Over four decades after it first appeared in newspapers, Gary Larson’s infamous “Cow Tools” panel is still widely considered the most inscrutable joke in the history ofThe Far Side. Yet it’s worth exploring why readers continue to have sucha visceral “What-the?” reaction to the cartoon, to this day, as well as considering whether “Cow Tools” is truly weirder than the averageFar Side.
“Cow Tools” wasan earlyFar Sidecomic;it can be argued that the sensational reception of the cartoon helped to push the strip, and Larson, to a new level of notoriety. In retrospect,Larson described being “haunted"by the panel, which actually outraged some readers with how seemingly impossible to understand it was.
Unlike any otherFar Sidecartoon – even some ofGary Larson’s actually controversial punchlines– the uproar over “Cow Tools” and its “meaning” was so pronounced that Larson begrudgingly explained the rationale behind the comic – but even that has done little to change its legacy.
The Far Side’s “Cow Tools” Comic – First Of All, What Is It?
First Published: October 1982
Part of the problem with the “Cow Tools” panel is that readers tend to make the mistake of thinking it is more complicated than it actually is. In truth, the comic is simple, in almost every aspect – from its premise, to its illustration, to the terse, yet somehow unforgettable caption. The illustration depicts a cow standing at a table, with the eponymous bovine tools laid out before her. The joke is rooted in the idea that using tools is the first step toward sentience, and these are the tools an intelligent cow would create.
The premise of “Cow Tools” might be straightforward once it is spelled out in simple terms, but for readers encountering it unprepared, the joke requires a giant leap in order to be understood without any further context.
A more charitable term for the joke than “weird” would be “high-concept,” and that is its downfall, so to speak. Gary Larson’s breakdown of another candidate for"weirdest"Far Side, his “High Tide/Low Tide” panel, explains how he often trusted the reader – at times, too much – to make connections that the joke required to understand its humor. While the premise of “Cow Tools” might be straightforward once it is spelled out in simple terms, but for readers encountering it unprepared, the joke requires a giant leap in order to be understood without any further context.
Okay, But Is “Cow Tools” REALLY The Most Confusing Far Side Cartoon Ever?
How & Why Gary Larson’s Humor Confuses Readers, Explained
“Cow Tools” helped establishThe Far Side’sreputation for being confusingearly on, but it is worth asking whether it set a high bar for weirdness that Gary Larson was never able to vault over. Or rather, it opens up the question of what exactly defines a “confusing"Far Sidecartoon in the first place. It can be argued thatThe Far Sideis at its most confusing not when a panel’s internal logic was obscure, or unclear to the reader, butwhen Larson’s sense of humor did not come through clearly.
In the sense that “Cow Tools” is a particularly extreme example of a “failure” to communicate the joke between Gary Larson and his audience, it can certainly be held up asThe Far Side’smost confusing cartoon.
EachFar Sidecartoon is a collusion between its image and its caption – and some are more successful than others at communicating the punchline to readers. Some panels with weaker captions can still get a laugh with their illustrations, and vice versa, but in rare cases where neither is as effective as it could be, the result is confusion. In the sense that “Cow Tools” is a particularly extreme example of a “failure” to communicate the joke between Gary Larson and his audience, it can certainly be held up asThe Far Side’smost confusing cartoon.
What Exactly Makes The Humor Of “Cow Tools” So Elusive For Readers?
It’s Not Readers' Fault If They Don’t “Get” It
There is more to the confusing nature of “Cowl Tools” than just the fact that its joke needs to be explained to most readers. The confusion is in the details;Gary Larson was incredibly deliberate withThe Far Side’sdetails, and so even without consciously realizing it, readers of his work quickly acclimate toward trying to find humor in the more subtle aspects of his cartoons, especially when it is not immediately evident. Scrutinizing the details of “Cow Tools” will invariably lead readers to ask questions which have no suitable answers,much to Gary Larson’s dismay.
Gary Larson Admits His Biggest Regret in Far Side History
According to Gary Larson, a seemingly innocuous error of omission from a classic Far Side cartoon actually haunted him well into retirement.
If the premise of the joke isn’t obvious right away – and for generations of readers, it rarely has been – the details of the tools themselves won’t make it any clearer. Even with a rational understanding of what “Cow Tools” “means,” a great number of readers will remain utterly mystified by what makes it funny. Considering, however, how memorable this confusion has made the comic, itcan be argued that it was ultimately as impactful as the most unequivocally funnyFar Sidecartoons.
The Legacy Of “Cow Tools,” Over Forty Years Later
Larson’s Legacy Of Confusion
Cows were ubiquitous onThe Far Side; they remain the animal most closely associated with Larson’s cartoon, and were the subject of some of his best panels over the years. When Gary Larson went on an extended hiatus in the late 1980s, the last newFar Sidecomic for over a year featured a mob of cows bursting in on the artist as hesat at his desk drawing the comic. So, if nothing else, it is fitting that the cartoon universally considered Larson’s most confusing would star a cow.
For better or worse, “Cow Tools” continues to be one of the first things people remember aboutThe Far Side, over forty years after the cartoon first appeared in the funny pages and caused an unexpected stir. Out of the thousands of panels Gary Larson produced, “Cow Tools” is one of only a select few that warrants its own Wikipedia page,alongside “Thagomizer,” the term Larson coinedfor a stegosaurus' tail. Googling “Cow Tools” brings up multiple pictures of people with tattoos of the panel, a very literal exhibition of how the comic’s confusing nature imprinted it on people.
The Far Side’s First 5 Cow Comics & Last 5 Cow Comics (And How Gary Larson’s Style Evolved In Between)
Cows were a staple of “The Far Side” over the years, and a look at the first & last 5 cows to appear in the comic shows how Gary Larson’s style grew.
If Gary Larson could choose oneFar Sidecomic to represent him, it might not necessarily be “Cow Tools” – but for an artist whose first priority was alwaysmaking an impact on readers, Larson would likely be hard-pressed to say in all seriousness that he regrets drawing it. There is certainly more to the legacy ofThe Far Sidethan the confusion that “Cow Tools” sowed, but the comic is,without a doubt, a vital milestone in the history of Gary Larson’s magnum opus.
The Far Side
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.
