{
  "id": 19131806,
  "title": "7 Funniest 'Far Side' Comics About Elephants",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/7-funniest-far-side-comics-about-elephants",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-09T09:27:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Polygon",
    "slug": "polygon",
    "url": "https://www.polygon.com/funniest-far-side-comics-about-elephants/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Elephants have long been a staple of humor, providing endless material for comedians to work with. Gary Larson, the creator of The Far Side, was particularly adept at incorporating elephants into his cartoons. Over the course of 15 years, Larson featured elephants in a variety of situations, from cocktail parties to crime scenes, often exaggerating the animals' characteristics to create absurd and humorous scenarios.\n\nOne of Larson's earliest elephant-focused cartoons imagines early humans trying to keep track of whether or not they can safely consume elephants, complete with primitive tally boards. This cartoon plays on the larger-than-life nature of elephants, highlighting the challenges of keeping track of such a massive creature.\n\nIn another famous Far Side comic, an elephant is seen making a long-distance call only to discover that its leg has been turned into a waste basket. This dark humor tackles the sensitive issue of poaching, using the elephant's iconic features to create a shocking and unexpected twist.\n\nLarson also explored the idea of elephants turning to alcohol to forget their troubles, only to find that they simply cannot drink due to their size. This cartoon captures the essence of elephant humor, emphasizing the animal's unique traits in a relatable and amusing way.\n\nThe famous Far Side cartoon featuring an elephant hiding a strange ailment becomes even more amusing when it suddenly grows a tiny human hand. This absurd transformation highlights Larson's knack for taking familiar elephant traits and exaggerating them to create laugh-out-loud moments.\n\nIn one of Larson's more unconventional elephant cartoons, a detective confidently announces that the butler murdered the Colonel by gorin and trampling him. However, the elephant sitting quietly among the suspects casts doubt on the detective's conclusion, adding an extra layer of humor to the scene.\n\nFinally, Larson gives us a bizarre elephant cartoon featuring one with an itty-bitty knife, suggesting that size and strength should be the primary concern when dealing with these massive creatures. This final cartoon showcases Larson's ability to take the familiar and twist it into something entirely new and hilarious.",
  "summary": "A Far Side fan never forgets... about these elephant comic strips",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}