Caption Contest Commentary

Charles Barsotti has drawn a robber on a therapist’s couch. Next to him is a huge bag of stolen money, and the therapist is sitting in a chair. The robber/patient is talking happily. There’s always a temptation when captioning a Barsotti cartoon to reference his classic drawing of a piece of pasta saying into the…
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In Kim Warp’s drawing, a cowboy on a horse is consulting a book and addressing a fallen cowboy he’s lassoed around the ankles. I first thought about the trope—common in old westerns—of dragging a cowboy behind a horse. In Warp’s drawing, of course, the lassoed cowboy is in front of the horse. Maybe, then, the…
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Robert Leighton has drawn a scene from an elementary school play. A teacher/director is backstage addressing two students who are dressed as an apple and a banana. Another student, dressed as a slice of bread, is on stage performing for the audience. I initially assumed the teacher was trying to answer the traditional actor’s question…
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In the late J.B. Handlesman’s cartoon, a judge is presiding over a jury trial where the attorneys for both parties have fallen asleep (or passed out) at their tables. The jurors, the witness, and the judge are all looking at these two unconscious advocates, and the judge is speaking. When an attorney finishes presenting his…
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Charles Barsotti’s drawing is set in a bar. The top of a Jack-in-the-box has just sprung open, and out of the box has popped a doll dressed like a businessman. This doll is happily addressing the bartender, and in the background another customer looks on. Any caption contest drawing that features a box will inevitably…
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“Well, that’s embarrassing.” So began my submission to The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest (#665), and it explains how I feel after my entry made it to the finalists’ round but then came in last. Congratulations to the winner, Judy Kramer of Broomfield, Colorado, and the first runner-up, Andrew R. Blanford of Santa Barbara, California….
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