10 Funny Far Side Comics About Fruit
The Far Side is one of the most random comic strips out there. To be clear, it’s insanely clever and usually offers a fascinating perspective on real world events and even society at large, and it does so in the most comical ways possible. But, that doesn’t mean The Far Side isn’t utterly absurd, especially when considering the many different subjects featured in the comic strip - including literal fruit.
Unlike other comic strips that feature main characters (like Peanuts and Garfield), where the jokes have to be tailored to the characters, The Far Side doesn’t have a main character, and is therefore free to allow its illustrations to highlight any given joke, not the other way around. This also gives The Far Side the freedom to be as weird and random as it wants, with jokes about babies, bugs, and even trees, just to name a few. And now, it’s time to look at the ridiculous Far Side comic strips about fruit, with these 10 being the all-time funniest!
10 Plastic Fruit
Only In The Far Side Can Fruit Tell a “NOT” Joke
A man is stranded on a desert island in the middle of the ocean, and by his appearance, it seems he's been there for quite some time. Just when he was about to give up hope, a crate containing fruit washes up ashore. The man can't believe his eyes, as he exclaims with utter joy and profound excitement after opening the crate to find all the fruit he could eat. Unfortunately, none of it was actually edible, as this crate wasn't filled with fruit at all, but rather plastic fruit.
It's as if the fruit itself told a '"NOT" joke' to this man, as it presented itself as edible fruit only to wind up being inedible plastic fruit instead. Indeed, only in The Far Side can fruit tell a '"NOT" joke'.
9 Monkey Misunderstanding
An Ape Wants a Mango, Not a Tango in The Far Side
Two apes are dancing with each other in the middle of the jungle, though only one of them seems to be having a good time. The other one only seemed to be going along with the dancing routine because they felt too awkward to tell the other ape that there had been a misunderstanding. But, the awkwardness subsides, and the first ape finally tells the second, "I'm afraid you misunderstood... I said I'd like a mango". The first ape just wanted a piece of their favorite fruit, but the second ape gave them a "tango" instead of a "mango".
There are so many layers to this Far Side comic that make it hilarious. Did the second ape just grab the first and start dancing the second they thought their friend wanted to tango? And how long did these two dance before the first ape finally corrected the misunderstanding? And - perhaps most pressing of all - did the first ape ever get that mango?
8 Biblical Farmer’s Market
The Garden of Eden is a Biblical Farmer’s Market in The Far Side
As Adam and Eve are taking a stroll through the Garden of Eden - aka, the biblical paradise on Earth given to the first humans by God Himself - they come across something of a farmer's market, though one with an air of ill intent. A cow sits in one tree trying to sell some peaches, a porcupine sits in another selling apricots, and a snake in a third tree hocking apples.
Anyone who is familiar with the Book of Genesis knows that this is an absurd retelling of the story of Original Sin, and how Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of the Serpent and ate from the Tree of Knowledge against God's command. Now, it seems Satan was just one of the many temptations in the Garden, as other animals were trying to get Adam and Eve to eat their fruit, too.
7 Newton’s Discovery of Gravity
Newton Discovering the Law of Gravity Had a Different Story in The Far Side
Three philosophers are sitting under their respective trees, each one working on their own theories. One of these philosophers is Isaac Newton, who is sitting under an apple tree with a giant apple hanging over his head. One of the other philosophers says, "Nothing yet... How about you, Newton?", which is seemingly the precursor to Newton's discovery of the law of gravity - but with a potentially deadly outcome.
In real life, it's said that Newton discovered the law of gravity after watching an apple fall from an apple tree all by itself. Some stories claim that the apple even hit Newton on the head as he was working beneath an apple tree. In The Far Side, it seems Newton is about to have a similar experience, but with an apple that has the potential to crush him, which adds a layer of absurd humor to this historical moment.
6 Trickster Mole
A Mole is Responsible for Kicking Humanity Out of the Garden of Eden in The Far Side
In the bible, God kicks Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden for disobeying His command, but in The Far Side, it wasn't God who told Adam and Eve to leave, it was a random mole. Apparently, Adam and Eve had been setting up mole traps, and one mole had enough. This mole set up an elaborate scheme to get them out of the Garden, which culminated in the mole impersonating God and kicking them out.
To be fair, the mole was just trying to keep himself or his fellow moles from getting killed by Adam and Eve's mole traps, and he used a combination of the fear of God and tasty fruit to do it in The Far Side.
5 Coconut Attack
Coconuts are Especially Deadly in The Far Side
A man stranded on a desert island (with a single coconut tree) is writing an SOS message on a piece of scrap paper that he plans to put in a glass bottle. However, right as he finishes writing the message, a coconut falls on the bottle, shattering the glass, rendering the SOS useless. He needed the glass bottle if he hoped the message was going to reach anyone, but because of this coconut, his hope was shattered along with the glass.
There's always a chance a coconut falling from a tree will hit someone in the head and hurt or kill them, meaning there's a level of danger surrounding coconuts in general. But, in The Far Side, it seems they are especially deadly, as this coconut effectively killed this man without even hitting him.
4 Forbidden Fruit
‘Citrus Only’ Bars Exist in the Sentient Fruit Community in The Far Side
A piece of non-citrus fruit is trying to enter a nightclub called "Club Citrus", but he's turned away at the door by the banana-bouncer, who tells him that this bar doesn't allow his kind of fruit to enter. Indeed, this fruit is forbidden from entering this club, quite literally making him 'forbidden fruit', just as the caption of this Far Side comic says.
Obviously, there's a lot to take in here. Not only are readers presented with a world of sentient anthropomorphic fruit, but this single-panel comic also reveals that fruit society is segregated between citrus and non-citrus fruits (at least, as far as this nightclub is concerned). The whole thing is ridiculous, and perfectly on-brand for the type of absurd humor The Far Side is famous for.
3 Banana Love
This Far Side Ape REALLY Loves Bananas
A couple of apes are hanging out together in the jungle, eating bananas. One of the apes turns to the other and admits that he really loves bananas. He explains that he knows that's nothing new in the ape community, as everyone loves bananas. But, the ape also says that his love for bananas "goes far beyond that". So... what is this ape really saying here?
The ape seems to be alluding to something that he's not outright saying to his friend. How does his love for bananas go far beyond what other apes experience? Are his comments alluding to an almost romantic love for the bananas? Should the other apes be concerned about this weirdo? None of these questions are answered in The Far Side, but they're certainly raised, and that alone is hilarious.
2 Woolly Watermelon
Cavemen Hunted and Ate Giant Watermelon in The Far Side
These Far Side cavemen aren't hunting woolly mammoths for food, but rather something called a 'woolly watermelon', which seems to be just a giant watermelon with fur. The neanderthals hoot and holler as they take the behemoth down, covered in its natural juices as they rip the seeds from its body and feast upon its fruity goodness.
No question about it, this is one of The Far Side's weirder comics. Like, what are readers even looking at here? Is this a reference to something? It's a giant watermelon with fur called a woolly watermelon getting killed and eaten by cavemen. What? Why? The hilarity is found in the absurd, just like with so many other Far Side comics, and this one is certainly absurd.
1 Cyclops Breakfast
Cyclops Shouldn’t Eat Grapefruit for Breakfast in The Far Side
A family of cyclops are sitting down for breakfast together, each one with a grapefruit in front of them. When the son cyclops tries to scoop out a piece to eat, the citrus juices spray his father right in the eye. Then, the father cyclops accidentally does the same thing to the mother cyclops, and it's fair to assume the mother will do the same to the son the second she tries to scoop out a piece of grapefruit herself.
Getting squirted in the eye with grapefruit juice wouldn't be anything more than a momentary annoyance/inconvenience for a human, but these are cyclops, meaning they were completely blinded when the juice hit them in the eye. Indeed, this would be the worst case scenario for a family of cyclops, especially since they were just trying to eat healthier first thing in the morning. And that's why this is one of the 10 funniest Far Side comics about fruit!
- Writer
- Gary Larson
- Colorist
- Gary Larson
