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"...And a 4-year lifespan. Shut up, kid."
―Sherman "speaking" to Nate Wright
Shermanandnate

Nate "dropping" his homework so that Sherman can eat it.

Sherman is the class pet in Mrs. Godfrey's room. He is a gerbil. He was brought to class by Clara Godfrey on November 10th, 2014, and the class voted his name to be Sherman, being named after William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman is one of the few animals in the series that shows up more than twice. He is presumably miserable in his cage, and thinks about feeling trapped often. He has been in many recent short story arcs, one involving him dodging a mouse trap. While no one can hear what he says, characters can somehow notice facial expressions and feelings from him (for example, noticing he looks sarcastic).

Capture-1

Sherman being sarcastic.

Trivia[]

  • Nate Wright wanted him to be called "Shaq" (as in Shaquille O' Neal) at first but he got outvoted.
  • He expresses his feelings, or "talks" through thought bubbles, referencing characters Garfield and Snoopy. He is also the only animal in the series to communicate, except Spitsy a little bit, but no one understands him because he doesn't actually speak. Nate understands him the way Jon understands Garfield.
  • Once, Gina Hemphill-Toms brought in a troll doll so Sherman would have a buddy. Sherman found it very humiliating, and Nate later removed it, as he was on gerbil duty. Later, she brought a rubber duck.
  • He has a cousin, Howard who is a lab rat.
  • Nate once forgot to complete his homework, so he tried to get Sherman to shred it. Sherman shredded it, but Nate was caught.
  • Sherman plays Go-Fish with Nate Wright during free periods, as seen on the Big Nate comic strip for September 19, 2016.
Nateplayinggofishwithsherman

Nate Playing Go-Fish with Sherman.

  • When Mr. Rosa would not allow Nate to paint a picture of a dog for art, Nate Wright painted a picture of Sherman instead.
  • Sherman once ran away from his cage after Nate handled him on May 7, 2019.
  • Nate once put a Cheez Doodle in Sherman's cage. Sherman "said" that it was the first day of the rest of his life once he ate it.
  • Spitsy, Pickles, Poco and, Sherman are the only animals to show up more than once in Big Nate.
  • He has a habit of making bitter jokes concerning his living conditions (See comic above).
  • He once ate Nate’s homework.
  • He once escaped because of Nate, but was scared back to Nate by a mouse trap.
  • Mrs. Godfrey babysat him in the summer but Sherman did not like it.
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