out comeuppance for years of abuse, by using an "auto milker" device on their unwitting human victims.

"The next day," the caption informs readers, "police investigators found a scene that they could describe only as 'grisly, yet strangely hilarious'." In this way, while not quite breaking the fourth wall, as Gary Larson did from time to time, this comic does self-reflexively comment on its own over-the-top mix of horror and comedy, magnifying the absurdity of what is already an outrageous Far Side punchline in a way that makes this one of the strip's all-time great cow comics, without question.