6 Unforgettable Far Side Comics Set In the Jungle

The jungle proved to be a prolific setting for The Far Side, a backdrop that gave Larson's cartoons set there a distinct and vivid visual style, which became immediately recognizable to his fans as the cartoon's popularity swelled.

Below is a curated collection of the most memorable Far Side cartoons set in the jungle. The Far Side comics that have given generations of readers reason to pause and reconsider whether they want to get lost in the wilderness, or watch a nature documentary.

And, let's face it, The Far Side's jungle jokes were mostly inspired by the latter, anyway, rather than the former. Gary Larson stayed up all night writing Far Side jokes and drawing cartoons, and he took inspiration from his various fascinations, which included nature and wildlife, which he learned about through books and TV.

"Yuth's Fountain"

First Published: July 2, 1980

Imagine a road trip where your buddy has hyped up this one spot they're really hyped to visit...and when you finally get there, it's a total tourist trap. Now consider how the Conquistadors in this Far Side cartoon feel, after having traveled all the way to the New World looking for the "Fountain of Youth," only to find "Yuth's Fountain & Snack bar."

"I'm gonna ring de Leon's neck," one remarks to the other as they emerge from the untamed Floridian jungle into the clearing where "Yuth's" is located, referencing the real historical Ponce, who led the "Fountain of Youth" wild goose chase.

This is a great bit of Far Side wordplay, and it also captures the spirit of Gary Larson's best jokes about exploration: the idea that what one finds is rarely what one is looking for.

"Pie Trap!"

First Published: September 16, 1980

To reiterate: The Far Side's intrepid explorers were always encountering unexpected things in the dark heart of the jungle. But occasionally that wasn't a bad thing for them. Like here, when one of them triggers a "pie trap," which is an innocuous alternative to poison darks (which we'll get to shortly) or a pit full of bamboo spikes, or any of the other booby traps that could be hidden in the jungle.

Okay, well, to be fair, the explorers in this Far Side cartoon actually were prepared for a "pie trap," as they quickly determine that it means they've crossed over into "Zubutu country."

For Far Side readers though, it's a swerve on expectations, exactly the kind Gary Larson was an expert at. Which is a lifesaver for these characters, because while many Far Side cartoons featured ordinary scenarios turning deadly fast, the expectation of danger here meant this jungle-trekking duo got to live through a silly Larsonian gag instead.

"Don't Eat Those!"

First Published: December 19, 1983​​​​​​​

Okay, those poison arrows we mentioned. They pop up in this hilarious Far Side cartoon as a substitute for another common danger hikers and explorers have to be weary of: poison berries.

"Oh my gosh, Andrew! Don't eat those," one explorer shouts at his companion after returning to their campsite an finding him stuffing his face. The absurdist implication, of course, is that "Andrew" would be just fine eating regular arrows, but that the poison tips are going to make all the difference.

Comedy, especially cartoon humor, operates by its own internal logic, and part of what gets a reaction out of the audiences is that it is logic which clashes with the real logic of the external world. Gary Larson was brilliant at finding these logical fissures between the real and the funny and illustrating them.

"Are You Sure It's In Four-Wheel Drive?"

First Published: July 14, 1984

Here's a Far Side cartoon where the point is pointlessness. "Are you sure it's in four-wheel drive, Saunders?" one explorer asks another when their Jeep gets stuck in the jungle. Except it's a pointless and futile question, because their vehicle is stuck upside down in a pit.

The Jeep isn't going anywhere, four-wheel drive or not, and neither are Saunders and the speaker unless someone comes along with a rope they can climb up out of the ravine.

The only thing this Far Side cartoon is missing is the "reaction shot." Saunders' eyes are obscured, meaning readers can't see his look of annoyance, or perplexity, or despair at being asked such a dumb question in such a moment of crisis.

"You're Pulling Me In!"

First Published: September 1, 1987

This is low-key one of the darkest Far Side comics. It is funny, but it belies a legitimately horrifying premise, based on a real phenomenon. That is, drowning people will, at times, drag others down with them, including people who try to rescue them. Here, Gary Larson takes that out of the water and puts it in quicksand, a Far Side favorite.

It is a legitimately horror movie-worthy premise, which The Far Side plays for laughs. How does it pull this off? First, there's the juxtaposition of the static image, two safari hats lying on a bed of sand in the middle of the jungle, with the chaos below the surface.

Which is revealed by the cartoon's caption. The speaker pleads for "Morty" to stop "pulling [him] in." The tenor of the dialogue is the other key to the comedic tone here; it reads like friends, or brothers, horsing around, in contrast to the deadly stakes of the scene.

"Dart Not Poisonous"

First Published: December 2, 1993

In this late-era Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson circled back to his early fondness for jokes about jungle adventurers to make another all-time great one. Look at the image first: in the foreground, a khaki-clad explorer clutching his neck, while in the background, a wide-eyed young indigenous boy holds a dart gun to his lips, and an older man standing next to him waves.

Once more, what the reader is expecting is a poison dart. The explorer is expecting this too, and this Far Side panel features the precise moment he realizes what just hit him. Except now check the caption, and this quickly shifts registers from horror to comedy.

Because it was only practice. "Dart not poisonous," the father shouts to the explorer from the brush, because he's "just showing [his] kid the ropes." But if they'd wanted to, they totally could've killed the explorer. It is an outrageously funny line of Far Side dialogue, coming in the kind of scene that Gary Larson could only have created late in his career. This Far Side jungle cartoon is the culmination of Larson's love of the setting, and it is a fitting send off for this subgenre of Far Side cartoon.

Honorable Mentions:

The list above focuses on the range of jokes Gary Larson made that emphasized the jungle setting, first and foremost, in the construction of its punchline. But there were also Far Side cartoons where the setting was secondary, a byproduct of the joke. The best example of this, when it comes to the jungle, are The Far Side's recurring Tarzan jokes.

These cartoons are in a class of their own, though they do share the jungle setting with the ones discussed here. Tarzan was as close to a recurring character as The Far Side got, and the jungle was a key backdrop to that, but not when it really, truly shined as a setting.