10 Funniest 'Far Side' Comics About Penguins That Prove Gary Larson Is Unbeatable

Penguins have long been a source of humor for people, with their funny walks, sounds, and appearances. They live in unusual places and are prone to falling, making them a natural fit for comedy. The Far Side comic strip, created by Gary Larson, featured penguins semi-regularly from 1980 until 1995. Here are the ten best penguin-themed Far Side comics that showcase Larson's unparalleled humor.

Even though giant penguins would be ridiculous and terrifying in real life, these comics make them hilariously amusing. In one comic, a giant penguin terrorizing a town would be more embarrassing than anything else. This gag emphasizes how absurd the idea of a giant penguin would be. Another comic imagines an infestation of penguins on an ice floe, with two penguins waiting for someone to arrive on the isolated ice.

Larson often had a fascination with a specific aspect of his subject matter, returning to it repeatedly, like a recurring joke. For instance, he frequently depicted scientists as foolish, contrasting their childish behavior with their supposed intelligence.

One recurring joke in the Far Side comics was that all penguins looked identical. In one panel, a penguin asks, "Say... you're not Bob... you look like him, but you're certainly not him!" This highlights how difficult it is to tell penguins apart. Another gag involved a singing penguin desperately trying to sound different from the other penguins.

Yet another comic features a murder mystery among penguins, taking advantage of their similar appearances. The best example of the "all penguins look the same" joke has a panel where the reader must scrutinize multiple penguins to understand the punchline. This panel takes advantage of the wide Sunday panels to showcase more penguins to inspect.

In one comic, a giant penguin is depicted as an impossible threat, further emphasizing the ridiculousness of the concept. This gag is particularly funny because penguins cannot realistically cause such harm. Another comic features penguins wearing silly disguises, which doesn't work due to their uncanny resemblance to one another.

This comic takes the "all penguins look alike" joke to the extreme, showcasing the absurdity of the situation. Lastly, one of Gary Larson's best penguin comics shows a penguin slipping on a banana peel on an icy surface, capitalizing on the animal's clumsy nature. It's a simple yet perfectly executed joke that combines the slipperiness of banana peels and ice with the penguin's balance issues.

The comic's simplicity and cleverness make it a standout in the collection of penguin-themed Far Side comics.