Caption Contest Commentary

Teresa Burns Parkhurst’s drawing is set in a restaurant, where a squirrel and a dog are sitting at a table, sharing a pizza and a bottle of wine. The squirrel, wine glass in its right hand, is speaking. Assuming the squirrel’s on a first date with the dog, I came up with these four captions:…
Continue Reading…

In Tom Chitty’s cartoon, a man is directing a concert pianist’s attention to a gruesome scene. Blood is seeping out of and running down the side of the piano, and pooling on the floor near a shoe that presumably belonged to the unseen victim. I first came up with captions that include a couple of…
Continue Reading…

This week’s drawing is heaven-set. (I know, I know—and I claim to dislike puns.) An angel with two halos is addressing an angel with just one. In the background are five more angels, each of whom has two halos. None of the angels has wings. I first assumed the angels with two halos would feel…
Continue Reading…

Jon Adams’ cartoon poses an unprecedented challenge because no one in the drawing is speaking. Who, then, is delivering the line that will serve as the caption? Is someone we can’t see commenting on the bird that’s flown through the window? Should the caption reflect the bird’s thoughts? Or should the caption be the cartoon’s…
Continue Reading…

In Bob Eckstein’s drawing, which is perfect for the contest because its simple premise provides such fertile ground for captions, a Hollywood agent is saying something to his client, the Frankenstein monster. “Frankie Goes to Hollywood,” the title I chose for this commentary, was actually submitted as a caption by two entrants, but it’s not…
Continue Reading…

Ellis Rosen’s drawing is set on a tree branch, where an old bird is talking to a young squirrel. The bird is sitting in a comfortable chair with an afghan on its lap and a couple pillows providing additional support for its back and neck. (Is the bird sick? Elderly? Both?) To the bird’s left…
Continue Reading…