Caption Contest Commentary

In Dan Misdea’s cartoon, a young boy is sitting at the base of a palm tree in a sandbox and addressing an adult woman who’s standing just outside the box. The desert island trope has inspired many New Yorker cartoons, some of which feature a shipwreck survivor who resorts to desperate means to stay alive….
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There are four geckos in Dave Borchart’s cartoon. Three are blending into their drab surroundings, while the fourth stands out because he’s wearing a pink-and-white-striped shirt and matching bobble hat. The other geckos look alarmed, and one of them is saying something to the lizard in the sweater. The drawing seems to be a pretty…
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This drawing by Phil Witte, who together with Rex Hesner writes the “Anatomy of a Cartoon” feature for this website, is set in a restaurant, where two large turtles are seated at a table. The turtle on the right is addressing the waiter. Judging by his companion’s and the waiter’s expressions, the turtle has said…
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Dan Misdea’s cartoon is set on a beach, where a couple has happened upon what appears to be a shipwreck survivor on a wooden raft that’s washed up on the shore. The survivor, who’s bearded and wearing glasses and torn clothes, is looking up at the man, who’s pointing at the survivor and saying something….
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In David Borchart’s cartoon, two recently deceased men in a pantomime horse wait outside the Pearly Gates. Before admitting them to the kingdom of heaven, St. Peter is checking his book for their names. The man in the back half of the horse is saying something to the guy in front. I first focused on…
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Vaughan Tomlinson has put a sick twist on what was already a pretty depraved custom: wearing a rabbit’s foot on a chain for good luck. In the cartoon, the rabbit is wearing a severed human foot the size of the rabbit’s entire body on a chain around his neck. I first focused on the weight…
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