Things seldom work out for the characters of Gary Larson’sThe Far Side, so it makes sense there are plenty of comics where the word"Uh-oh!“escapes from their lips. Of course, this being Larson, the phrase could herald anything from mild inconvenience to total disaster.
The phrase"Uh-Oh!“appears acrossThe Far Side’s 14-year run, but we’re only interested in the best of the best. That’s why we’ve collected the 12 funniestFar Sidecomics where characters exclaim,“Uh-Oh!”
From beingstranded on a desert islandto releasing a deadly pathogen, here are the funniest"Uh-Oh"s inFar Sidehistory.Don’t forget to vote in our end-of-article poll and let us know which of Gary Larson’s “Uh-Oh!” comics is officially the funniest.
12Acme Costume Rental
Larson’s Favorite Company Has Another Mishap
In this earlyFar Sidecomic (published 1980 - the series' first year), Larson showcases his favorite trick - presenting the reader with a bizarre image that becomes hilarious once you have the context of the caption. In the gag, the owners of a costume store are confronted by an exhausted (but grinning) horse, only to realize their customer is trapped inside thanks to a zipper malfunction. In this case, the"Uh-oh!“is on someone else’s behalf.Eagle-eyed fans will note that the costume rental store is run by Acme, one of Larson’s favorite recurring subjects.
As inLooney Tunes’Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote cartoons,The Far Sideuses Acmeas its default corporation, producing everything from slingshots to flea collars for werewolves. Unlike inLooney Tunes,Far Side’s Acme products do tend to work (just in bizarre circumstances), but in this early appearance, their costumes clearly aren’t up to snuff.
11Whale Watchers
Larson Loves the ‘Weird Neighbors’ Gag
Gary Larson loves playing with Americana inThe Far Side, putting suburban families through the most bizarre challenges possible to maintain their white picket fence lifestyles. Usually, that means humans being confronted with unusual neighbors, but here it’s the animals who are inconvenienced, as two whales have to deal with whale-watcher neighbors staring at them in their home.
It’s incredibly bad luck for the whales, since their chances of moving in next to some relatively friendly monkeys, monsters, alligators, wolves or cavemen were a lot higher than you might assume, at least going by Larson’s other ‘weird neighbor’ strips.
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10Colonel Sanders
The First in a Surprising Number of Comics Dealing with the Divine
In this hilarious comic,KFC founder Colonel Sanders arrives in Heaven, only to realize that God is a chicken (or at least has animmenseamount of affection for them.) This comic is one of Larson’s best uses of"Oh-Uh!”, since the exclamation is about the truly momentous matter of Sanders' eternal soul, rather than an everyday inconvenience like nosy neighbors.Larson often took aim at real peoplein his comics, with an impressive eye for figures who would still be well-known decades later.
Strangely, this isn’t the only time God will feature on a list of characters saying"Uh-Oh!”, and the Almighty even gets to utter the phrase Himself later in our list.
9Awkward Moments
Far Side Is Always Weird, But Sometimes Relatable
In this strip, ants go through the mortifying experience we all know - forgetting the name of someone who greets you warmly. Of course, Larson puts a twist on the joke, emphasizing that in an ant hill, you’d need to remember tens of thousands of names to stay on good terms with everyone.
8Trivia Tonight
In this strip, poor Norman appears on the gameshowTrivia Tonight, only for his opponent to turn out to be God Himself. This time, the"Uh-Oh!“comes from the patronizing host, who can’t resist cheerfully rubbing in Norman’s inevitable failure. Larson notes that despite having annoyed fans before,he dodged hate mail in this comic by following two strict rules, which he relates inThe Prehistory of The Far Side:
First, I made God look the way I think most of us are pretty sure he looks. Secondly, I made sure he was really winning hands down. Even if Norman had only ten points it would have meant that he beat God to the buzzer at least once, and someone would have gotten mad.
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7The Beaumonts' Mouth
Larson Wanted Fans to Exclaim “What the–?”
InThe Complete Far Side,Larson explains that he always knew he couldn’t make readers laugh witheverycomic he created, buthecouldmake them exclaim"What the–?“at the breakfast table. That’s definitely achieved in this comic, which plays on the idea of crocodiles allowing Egyptian plover birds to sit in their mouths, knowing the birds will clean their teeth. In the world ofFar Side, this turns each crocodile’s mouth into the home for a specific bird family, and like any neighborhood, fires are possible.
6The Schumachers
Annoying Neighbors Return
Larson has so many comics about irritating neighbors that you could be forgiven for assuming he doesn’t have much time for his fellow humans. In this comic, annoying neighbors become just another species of pest, infesting the tree in an innocent couple’s front yard.
5Primitive Resumes
Larson’s ‘Caveman Inventions’ Running Gag
One ofFar Side’s most iconic running gags is the joke ofcavemen inventing an everyday concept, only to create a faulty first-draft of the version we know today. In this strip, hominids have finally invented the job interview, but since no-one has any real experience of holding down work, they have to include primates as their referees.
While the"Uh-Oh!“here makes sense, this is hardly the most extreme problem Larson’s cavemen have found themselves in while trying to create a modern convenience.
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4Palm Oil
Larson Combines Two of Far Side’s Recurring Themes, as Annoying Neighbors Get Stranded on a Desert Island
Larson brings back the concept of annoying neighbors, but this time added to his recurring image of survivors stranded on a desert island. The goofy gag sees the speaker speculating about palm oil as if her ‘neighbor’ voluntarily overuses it, despite the fact that it’s theonlypossible ingredient she could possibly have gotten her hands on.
3The Monster in the Basement
This Comic Echoes Larson’s Real Life
This grim comic sees a parent faking a monster just to get their kid to quiet down. Surprisingly, the gag seemingly has some roots in Larson’s own life, though it washis brother torturing himrather than his parents. In the foreword toThe Far Side Gallery 1, Larson notes that his morbid sense of humor"is my brother’s fault,“revealing various stories including his brother trapping him in the basement and intoning,“It’s coming for you, Gary! It’s coming! Do you hear it breathing, Gary?“In this case,The Far Side’s version is probablylesstraumatizing than real life.
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