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<\/a><\/p>\nNext we have three variations on the same joke. Which do you think is best?<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cHe\u2019s very good at poker.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cHe went to poker night.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cHell of a poker player.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I preferred the first version because it ends on \u201cpoker,\u201d the word that serves as the punch line. Bob Mankoff, however, disagreed. He liked <\/span>\u201cHell of a poker player\u201d <\/span><\/i>and said he would have liked that caption even more if it started with the word \u201cHelluva.\u201d Even though Bob wrote the foreward to my book on the caption contest, I now suspect he never read the book, which includes a chapter explaining why one should always avoid colloquialisms like \u201chelluva.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSpeaking of my book, it includes another chapter on the unusual but sometimes successful strategy of focusing on a minor detail in the cartoon, like this caption does: <\/span>\u201cWe can have backpacks?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nThis next caption cleverly suggests that all the halos are cheap knock-offs: <\/span>\u201cIt was a good price, but is yours itchy?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nHere is the month\u2019s best pun: <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s one of the better angels\u201d<\/i><\/b>; the best reference to the cartoonist\u2019s last name; <\/span>\u201cOnly one\u2019s real. The rest are Fakes\u201d<\/i><\/b>; and the best mother-in-law joke: <\/span>\u201cDamn \u2013 everyone tried your mom\u2019s casserole.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nBob and I did not understand the following entry because we know nothing about video games, but the younger judges convinced us that it\u2019s pretty good: <\/span>\u201cOh no, Sonic died?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nThis caption is very clever: <\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re from Venus. I\u2019m from Mars. He\u2019s from Saturn.\u201d <\/i><\/b>We especially liked the way it includes references to both a self-help bestseller <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> the icy and rocky particles orbiting the sixth planet from the Sun, but it\u2019s not that funny.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWe liked the idea behind this joke but not the way it\u2019s worded: <\/span>\u201cOh, great, he\u2019s building the first divine shower curtain.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nThis next entry caused a bizarre theological argument among the judges because Bob and Joel insisted that saints are not angels: <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s the patron saint of hoarders.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nHere are two versions of the same joke, and the shorter one is superior:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cIn my day, you had to earn them. Now you get them just for participating.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cSome of us had to earn ours.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I like the idea behind this next joke, but it doesn\u2019t actually make sense because greed is still one of the seven cardinal sins in Christian theology: <\/span>\u201cSometimes I wish greed was still a sin.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nHere are some better sin-related captions:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cThere should be a thou shalt not something for that.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cCan we get kicked out for being envious?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cHow could I not covet?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This caption suggests the angels who have only one halo should still count their blessings: <\/span>\u201cJust be glad we made the cut.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nI love the way this caption makes the reader picture exactly how the angel with so many halos collected all of them: <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t ever let him get behind you.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nThis caption suggests that the angel with all the halos has put too much faith in humanity: <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s overestimating how many people will make it here.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nAnd these captions emphasize the importance of personal connections:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cHe knowns a guy who knows The Guy.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cNepo Angel.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Finally, here are three entries that explain exactly how one angel came into possession of so many halos:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cI didn\u2019t know we could negotiate.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt\u2019s his turn to work the door.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cMust be a recall.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
My apologies to all of you who submitted ring-toss and ultimate frisbee jokes. They seemed too obvious.<\/span><\/p>\nCongratulations to <\/span>DENNIS PEARL<\/b>, who submitted the winning caption: <\/span>\u201cThere was an accident at the puppy mill.\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe five runners-up are:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cDon\u2019t ever let him get behind you.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Edo Steinberg)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cThat explains all the dead angels.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Brandon Lawniczak)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cHe knows a guy who knows The Guy.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Kathy Wrobel-Cornell)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt was a good price, but is yours itchy?\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Scott Charles)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cHell of a poker player.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Charles Ingwersen)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Watch the Judging Process<\/h3>\n
If you want to see how we made our selections, we recorded the process with Nate and posted it below<\/p>\n
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