Caption Contest Commentary

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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Beth Lawler, who co-hosts the Cartoon Caption Contest Podcast, immediately recognized this drawing by Jason Patterson. “This week’s contest,” she wrote to Bob Mankoff and me, “[features] a published New Yorker cartoon from 2005.” She urged us to refrain from choosing the published caption as the winning entry and even suggested that we scrap this…
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In this cartoon, Gahan Wilson drew a doctor who’s addressing a patient covered in mushrooms. Because a mushroom is a fungus, and a fungal infection is a medical condition, I came up with these captions: “I’m prescribing an antifungal medication.” “It appears to have spread from your toenail.” “It’s a fungal infection.” My last caption…
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This collaboration between David K. Ostow (the cartoonist) and Dan J. Salomon (the idea man) is set in a police station. On the wall is an investigation board covered with push-pins connected by strings. On the floor is a cat in a police uniform who’s playing with the end of one string. A plainclothes detective…
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The late, great Leo Cullum’s cartoon is set in what appears to be an attorney’s office. The lawyer is a human man, and seated across from him are a dog and a cat, who are anthropomorphic. The dog is wearing a business suit, while the cat is wearing a sweater over a blouse.  The dog…
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