I love Calvin & Hobbes. I grew up reading the comics, have owned several of the books, and still flip through them, even though I’ve read them no fewer than 6 times already. When I went to DC with Odyssey of the Mind, I bought a Calvin and Hobbes t-shirt, and wore the hell out of it. I won’t anymore, because I found out that Bill Watterson won’t endorse any merchandise for Calvin and Hobbes (read the section called “Merchandising.”
This may be old news for some, but every time I see one of those stickers with Calvin pissing on some logo, or Calvin and some girl (Susie?) on their knees praying to a cross, it gets me riled up again.
Granted, I would like to buy a Calvin action figure, and a Hobbes to boot… and a Spaceman Spiff… and I’d like a Hobbes stuffed animal that looks like his doll self… okay, so I’d spend more money than I have on the merch, but it’s not available. The trade off here is that my childhood will never be bastardized (cartoon/movie/etc.), and the books are still available with the entirety of the series within them.
Never buy those imposter stickers. Scowl at those that have them on their cars. Or, if you’re feeling daring, you could urinate on their car… just like Calvin would?