Caption Contest Commentary

A novice cartoonist, Bob Mankoff, has drawn a married couple on a couch floating down a river, seemingly unaware that they’re headed toward the edge of a waterfall. The wife is calmly addressing her husband, who’s reading the paper. I initially thought this couple, just seconds before their untimely end, might be oblivious enough to…
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David Borchart has drawn several angry sheep circling a few frightened herding dogs. One of the dogs is speaking. Because it looks like the oppressed have risen up against their oppressors, I first went for something political. Maybe the sheep were radicalized by something they read, and that possibility led to, “Damn that Communist Manifesto.”…
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Here we have a courtroom scene from Mick Stevens. The judge is on the bench and looking at two men at the defense table. They appear to be identical, and they’re wearing the same plaid suits. One of them is standing, speaking to the judge, and therefore delivering the line that must address both the…
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 This week we have a cartoon by Charlie Hankin. A realtor is showing a cave to a couple who are presumably in the market for a new home, there’s a “for sale” sign in front of the cave, the realtor is addressing the couple (and therefore delivering the line that will serve as your caption),…
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Here we have another drawing by Benjamin Schwartz. It shows a caveman proudly displaying his latest invention, a square-wheeled tricycle, to his neighbor. The tricycle needs round wheels. The invention of such wheels is credited, at least in cartoons, to cavemen. Initially, therefore, I came up with eight variations on a joke about a caveman…
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The contest that ended last week featured a drawing by Benjamin Schwartz. Through a two-way mirror we see a baby in a police interrogation room—he’s sitting in a highchair—while outside this room a male cop says something to his female partner. In movies, cops who are frustrated in their efforts to get a suspect to…
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