Gary Larson's 'Cow Tools'

[Mobbled Knave]

I've never seen t, but when David described it as 'infamous'in a news post I spent about an hour searching fruitlessly for it. Does anyone have a scan of it they can post here? thanks

[Tavis]

"Cow tools" is one of <i>The Far Side</i>'s strips Gary Larson described at great length in one of his collections... Simply put, the image has a cow standing (on its hind legs like a person) and presenting a bunch of odd misshapen things on the table that looked as though they were sculpted or put together using sticks and mud and such and the caption "Cow tools." Readers had sent Gary Larson many letters wondering what that strip meant.<br><br>Archaeologists caught on more quickly in seeing that these were supposed to be analogous to the misshapen tools of ancient man whose functions could only be guessed (spear head, grinding stone, a knife, ancient club, the wheel, Thag's "Time Log", etc..)

[Henohenomoheji]

I have that book of Mr. Larsons that lists all the comics that people misunderstood (many people were offended by many of those) I actually understood them as he intended the audience to.... you know the ones i'm talking about, right? there was that "when dogs dream of chasing cars" one?

[Burning Sheep Productions]

God as a child tries to invent the chicken, that was hilarious!

[Deranged Mr. Pappy]

"Tethercat."

[Burning Sheep Productions]

*Racks brain.*<br>Arg, I've heard of it but can't bloody remember it!<br>It's got a cat in it though.

[Tavis]

Gary Larson had plenty to say about "Cow Tools" in one of his books...<br><br><!--QuoteBegin-Gary Larson @ The Prehistory of The Far Side+--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Gary Larson @ The Prehistory of The Far Side)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> The "Cow Tools" episode is one that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life. A week after it was published back in 1982, I wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die.<br>Cows, as some Far Side readers know, are a favorite subject of mine. I've always found them to be the quintessentially absurd animal for situations even more absurd. Even the name "cow," to me, is intrinsically funny.<br>And so one day I started thinking back on an anthropology course I had studies in college and how we learned that man used to be defined as "the only animalthat made and shaped tools." Unfortunately, researchers discovered that certain primates and even some bird species did the  same thing--so the deinition had to be extended somewhat to avoid awkward situations such as someone hiring a crew of chimpanzees to remodel their kitchen.<br>Inevitably, I began thinking about cows, and what if they, too, were discovered as toolmakers. What would they make? Primitive tools are always, well, primitive-looking--appearing rather nondescript to the lay person. So, it seemed to me whatever a <i>cow</i> would make would have to be even a couple notches further down the "skill-o-meter."<br>I imagined, and subsequently drew, a cow standing next to her workbench, proudly displaying her handiwork (hoofiwork?). The "cow tools" were supposed to be just meaningless artifacts--only the cow or a cowthropologist is supposed to know what they are used for.<br>The first mistake I made was in thinking this was funny. The second was making one of the tools resemble a crude handsaw--which made already confused people decide that their only hope in understanding the cartoon meant deciphering what the <i>other</i> tools were as well. Of course, they didn't have a chance in hell.<br>But, for the first time, "Cow tools" awakened me to the fact that my profession was not just an isolated exercise in the corner of my apartment. The day after its release, my phone began to ring with inquiries from reporters and radio stations from regions in the country where The Far Side was published. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to know what in the world this cartoon <i>meant!</i> My syndicate was equally bombarded, and I was ultimately asked to write a press release explaining "Cow tools." Someone sent me the front page of one newspaper which, down in one corner, ran the tease, "Cow Tools: What does it mean? (See pg. B14.)" I was mortified.<br>In the first year ot two of drawing The Far Side, I always believed my career perpetually hung by a thread. And this time I was convinced it had been finally severed. Ironically, when the dust had finally settled and as a result of all the "noise" it made, "Cow tools" became more of a boost to The Far Side than anything else.<br>So, in summary, I drew a really weird, obtuse cartoon that no one understood and wasn't funny and therefore I went on to even grester success and recognition.<br>Yeah--I like this country.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Burning Sheep Productions]

Ho hum...<br>Where does he live?