This just may be the most fictional sport you will ever come across, but believe it or not avid readers of Calvin and Hobbes have been attempting to turn Calvinball into a real game.

Obviously, a game without a solid set of rules and confusing unofficial “official” rules will never qualify as a full fledge sport, but that hasn’t stopped college students and Calvin and Hobbes fans alike from giving the unusual ball game a chance.

Like other games, Calvinball has its own equipment, scoring system, and chants. If you want to recreate Calvinball in your school as a new pastime, make sure you include the following aspects of the game to make it as accurate as possible.

Calvinball Equipment

Calvinball may be played with any type of ball. However, the comic collection released in 1990 entitled “The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes” did note that Calvinball is best played with a soft volleyballalthough soccer balls, basketballs and dodge balls have also been used in the past to play the game.

Calvinball is played on a Calvinball field which may be as large as a football stadium or as small as your backyard. Any area with rocks, trees, creeks, and other harmless obstacles is the best candidate for use as the Calvinball field.

Unlike other sports, Calvinball players are not expected to wear protective suits; however, players are required to wear half masksor masks that resemble blindfolds with holes for eyes only.

Oh, and one more thing, never ask why the masks are necessary.

Optional equipment includes flag markers to mark your territory or to mark your team’s base, and rackets and bats if you are using baseballs instead of volleyballs for the game.

Calvinball Rules

The first rule of Calvinball is there are no rules.

Like most mutable games, you can make your rules along the way and it is expected not to use two rules at the same time. During the game, players can assign new score systems and even create new rules while playing.

Anyone who breaks these rules may be punished by embarrassment, pain, or degradation. Finally, it is important to remind players once again to “never ask about the masks!”

Calvinball Chants

 The most permanent feature of Calvinball is the cheering and singing before and after the game.

One of the most popular Calvinball chants appeared in a comic in 1990.

 Other kids’ games are all such a bore!
They’ve gotta have rules and they gotta keep score!
Calvinball is better by far!
It’s never the same! It’s always bizarre!
You don’t need a team or a referee!
You know that it’s great, ’cause it’s named after me!

 The stanza above pretty much sums up the nature of Calvinball. It is an unpredictable game which may be played with a variety of rules and using a variety of balls. The chant also implies the history of the game– to mock organized sports and their “rules”, which both Calvin and Hobbes did not abide by.

 But will Calvinball ever join the likes of Basketball, Baseball, Football and other popular sports?

 Not all hope is lost for Calvinball– there are tons of games with ever-changing rules, some of which are still actively played today and others are simply preformed during special events. So why not give Calvinball a shot!