buzzards and vultures, were ubiquitous in Gary Larson's cartoons, but there remains something especially memorable about his "bird in cage" comics.
There is a deep vein of naturalism and animal rights advocacy running through The Far Side, and Larson's pet bird s express this in their own unique, often uproarious way. In Larson's imagination, the relationship between pet birds and their owners is a contentious one, and even in some cases adversarial.
The Far Side's "bird in cage" entries are full of the strip's characteristic weirdness and wonder, and most of them are certain to get a rise out of readers, one way or another.
9 The Far Side's First Pet Bird Comic Is Also Its Most Macabre
First Published: January 11, 1980
Gary Larson's sense of humor in general – and in particular, for his "pet bird" cartoons, which would continue to pop up periodically throughout the strip's fifteen years in publication.
This also holds the grim distinction of being The Far Side's first murder – though certainly not its last.
Here, two police officers question a man about the death of his wife – an investigation that gets a quick, vital break, in the form of the couple's pet bird repeating back the victim's apparent last words, "HARRY! DON'T SHOOT!" among its more expected repertoire of human sayings. Most notably, Larson has his loose-lipped bird saying "Polly want a cracker," the phrase that has largely been synonymous with talking parrots in popular culture since it originated with a late-19th century advertising campaign.
8 Animals Flipping The Script On Their Owners Was A Staple Of The Far Side
First Published: June 24, 1980
"You'll never get away with this" an old woman shouts from the cramped confines of her pet bird's cage, as the bird in question flies free, in one of The Far Side's most amusing early examples of a pet completely upending the nature of its relationship with its owner.
Animals turning the tables on humans was a go-to joke for Gary Larson, and it is given a particularly potent visual expression here. The imagery of the woman stuffed into a far-too-small bird cage, trapped hanging from the ceiling of her own living room is high comedy, and draws the reader's attention immediately. The best part of this Far Side cartoon, however, is the look of bewilderment on the bird's face – as if it can't believe this turn of events any more than its angry owner. Still, from the swiftness with which it is depicted flying away, it is evidently going to make the most of this opportunity.
7 Gary Larson Established A Formula For The Far Side's Pet Bird s With This Comic
First Published: November 11, 1981
Here, Gary Larson introduced a set-up that he would return to repeatedly over the years, featuring a couple and their pet bird. In these Far Side cartoons, Larson used the pet bird as a means of mocking less-than-ideal domestic situations. In this case, a woman reveals her husband's negative qualities as she unboxes their new pet bird, noting "Uh-oh, it says here 'a good mimic should not be exposed to foul or abusive sounds."
10 Hilarious Far Side Comics Featuring Highly Unconventional Pets
One of The Far Side's most underrated recurring jokes involved unusual pets, from unexpectedly domesticated squids to goldfish that did tricks.
Once more, the funniest part of this Far Side cartoon is in the detail work Gary Larson does to make the atmosphere of this joke feel more immersive. The crooked painting and lampshade above the couples' heads, the clothing hanger affixed to the TV antennae, and most of all, the look of alarm on the bird's face as it realizes what kind of environment it has just been brought into.
6 This Far Side Proves Birds Singing Isn't Always Music To The Ears
First Published: May 26, 1986
"Hit the bird Ruth, he's stuck," another beer-drinking, TV-watching husband tells his wife in this Far Side – as their avian pet lets out a continuous stream of the same note, as if it is a record player that is stuck, or skipping.
While the casual way that the man tells his wife to strike their pet will certainly be off-putting to readers, it is an integral part of the joke – which is rooted not in the cruelty of the human characters, but rather in the equation of the bird in its cage with a household appliance. It is an ultimately silly premise, although its execution on the page that might leave fans uneasy, questioning the meaning of the , which makes it worth another reminder that Gary Larson's sympathies always remained squarely with his animal characters.
5 This Bird's Owners Really Should Rethink The Placement Of Its Cage
First Published: January 26, 1987
As funny as this Far Side cartoon is, there is a sense of desperation underlying it, which once more suggests a subtextual critique of how humans treat animals that – either consciously or subconsciously – guided Gary Larson in shaping this punchline. In the strip, a bird in a cage waits anxiously for the adjacent cuckoo clock to strike the top of the hour, blurting out "SEND HELP" when the clock's fake bird makes its momentary appearance.
The Far Side Complete Collection
Fans of the far side can't up this master collection of Gary Larson's finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired.
The effectiveness of the humor here relies on Larson's use of a sequence of s, but what makes this cartoon particularly memorable is the way it makes readers empathize with the bird, trapped in its cage, forced to watch as another bird, one it doesn't realize isn't real, periodically appears and disappears.
4 If Canaries Thought Coal Mines Were Bad, Gary Larson Has News For Them
First Published: June 19, 1991
In this laugh-out-loud Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson takes the concept of the "canary in the coal mine" to its logical – yet absurd – extension in the atomic age. Famously, canaries were used to detect potential hazardous gasses in coal mines, giving rise to the English language idiom.
In this , captioned "inside a nuclear power plant," Larson imagines the equivalent: a canary in a cage that "has mutated," prompting the employee who notices the bird's third eye to scream for all his coworkers to run, as clearly they have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. The humor of the relies on the way the man drops his papers and raises his hands, along with his voice, in horror, as contrasted by the initial expressions of confusion on his coworkers' faces, as they realize too slowly what he's saying.
3 Gary Larson Images A Cross-Cage Conflict In This Far Side Bird Comic
First Published: March 11, 1992
In this Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson breaks from his normal style of pet bird humor – which most often involved their human owners in some context – in order to depict an interspecies disagreement, between two birds separated in their own respective cages.
10 Far Side Comics That Turn Museums & Zoos Upside Down
Gary Larson delivered multiple hilarious Far Side s set at museums & zoos, keenly subverting readers understandings of these locations.
One of the birds threatens to "rattle" the other's cage, in a playful Far Side interpretation of the familiar saying, but what is especially amusing about this is the fact that the bird can't actually make good on its threat. In other words, the avian's comment is reduced to nothing more than bravado. This is an essential second layer to the joke; while most readers will initially be struck by Larson's play on words, what will keep people thinking about this cartoon is the idea of these pet birds being all talk, no action.
2 The Far Side's Version Of "Eye For An Eye"
First Published: June 3, 1993
Without a doubt, this is the most intense relationship between a human and pet bird in Far Side history. In the foreground of the , a man without a nose sits staring daggers at his beakless pet bird, perched above the TV set; in the background, his wife and a visitor sit drinking coffee, as she explains:
Oh, boy, was that an ugly day. Roy instantly took the bird in to be debeaked, all the while yelling 'tit for tat! Tit for tat!
All in all, this joke is particularly troublesome; The Far Side featured its share of animals behaving violently toward humans, and humans behaving violently toward animals, but the effects were rarely as visceral as in this comic. The grim backstory of this Far Side cartoon will leave some readers uncomfortable, or even outraged. Those who gravitate toward the most macabre end of the spectrum of Gary Larson's humor will appreciate the joke, despite its darkness, but even they will acknowledge it pushes the boundaries of what the artist was normally willing to do to get a reaction.
1 The Far Side's Parrots Did More Than Just Voices
First Published: May 19, 1994
In this Far Side pet bird cartoon, a man exclaims with excitement, "Boy, Henry...he really can do you!" as his pet bird mimics his friend's puckered lips. The focus of the humor here is on the deliberately silly artistic choices Gary Larson makes with his hyperbolic depictions of the man and bird's respective faces, yet what makes it stick out to fans of the artist's work is the way it is exemplary of his ability to warp reality.
Once more, Larson's joke rests on the idea of a pet bird being able to do something unexpected – in this case, rather than just mimicking sound, being able to contort its face to reflect that of the human in front of it. As routinely exhibited by The Far Side, it only takes the smallest of tweaks to make the real surreal, and the ordinary strange.
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
