explain xkcd:Sandbox

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
(Redirected from Main Page/sandbox)
Jump to: navigation, search

Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 3200 xkcd comics, and only 65 (2%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!

 Go to this explanation

Latest comic[edit]

Superstition
It's important to teach yourself to feel responsible for random events, because with great responsibility comes great power. That's what my wise Uncle Ben told me right before he died; he might still be alive today if only I'd said rabbit rabbit that year!
Title text: It's important to teach yourself to feel responsible for random events, because with great responsibility comes great power. That's what my wise Uncle Ben told me right before he died; he might still be alive today if only I'd said rabbit rabbit that year!

Explanation[edit]

Ambox warning blue construction.svg This is incomplete:
This page was created by people who will edit this wiki or else it is their fault. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

This comic references the superstition, which is known to have existed as far back as 1909, of saying "rabbit rabbit" on the first day of a month in order to have good luck.

It also mocks magical thinking. There are many superstitions about actions that either cause bad luck (e.g. "step on a crack, break your mother's back", walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror) or protect against bad luck (e.g. carrying a rabbit's foot, throwing salt over your shoulder after spilling some). The comic suggests that the reason for superstitions like these is to make people feel guilty for not doing the right thing in these circumstances.

"Uncle Ben" is a reference to Spider-Man, whose uncle told him that "with great power comes great responsibility". He was not actually aware of Peter Parker's developing super-powered abilities, his aphorism being about far more mundane abilities to improve people's lives, but this still became the central guiding tenet for the superhero's philosophy. The title text flips this and implies that by taking on a great responsibility one will gain the concomitant degree of extra power. The adherence to superstitions to control our fate implies that we all have great powers, however, and we must therefore use them responsibly.

Transcript[edit]

Ambox warning green construction.svg This is one of 36 incomplete transcripts:
Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!
[Blondie, Cueball and a child (Hairy) are walking from left to right. The child is turning towards Cueball.]
Cueball: Oops, I forgot to say "rabbit rabbit" on January first!
Hairy: Why do you do that?
Cueball: Just a superstition.
Hairy: What's a superstition?
Cueball: It's a way to train yourself to feel like any bad thing that happens is your fault.

Trivia[edit]

  • As of January 7th, 2026, both the 1x and 2x version of this comic have no anti-aliasing applied (1-bit black and white).

comment.png  Add comment      new topic.png  Create topic (use sparingly)     refresh discuss.png  Refresh 

Discussion

Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.


This is a test. PoolloverNathan[stalk the blue seas] 20:48, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

This is not. —While False (museum | talk | contributions | logs | rights | printable version | page information | what links there | related changes | Google search | current time: 22:27) 18:38, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
A foreign student asked me to help fight against his math teacher. That was unusual. He was in that class for just a couple of weeks. The teacher's phone number was sent to me. The student asked me to spam-call the teacher. 172.71.155.55 22:58, 18 September 2023 (UTC)

here i'm just messing around in html, ignore this

furhhfghure guyrburgryhuyvfr "rvhru"

interesting way of writing quotations xd

hmmm this one of putting "<p>" in a line break will come in handy for when i want it to start at the same place than the first line

Please beware that <p> on mediawiki also disables automatic paragraph breaks, so you need a closing </p> or you'll break automatic paragraph formatting for the rest of the page. Zmatt (talk) 22:06, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

edit: da hek did that "</div>" come from An user who has no account yet (talk) 14:14, 13 October 2023 (UTC)

hi uh its hard to get here. is this a reference to undocumented feature??? hmm... this is interesting.
108.162.241.216 02:05, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
Tomato soup.jpg Soup
yum yum [citation needed]

Hiuiedeixgeyceiyedhcdiedcve {{trout}}

This is the leaderboard:

Last 7 days (Top 50)

<a href=" [AT THE JULY 28TH MEETING][tab] "Cancel the meeting! Our cover is blown.">
      comment.png  Add comment

      new topic.png  View comic discussion

New here?[edit]

Last 30 days (Top 10)

Lots of people contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors above have just joined. You can do it too! Create your account here.

You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at explain xkcd. Feel free to create an account and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd comics, characters, What If? articles, and everything in between. If it is referenced in an xkcd comic, it should be here.

  • The incomplete explanations are listed here. Feel free to help out by expanding them!

Rules[edit]

Don't be a jerk!

There are a lot of comics that don't have set-in-stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic.

If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page.

Please only submit material directly related to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that can legally be posted and freely edited. Off-topic or other inappropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked.

If you need assistance from an admin, post a message to the Admin requests board.

Recent comments:

7 January 2026

N    21:33 

Talk:3191: Superstition‎‎ (8 changes | history) . . (+1,358). . [Maofgf‎; TheusafBOT‎; 2a06:5906:1412:4100:1c9b:b7e4:7419:fd67‎; 2a02:c7c:6d8a:6800:74ec:66a3:2e17:78bc‎; 2a01:e0a:1d1:7ce0:964f:c262:a580:de9‎; 2a00:23ee:1878:2422:583a:77b9:1416:97d1‎; 2600:1006:b347:c663:d55a:314:cb4f:43f6‎; 2401:d005:d402:7a00:f107:d318:6c4c:dca3‎]

     

21:33

(cur | prev) . . (+185). . 2401:d005:d402:7a00:f107:d318:6c4c:dca3 (talk)

     

21:16

(cur | prev) . . (+266). . 2a02:c7c:6d8a:6800:74ec:66a3:2e17:78bc (talk) (i am not a robot just for using linux. leave me alone recaptcha)

     

21:10

(cur | prev) . . (+210). . Maofgf (talk | contribs)

     

20:45

(cur | prev) . . (+156). . 2a01:e0a:1d1:7ce0:964f:c262:a580:de9 (talk)

     

20:26

(cur | prev) . . (+116). . 2a00:23ee:1878:2422:583a:77b9:1416:97d1 (talk)

     

20:04

(cur | prev) . . (+157). . 2a06:5906:1412:4100:1c9b:b7e4:7419:fd67 (talk)

     

20:03

(cur | prev) . . (+155). . 2600:1006:b347:c663:d55a:314:cb4f:43f6 (talk)

N    

19:43

(cur | prev) . . (+113). . TheusafBOT (talk | contribs) (Created by theusafBOT: talk page for 3191)

     18:04 

Talk:3190: Tensegrity‎‎ (5 changes | history) . . (+3,303). . [82.132.237.91‎; Lordpishky‎; 193.42.0.156‎; Utdtutyabthsc‎ (2×)]

     

18:04

(cur | prev) . . (+100). . Lordpishky (talk | contribs) (One word Eliza AI reference with nine word summary.)

     

17:55

(cur | prev) . . (+2,443). . 82.132.237.91 (talk)

     

16:16

(cur | prev) . . (+217). . 193.42.0.156 (talk)

 m   

03:14

(cur | prev) . . (+2). . Utdtutyabthsc (talk | contribs)

 m   

03:13

(cur | prev) . . (+170). . Utdtutyabthsc (talk | contribs)

     16:32 

Talk:3188: Anyone Else Here‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (+102). . [66.210.7.66‎ (2×)]

     

16:32

(cur | prev) . . (+78). . 66.210.7.66 (talk)

     

16:31

(cur | prev) . . (+24). . 66.210.7.66 (talk)

6 January 2026

     17:35 

Talk:3189: Conic Sections‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (+285). . [82.13.184.33‎; 163.116.145.34‎]

     

17:35

(cur | prev) . . (+149). . 163.116.145.34 (talk)

     

10:36

(cur | prev) . . (+136). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

N    17:29 

Talk:3190: Tensegrity‎‎ (11 changes | history) . . (+2,733). . [Qwertyuiopfromdefly‎; King Pando‎; Coconut Galaxy‎; TheusafBOT‎; Barmar‎; 92.23.2.208‎; 82.13.184.33‎; 104.185.183.165‎; 76.187.17.7‎ (3×)]

     

17:29

(cur | prev) . . (+787). . 92.23.2.208 (talk)

     

15:38

(cur | prev) . . (+48). . Barmar (talk | contribs)

     

14:39

(cur | prev) . . (+161). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     

11:37

(cur | prev) . . (+629). . 104.185.183.165 (talk) (comment about giraffes)

     

08:29

(cur | prev) . . (+161). . Coconut Galaxy (talk | contribs)

     

05:00

(cur | prev) . . (+25). . 76.187.17.7 (talk) (Ruth Asawa - link to Wikipedia)

     

04:59

(cur | prev) . . (+300). . 76.187.17.7 (talk) (One of Buckminster's student's works is sometimes described as "earrings for a giraffe.")

     

04:56

(cur | prev) . . (+137). . 76.187.17.7 (talk) (colon-ization)

 m   

04:00

(cur | prev) . . (+191). . King Pando (talk | contribs)

 m   

03:52

(cur | prev) . . (+181). . Qwertyuiopfromdefly (talk | contribs) (commented)

N    

03:15

(cur | prev) . . (+113). . TheusafBOT (talk | contribs) (Created by theusafBOT: talk page for 3190)

     17:06 

Talk:3188: Anyone Else Here‎‎ (4 changes | history) . . (+352). . [Bateleur‎; 82.13.184.33‎; These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For‎ (2×)]

     

17:06

(cur | prev) . . (+84). . Bateleur (talk | contribs)

     

10:22

(cur | prev) . . (-39). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

 m   

04:01

(cur | prev) . . (+7). . These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For (talk | contribs)

     

03:58

(cur | prev) . . (+300). . These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For (talk | contribs) (Snarking a snarker.)

     11:36 

Talk:3185: Sauropods‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (+90). . [82.13.184.33‎; 2a01:112f:490a:bb00:12d0:2c77:9ca3:6415‎]

     

11:36

(cur | prev) . . (+113). . 2a01:112f:490a:bb00:12d0:2c77:9ca3:6415 (talk)

     

09:40

(cur | prev) . . (-23). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     10:15 

Talk:3187: High Altitude Cooking Instructions‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (0). . [82.13.184.33‎ (2×)]

     

10:15

(cur | prev) . . (0). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     

10:13

(cur | prev) . . (0). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     10:02 

Talk:3186: Truly Universal Outlet‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (-14). . [82.13.184.33‎ (2×)]

     

10:02

(cur | prev) . . (0). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     

09:59

(cur | prev) . . (-14). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     09:38 

Talk:3184: Funny Numbers‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (-21). . [82.13.184.33‎ (2×)]

     

09:38

(cur | prev) . . (-1). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     

09:32

(cur | prev) . . (-20). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

5 January 2026

     21:47 

Talk:131: Fans‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (+127). . [92.23.2.208‎; 2a0f:df00:0:255::205‎]

     

21:47

(cur | prev) . . (+59). . 92.23.2.208 (talk) (natch (Try "[[]]" around "1386: People are Stupid", with none of the quotes BTW...) i.e. 1386: People are Stupid))

     

21:19

(cur | prev) . . (+68). . 2a0f:df00:0:255::205 (talk) (link relevant xkcd reference)

     21:38 

Talk:3186: Truly Universal Outlet‎‎ (3 changes | history) . . (+559). . [92.23.2.208‎; 23.234.83.181‎; 136.226.98.180‎]

     

21:38

(cur | prev) . . (+104). . 92.23.2.208 (talk)

     

20:37

(cur | prev) . . (+221). . 23.234.83.181 (talk)

     

20:01

(cur | prev) . . (+234). . 136.226.98.180 (talk) (Add comment about frequency differences)

     21:35 

Talk:3189: Conic Sections‎‎ (3 changes | history) . . (+795). . [92.23.2.208‎; 71.94.164.106‎; 163.116.145.34‎]

     

21:35

(cur | prev) . . (+95). . 92.23.2.208 (talk)

     

20:21

(cur | prev) . . (+203). . 71.94.164.106 (talk) (ice-cream-rebuttal)

     

19:44

(cur | prev) . . (+497). . 163.116.145.34 (talk)

     21:11 

Talk:2467: Wikipedia Caltrops‎‎ (2 changes | history) . . (+469). . [2001:4c4e:1c04:b100:446f:ea5d:e0c3:35cc‎ (2×)]

     

21:11

(cur | prev) . . (+96). . 2001:4c4e:1c04:b100:446f:ea5d:e0c3:35cc (talk) (My own selection of caltrops)

     

21:02

(cur | prev) . . (+373). . 2001:4c4e:1c04:b100:446f:ea5d:e0c3:35cc (talk) (Mesozoa, Myxozoa, elements beyond Utn)