Nutrition and the Four Food Groups

Calvin's line

Nutrition and the Four Food Groups was a school play at Calvin's school, seemingly designed to teach the children about nutrition. It was featured only in the 11/10 through 11/21 1986 story arc. The exact plot is unknown, except for the following elements:

Characters

• Onion (Calvin)
• Fat (Susie)
• Amino Acid (Russy White)
• Bread (unidentified, but briefly assumed by Hobbes in order to help Calvin rehearse)

Lines

Bread: "Glucose is the body's main energy source!"

Onion: "In addition to supplying vital nutrients, many vegetables are a source of dietary fiber."

The children probably stepped forward in turn, and recited what their character did in terms of nutrition.

Preparations

Calvin is given the role of Onion in the play, and declares it a role that will have the audience in tears. However, Calvin struggles to learn his line, even with the help of Hobbes. Meanwhile, Calvin's mother is left with the task of creating an onion costume for Calvin to wear in the play, which turns out to be "Jabba the Hutt meets Rudolph the Reindeer," as Calvin puts it.

The Day of the Play

With just a few minutes before he's to go on stage, Calvin finds himself with a pressing need to go to the bathroom, and heads to do so. However, while he's there, his shirt ends up getting caught in the zipper of his costume, rendering him stuck in the onion suit. He tries to call for help, but no one answers. In a panic, realizing he's supposed to be on stage saying his line, he manages to yell his line perfectly.

Aftermath

When they realized Calvin missed his cue, the play was stopped and a janitor was sent to the bathroom to find Calvin. The janitor managed to free Calvin from the onion costume, but the damage had already been done and the play was ruined. Calvin tells this story to his mother, but he takes pride in the fact that he remembered his line.

Contradictions

Interestingly, Calvin asks Hobbes to "bread prompt me" therefore implying that whoever is playing bread would come right before him. In a strip later in the arc, Miss Wormwood asks Susie where Calvin is, stating that he comes on right after her, though, Susie has already stated that she is playing "fat" in the play.

Trivia

• This is the one and only scene when Calvin mentions a Star Wars character, "Jabba the Hutt."