10 Funniest Far Side Comics About Dinosaurs That Still Hold Up 40 Years Later

Dinosaurs have long been a favorite subject of Gary Larson's The Far Side, giving the legendary cartoonist the perfect opportunity to poke fun at everything from prehistoric life to modern human behavior. Since the strip first debuted over 40 years ago, Larson has turned dinosaurs into the stars of some of his most memorable and hilarious comics, blending dark humor, tongue-in-cheek observations, and his signature brand of wonderfully absurd comedy. These ten dinosaur-themed strips showcase the many sides of Larson's humor and prove that his prehistoric punchlines are just as funny today as they were decades ago. So, dust off your time machine and get ready to take a trip back to the Mesozoic Era with ten of Larson's funniest dinosaur comics! 10 Free-Range Eggs! Published: February 4, 1982 Above is a prime example of Larson tormenting his characters by putting them in absurd and often dangerous situations for our amusement. Here, two paleontologists stumble upon a clutch of dinosaur eggs they assume are millions of years old. However, much to their amazement, they remark that the eggs look like they were laid just yesterday. The punchline is delivered through Larson’s artwork, as we see the shadow of a dinosaur mom looming over the two paleontologists. While we don't see what happens next, we can safely assume it's nothing good. 9 Hubba Bubba Gum (For Dinosaurs) Published: November 30, 1985 One of my favorite pastimes as a kid growing up in the early 2000s was stuffing my face with Hubba Bubba gum and trying to blow bubbles bigger than my head. Apparently, this childhood experience isn't limited to humans. This Far Side strip features a trio of dinosaurs joining in on the bubble-blowing fun. However, there's a rather dark twist. Obviously, sugary Hubba Bubba wasn't around during prehistoric times, so dinosaurs had to find their gum somewhere else. Here, Larson depicts one dinosaur proudly blowing an impressively large bubble, but something about its appearance is unsettling: a very human face is visible inside the gum, giving us a pretty good idea of what it's made of. 8 Eat Your Meaties! Published: October 22, 1986 As a kid, I remember one of the best things about cereal being the prizes inside the boxes. My personal favorite was the light-up Star Wars spoons. However, it used to drive my mom crazy when my brother and I dug through the cereal to find the toy, spilling it all over the table instead of actually eating breakfast. And it seems this wasn't strictly a human experience, at least in the world of The Far Side. This 1986-published strip shows a family of tyrannosaurus rexes gathered around the breakfast table, with one little dino digging through a box of "Meaties" (a clever, carnivorous twist on the iconic Wheaties) in search of its prize. The outside of the box teases what's waiting inside: "Free Kid Inside." Now, our only question is: Is this a toy kid or a real kid? Knowing Larson, it could truly go either way. 7 It's a Quadraceratops! Published: December 27, 1991 In the human world, certain physical characteristics undoubtedly catch people's eyes. When women admire attractive men, these can include measurable attributes like height or even the number of visible abs a man boasts. Here, Larson has a little fun with this idea by giving it a prehistoric twist. The strip depicts two lady triceratops enjoying a girls' night out at a bar when one spots a new arrival and exclaims, "Oooooo! Check it out, Edith! It's a quadraceratops!" Dinosaur lovers will know that a quadraceratop isn't a real dinosaur. However, the joke is that, instead of the three horns typically found on a triceratops, this male has FOUR. And, in this case, it seems four horns are better than three in the eyes of these ladies. Remember, it's not the number of horns a dinosaur has, but the size of their heart that matters! 6 Kids These Days Don't Play Outside Anymore Published: September 6, 1984 Granted, not all our readers will find this particular strip funny. However, those who appreciate a little dark humor will recognize this as pure Larson genius. Here, a young dinosaur stands outside various caves with a bat and baseball mitt in hand. The dinosaur's stance is notably dejected, and the reason why becomes clear when you look at the signs outside the caves, which all read "Extinct." Essentially, this poor dinosaur child has no one to play with because all his friends are extinct. It's a darkly humorous strip that will undoubtedly elicit more "awws" than laughs, but its execution is simply too perfect not to include on this list. 5 How to Train Your Pterodactyl Published: January 18, 1986​​​​​​​ Before Pixar's legendary How to Train Your Dragon, there was 'How to Train Your Pterodactyl,' courtesy of Gary Larson. First published in January 1986, this strip combines two of Larson's favorite recurring subjects, cavemen and dinosaurs, to create a perfect example of The Far Side's signature absurdist humor. Here, we see a caveman trying to coax a pterodactyl into sitting on his finger, much like training a canary. Of course, the prehistoric creature's sheer size makes the scenario ridiculous, but the comic goes from funny to downright hilarious when you notice the caveman in the background, whose distinct lack of limbs illustrates what happens when someone tries to domesticate a dinosaur. 4 The Future Is Bleak Published: November 7, 1985​​​​​​​ Some days, the news can feel like a 24-hour cycle of fearmongering about the bleak future humans have ahead of them. In this Far Side comic strip, we see that dinosaurs had similar concerns. Standing before a group of dinosaurs, a stegosaurus delivers some rather grim news: “The picture's pretty bleak, gentlemen. The world's climates are changing, the mammals are taking over, and we all have a brain about the size of a walnut." This is terrible news for the dinosaurs but quite funny from a human perspective. If you're a Far Side fan, you've likely seen this strip a dozen times, as it's truly a classic. But it's a classic for a reason: the humor never fails. 3 The Ol' Thagomizer-On-The-Chair Prank Published: May 28, 1991 This strip shows Larson putting a prehistoric twist on the classic thumbtack-on-the-chair prank, where someone places a thumbtack on a chair so whoever sits down gets an unexpected, painful surprise. This is a prank best left confined to cartoons and sitcoms, as it can pose serious health risks and even cause life-threatening injuries. However, in the safety of his comic strip, Larson pulls off a hilarious thagomizer-on-the-chair prank. ​​​​​​​Disclaimer: This prank is strictly for cartoon entertainment. NEVER place sharp objects or anything else dangerous on someone's chair. Pranks like this can cause serious injuries and even death, so please don't try this at home! Replacing the traditional thumbtack with something a little more prehistoric, the caveman students use a thagomizer (a term Larson coined that the scientific community later adopted to describe the spikes on a dinosaur's tail) to pull the ultimate prank on their teacher. Although using an entire dinosaur tail is certainly a lot more conspicuous than a thumbtack. 2 Before Soap Published: February 25, 1986 One of the greatest modern-day practices is undoubtedly humanity's use of soap, which keeps us clean and smelling fresh. In fact, thanks to the ever-hilarious Gary Larson, we get to see just how much the lack of soap in prehistoric times might have affected dinosaurs. This rare, multi-panel Far Side strip shows a dinosaur chasing, catching, and attempting to eat a group of cavemen. However, the dinosaur promptly spits them out. Paired with the strip's caption, "The days before soap," it's clear these cavemen were more than a little ripe. 1 Collecting Humans (It's Not As Creepy As It Sounds) Published: July 6, 1987 Custom Image by Robert Wood (from Gary Larson) If you weren't a dinosaur kid yourself, you probably knew at least one kid who was obsessed with collecting plastic dinosaur figurines. Here, Larson puts a twist on this classic childhood fixation by imagining what it might look like if dinosaurs had a simualr hobby. The strip shows a young dinosaur surrounded by human figurines, with his latest addition to the collection being the "Nerd!" This strip also earns extra points for cleverness because the human action figures are all recurring human characters in Larson's The Far Side, including the lady with the horn-rimmed glasses, the Nerdy Kid, the detective, and more. Writer Gary Larson Colorist Gary Larson