River’s purpose in the strip has been debated by my wife and me for 
many evenings. Why is he there? I can’t justify tacking a character into a 
strip just because he’s cute, marketable, or (as Bill Watterson once warned), 
becomes yet another darling animal which is a worthless substitute for REAL 
warmth and character meaning.
	River is none of those things. Cute? Yes certainly, but not with cuteness 
being the intent, or rationale, for his inclusion. Marketable? Who knows. 
Necessary? Absolutely. 
	As a best friend, River provides the comic antagonist for Roger.  But 
as a character, it is River who compels Roger to examine the world in unique 
ways. River’s raccoonish curiosities inject the strip with abundant inquiries, 
catastrophes, and discoveries. What neither character recognizes is that River 
is Roger’s guide to growing up. 
	The comic genre of humans with animal companions is durable. 
Among them we have “Peanuts” Charlie Brown and Snoopy, “Bloom 
Countys” various animal companions, “Foxtrots” Jason and iguana, Calvin 
and Hobbes, Jon and Garfield, Dennis the Menace and Ruff, and countless 
others.
	But why a raccoon? Why not a regular friend? The idea for the 
raccoon actually emerged from my son, 11-months-old at the time of this 
writing (see the Art page for pictures). My son, who is named River in fact, 
suffers from an excess of personality—and he’s 90% human, 100% raccoon. 
He’s clever, mischievous, he collects and steals anything shiny that attracts 
him, he teases and outwits, and at times he’s up all night playing. Yawn!
	River’s relationship to Roger in the strip is almost mirrored by my 
son’s relationship to myself. The curiosities of the raccoon lead Roger to a 
greater understanding—or misunderstanding—of the world he’s growing 
into. Roger’s childhood is enriched by River. Likewise, son River’s 
curiosities compel me to reconsider childhood, and to examine the 
world we’re both growing into as well.