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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Recent Posts
Anatomy of a Cartoon: Fishing
Cartoon critics Phil Witte and Rex Hesner look behind the gags to debate what makes a cartoon tick. This week our intrepid critics take a look at fishing cartoons. As we pass midsummer, fewer days remain to get away from it all. The solitary joys of being on the water with a fishing pole beckon….
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“Mushroom Man” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
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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Anatomy of a Cartoon: Back to the Gym
Cartoon critics Phil Witte and Rex Hesner look behind the gags to debate what makes a cartoon tick. This week our intrepid critics take a look at heading to the gym. For more than a year we all had a good excuse for not going to the gym: it was closed. Now that fitness centers…
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“Cat Cop” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
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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