The Far Siderightly earned a reputation for its capacity to be outrageous and absurd, and wore it like a badge of honor, but there was a whole other style of comedy that was equally important to making creator Gary Larson a household name: the “slice of life” brand ofFar Sidejoke.
These were cartoons that offered a tongue-in-cheek, humorously warped version of contemporary life, taking everyday occurrences and finding a surreal interpretation for them.
These panels don’t always stand out amongThe Far Side’sthousands of comics, but they played a vital role in the success of the strip during its ‘80s and early ‘90s heyday.
10"Did I Floss?" Gary Larson Reminds Readers Dental Hygiene Is Important, In The Far Side’s Signature Style
First Published: July 31, 2025
Thefunny thing aboutThe Far Side’sdinosaursis that they tended to play against type; that is, they were usually depicted as the opposite of fearsome, such as in this panel, which features a T-Rex couple settling down to bed at night. It is a simple scene, predicated on the fact that the dinosaurs are acting like ordinary humans.
The one dino’ssudden realization that it might have neglected to floss is comedically amplified, of course, by the size and sharpness of its teeth. Here, Gary Larson takes a relatable scenario from everyday life and extrapolates what it would be like for non-human characters, a technique that was crucial toThe Far Side’spopularity.
9"Manure": The Far Side Reminds Readers “Fresh” Is In The Nostril Of The Beholder
First Published: July 15, 2025
ThisFar Sidecartoon omits a caption, and that is because the name of the game here for Gary Larson is simplicity. In the panel, a pair ofThe Far Side’scountless anthropomorphizedcows are driving their car down the road, with a “manure”-scented air “freshener” dangling from the rearview mirror.
The extent of the punchline is that this serves as a “slice of life” cartoon with a twist. That is, Larson’s joke evokes the idea that things like taste and smell are subjective, through the use of his familiar bovine subjects. It is a deceptively smart joke, because it is rendered in such a straightforward and unpretentious manner.
8"Hell’s Cafeteria": The Far Side’s Frequent Trips To The Underworld Revealed Hell Really Is Other People
First Published: July 05, 2025
The Far Sidefrequently visited hell, and as was often Gary Larson’s M.O., much of the humor of these cartoons stemmed from undermining people’s expectations about the underworld. In this case, Larson depicts a moment of suffering, but it is far from what most people think of when they imagine eternal damnation.
Hilariously, thisFar Sidecomic offers a glimpse of “hell’s cafeteria,” which seems surprisingly ordinary, and suspiciously low-key, except for one malcontent who cries out, “wow, these plates are hot,“after scorching himself on his dinnerware. It is a silly joke, which deliberately undermines the scariness of hell by making it banal.
7"Nerd Convoy”: All The Far Side’s Nerds Converge In This Overlooked Comic
First Published: June 25, 2025
“Oo, look,” a man says to his wife in thissuper-sizedFar Sidecartoon, pointing out the longprocession of cars headed in the opposite direction on the highway, which he declares a “nerd convoy.“Inside the line of cars, each of the drivers has a successively goofier look on their faces.
Critics might argue this panel’s punchline lacks its “punch,” but it is worth noting that comics like this played an important role inThe Far Side’spublication. The strip was never designed to be unrelentingly weird, or constantly controversial; some panels had to be more muted just by the need to balance out the outrageousness that Gary Larson could sometimes come up with.
6"Dividing And Selling”: The Far Side Amoebas Deserve More Credit For Multiple Hilarious Appearances
First Published: July 22, 2025
Gary Larson used amoebas as characterssurprisingly frequently; in fact, they debatably rank amongThe Far Side’smost underrated recurring characters, in terms of how versatile they were comedically. Here, a pair of single-celled organisms are sold on the virtues of joining a pyramid scheme,with the pitch being “just keep dividing and selling, dividing and selling.”
In a great touch, the amoeba’s bag says “Amway,” which, of course, is the name of one of the most widely recognizable MLM-style businesses, especially at the time of this panel’s publication in 1990. In an absurdly funny touch, this suggests the company’s proliferation has extended down to the cellular level of existence.
5"Her Jowls Lifted”: The Far Side’s Canines Get Catty In This “Slice Of Life” Comic
First Published: July 20, 2025
Parties were a frequent social setting forThe Far Side,which proved perfect for Gary Larson to offer his warped take on social faux pas, or in this case, paws. Here, a pair of canines openly gossip about another dog at the party getting cosmetic surgery,saying “tell me she didn’t have her jowls lifted.”
A great added touch here is the fact that all of the dogs are depicted as basset hounds, with overly exaggerated jowls, except for the one who is the object of scorn. It is a classicFar Sidejoke about humans that uses dogs as proxies to make its point.
4"Armani At Home”: This Far Side Joke Brilliantly Subverts Readers' Expectations
First Published: June 14, 2025
This all-time greatFar Sidecartoon depictsa man in his apartment in full-on bachelor mode, eating a hot dog and splattering ketchup and mustard on his white shirt, while clutching a beer and staring at a TVon the floor in front of him. There are remnants of discarded food at his feet, and a cigarette still smoking in the ashtray nearby.
Why is this funny? Because the man, according to the caption, is"Giorgio Armani," famous real-life fashion designer. Larson envisions him as a secret slob, in a hilarious illustration that lampoons slovenly male behavior at the same time that it plays on readers' expectations for the real Armani’s home routine.
First Published: August 14, 2025
“My dad can act deader than your dad,” one adolescent opossum says to another in thisFar Sidecartoon, as its father hangs by its tail from a tree above. In this way,Gary Larson takes a familiar phrase, the “my dad is ______ than your dad” formula that has motivated countless playground arguments, and delivers a twist on it that no one else would.
Once more, this offers a perfect example ofThe Far Side’s"slice of life" style punchlines. Except these “ordinary” moments are filtered through an unusual perspective, which is what makes them classicFar Sidegags, though in cases like this one, they might not always wind up being the most memorable.
2"The Coffee’s Cold": It Was The Simple Things That Made The Far Side’s Vision Of Hell Unbearable
First Published: June 23, 2025
“The coffee’s cold,” a sinner cries out in anguish, concluding that “they thought of everything,“in thisFar Sidepanel that brings us back to perdition. In a way, it is kind of the diametric opposite of the hell joke that appeared earlier on this list, showing that Gary Larson often innovated on his own ideas after intervals of years.
In this case, Larson comes to the conclusion that, of course, the only thing that wouldn’t be hot in hell are the things you want to be, like your morning coffee. Yet at the level of premise, just the very idea of hell having a coffee station is an amusing bit of surreality thatscratches fans' itch for strangeFar Sidehumor.
1"Primitive Music”: The Far Side Reveals That Dating Hasn’t Changed Much Since The Dawn Of Time
First Published: July 26, 2025
“You and I could make primitive music together"one ofThe Far Side’siconic prehistoric characterssays, as he tries to woo a cavewoman. The joke hinges on the idea that this is the archaic version of a pick-up line that has lasted into contemporary times; or, more accurately, it is meant as a subtle dig at how little progress humanity has actually made.
In any case, a key detail that stands out is one that appears in the background of this cartoon, in the equivalent of aFar Side"Easter Egg.” That is the cameo of the bull from the Lascaux cave paintings, which Larson included in multiple prehistoricFar Sidecartoons as an in-joke for archeology-minded fans.
