It's a pretty simple comic. They're cow tools. Tools designed by cows for cows to use. A cow looks at those tools and understands them. We are not cows, which is why we look at those tools and don't understand them. Just as a cow would not understand a table full of human tools.

"Awful comic" My friend you are starting at a work of art above all else, curve your tounge!

Don't talk shit about cow tools - it's a work of art

The fact that you don't get the joke makes it even funnier

"This isn't even a cow, it has horns!" As if cows don't have horns...

simple answer to this video: the cow made tools

Cow tools was ahead of it's time in humor.

cows have horns. many US farmers clip them, but cows do in fact grow horns.

"Cow Tools" was pure bovine genius

Cows have hooves. Have you ever tried to make a tool with hooves?! If I was a personified cow with hooves my tools would probably also look like they were made out of mashed play-dough lol!

The joke is that cows aren’t very good at making tools

It’s not a bad cartoon 💀

One of his funniest cartoons and its reassuring you don't have a clue!

Larson was way before your time and pretty sick. beyond sick at times. Two polar bears are looking through the top of an igloo. One says to the other "I love these things crunchy on the outside with a chewy center". Buncha cowboys are sitting around a campfire but one of them has his legs crossed... "Don't do that, Larry". Boneless chicken ranch.. the pane has a buncha chickens drawn around a barn flopped all over the place.. on the road, on the gate, on the roof... no bones. He drew many panes that drew quizzical looks and comments. The guy just thought completely outside-the-box.

You may not understand cow tools but the cow does, how do you think she built that barn?

As an old farm boy I can assure you that cows do have horns. Some farmers remove the horns to prevent injuries.

So was the thumbnail intentionally to try to invoke the same sort of effect? I was reading Larson's explanation for his new comics (basically, he tried out digital drawing and got inspired) and googled "Cow Tools" based on him mentioning it because I had forgotten this comic. One of the top Google images was your thumbnail that strangely repeated it like a conveyor belt of more tools and that's what got my attention to read Google's description of it - which is where I saw your video's title and decided to watch. Basically, by being weird with the thumbnail in a way I couldn't understand, you got my attention enough that I looked in and watched the video in much the same way you describe Larson's rise the year following Cow Tools. Obviously, being a search result for a 39 year old comic is probably not as effective as being in 70 newspapers already making it into people's homes, but whether intentional or not I thought it was neat this followed a similar pattern. I wasn't able to read yet when this comic came out, but I am old enough that it was in my lifetime, and it still seems strange to me that so many people wrote to the newspaper for an explanation of an absurd comic. I guess it's like how today his publisher would be inundated with emails and tweets, but more expensive.

dont diss the mutton hammer

Cows do have horns as well as bulls.

Cows have horns.

"even the hollowest nut wants to be cracked"

not sure what's worst, people pretending to understand this or darksouls people pretending to know the lore

this comic panel belongs in a museum for how inhumanely perplexing it is

1:29 cows can have horns

cow tools

Oh I love it! Is this the one where public servants wrote in and said their mental health depended on a Daily fix of the cartoon and could he please explain it. When I was broke I cut them out if the paper and put them in a scrap book. That was 1992 and I've still got it. Best one is the Neanderthals and a Phillips rock!

"Selling over fourty-five -_- 0_0 MEWLION"

Its the look of study on the cows face? Almost as if he's actually trying to work out which tool to use

Explain this one...."On a clear day, Eugene rose and looked around him and, regrettably, saw who he was?" Anyone? Totally Stumped!

You don't like Dali either do you?

Part of the joy of "Cow Tools" is the people who just don't get it. It's the original shitpost

Aww the kid didn’t get it what a surprise.

Saw, rake, hammer and sander...me thinks.

It's simple, but God I hate its reputation - the cow can't use the tools.

He was just ahead of his time. None of us could've understood at the time

FUN FACT: cows have developed ability to use crescent wrenches.

I got the comic first try as a little kid, does that make me smart or dumb?

Cows can and often do have horns. Not just bulls.

Far Side is too sophisticated for zoomers.

Great video man , very well put together

Cattle has horns lmfao?

Professor? Of what?

No opposable thumbs or critical thought. Damnable shame. But how did they make the tools, let alone use them? Cows are cute & delicious & curious...that's it. Check out videos of their response to music. It's adorable. Eat a steak. Pet one. The end.

But it looks funny

This is the boomer version of Pickle Rick

Thank you

?????

i have many thoughts i might share later about this “debacle” shame on you

Great video bro

How’s this a meme

Cows have horns.