Cartoon Caption Contest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHer CartoonStock drawing is set in an animal shelter, where a married couple and their young son are looking at dogs who are up for adoption. Outside each cage is a kennel card that includes information about the dog inside. The husband is a few steps ahead of his wife and son and standing in front of a cage that contains not a dog but some kind of floating, black, demonic entity. The husband, who doesn\u2019t look frightened or disturbed (he\u2019s smiling), is pointing at the demon\u2019s kennel card and saying something to his wife.<\/span><\/p>\nKate\u2019s original caption was, <\/span>\u201cHoney, how about this one? She’s a labrador mix who loves people.\u201d<\/span><\/i> One of you also made a mixed-breed joke: <\/span>\u201cPart poodle, part unfathomable nothingness.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nTwo entries played on the title of a 1989 animated film\u2014\u201cAll Dogs Go To Heaven\u201d\u2014about a murdered canine (voiced by Burt Reynolds) who returns from heaven to seek revenge against the dog who killed him:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n- \u201cMaybe some dogs go to hell?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cApparently, not <\/i><\/b>all<\/i><\/b><\/span> dogs.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Both captions are good, but the second is superior because it respects the reader\u2019s intelligence and ability to make quick connections.<\/span><\/p>\nSo does this caption: <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s from a farm upstate.\u201d<\/i><\/b> Trevor Hoey and I really liked that entry, but our fellow judges didn\u2019t understand the joke because they had never heard about parents who try to protect their children\u2019s feelings by telling them that a pet dog who has died is still alive and on a farm upstate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWe received several variations on cat jokes:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n- \u201cWhy would we adopt an evil demon who hates humans? We already have a cat.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cOh look, they have cats up for adoption too.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cI just want to see the look on the cat\u2019s face.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cStill better than a cat.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Though shorter captions are usually better, my favorite from that group is the first. Yes, it\u2019s long, but there are no wasted words, and it made me laugh.\u00a0 The third entry is my second-favorite because it\u2019s a cat joke that does not suggest the demon is a feline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHere are two versions of a different joke:\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n- \u201cComes when you call his name three times.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt comes when summoned.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
We liked both, but the second version is superior. It appeared on each judge\u2019s top ten list and was also the most popular entry in crowdsourcing. It\u2019s close to a perfect caption\u2014concise, clever, and funny\u2014and, as Bob noted, it\u00a0creates a caption that’s as good or better than many that appear in <\/span>The New Yorker<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI want to apologize to whomever submitted this entry: <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s just a quote from Revelation.\u201d<\/i><\/b> I thought, and continue to think, that it\u2019s a great joke, but during the judging process I criticized it because I thought the last book of the New Testament is called \u201cRevelation<\/span>s<\/span><\/span>\u201d with an s. I was wrong, and as a Jew I should have refrained from offering an opinion on anything about the New Testament. None of my fellow judges, three of whom are Jews, caught my mistake. I don\u2019t think this error prevented the person who submitted the joke from winning any money because, as good as the caption is, it\u2019s not better than the entries that made it to the finalists\u2019 round. Still, I screwed up, and I regret the mistake.<\/span><\/p>\nThe next three entries cleverly suggest that the man who\u2019s pointing at the demon\u2019s kennel card has been possessed:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cWe must take this one \u2013 take this one \u2013 take this one\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cI kind of feel compelled to take this one.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cWeird \u2013 I don\u2019t point with my left.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here are the month\u2019s best puns:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cThis one should never, ever, be unleashed.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThis one is very loyal to his Master.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt says he wants a forever home.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cHe\u2019s looking for a forever host.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThis one\u2019s playing undead.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cWell, this is a kill shelter.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Initially, Bob and I did not understand the \u201cforever\u201d jokes because we were unfamiliar with the term \u201cforever home,\u201d which is apparently a common term that refers to a place where a pet may live permanently. (Bob and I know less about pets than we do about the New Testament.) As for the \u201ckill shelter\u201d joke, I saw another one in the list of all the entries we received: <\/span>\u201cDoes \u2018no kill\u2019 go both ways?\u2019\u2019<\/i><\/b> I liked that but not enough to put it in my top ten list, and it wasn\u2019t among anyone else\u2019s top ten, either. I hope I remembered that caption correctly. If you submitted it and I got the wording wrong, let me know.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHere are three sick jokes I liked:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cThis one feeds on fear, so we can put it in Billy\u2019s room and save on pet food.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cHis card says he loves children and small animals.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt says he loves small children.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The shortest and last entry is the best, though I might have given the nod to the first caption if it did not include those final five words, which are unnecessary and detract from an otherwise fine joke.<\/span><\/p>\nHere\u2019s the best reference to dogs that provide comfort to people with mental health issues: <\/span>\u201cHe could support our darker emotions.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nBob thought this caption was too long: <\/span>\u201cIt says here we\u2019ll need a fenced yard and a portal to the underworld.\u201d<\/i><\/b> I disagree. It wastes not a single word, and it refers to the animal\u2019s demonic nature while cleverly mocking shelters that make potential pet owners complete detailed applications and background checks and pass home inspections.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHere are a couple of nice references to the religious practice of casting out demons:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cHe\u2019s had all his shots and two exorcisms.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cWe\u2019ll need a good groomer and a priest.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This next set of entries highlights the importance of not just coming up with a good joke but delivering it well:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cPoor little fella! It says he was brought here because his last owner died.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cLook how many owners it\u2019s had.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIts previous owner died.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The first caption is way too long, contains an unnecessary exclamation point, and over-explains the joke. The next two are really good, but the slightly longer joke is a little better because it suggests that the demon has killed not just once but repeatedly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHere\u2019s another example of two similar captions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cHe\u2019s had all his shots and been euthanized twice.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cHere\u2019s one that\u2019s already been euthanized.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The longer version is best because it cleverly suggests that the demon cannot be killed.<\/span><\/p>\nThe following entry employs the comedy rule of three to fine effect: <\/span>\u201cLikes belly rubs, squeaky toys, and the screams of the damned.\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis caption alludes to the eternal nature of evil: <\/span>\u201cCan you ask who\u2019s been here the second longest?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nThese two entries did well in crowdsourcing and ended up on a couple of top-ten lists:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cThey waived the adoption fee on this one.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThey\u2019re waiving the adoption fee.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I like them, but they don\u2019t really address the demonic nature of the entity in the cage. They could apply just as well to a drawing of any pet you wouldn\u2019t want to adopt, such as a dog that has no legs (to use Trevor Hoey\u2019s example). So even though the captions work, they\u2019re just OK.<\/span><\/p>\nThis next caption suggests that the couple\u2019s child, who looks nice enough, is actually a little shit: <\/span>\u201cThink we can handle another little demon?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nI\u2019ll end this commentary with several decent captions that don\u2019t fit neatly into any category:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cThis poor guy looks like he\u2019s been to hell and back.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cShe\u2019s stolen my heart and wants to devour my soul.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cI used to have one like this under my bed.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThis one already knows how to play dead.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cSays it can get a little possessive.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt says here that it doesn\u2019t shed.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Congratulations to <\/span>TYLER BRADLEY<\/span> of Stratford, Ontario, who submitted this month\u2019s winning caption: <\/span>\u201cIt comes when summoned.\u201d<\/i><\/b> A few years ago, Mr. Bradley and I were both finalists in this <\/span>New Yorker<\/span><\/i> Cartoon Caption Contest:<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cartoonstock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CatTherapistCaptions1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
I won that competition, so I hope that by supporting the decision to select Mr. Bradley\u2019s entry as the winning caption in the CartoonStock contest (and award him $500) I have eliminated or at least reduced any feelings of resentment he\u2019s been harboring. And before anyone accuses me of having an ulterior motive for choosing his caption, remember that we judge the entries blindly (without knowing who submitted them). Each entrant\u2019s identity is revealed only after he or she becomes a finalist\/winner.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLike Mr. Bradley, some of the five runners-up may be familiar to those of you who follow the NYer and CartoonStock caption contests:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cIt says here we’ll need a fenced yard and a portal to the underworld.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Jessica Misener)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cHe’s had all his shots and been euthanized twice.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Paul Nevels)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cLook how many owners it\u2019s had.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(Carol Lasky)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt says he loves small children.\u201d <\/i><\/b>(John Konno)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cApparently not <\/i><\/b>all<\/i><\/b><\/span> dogs.\u201d<\/i><\/b> (Vincent Coca)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Watch the Judging Process<\/h3>\n
If you want to see how we made our selections, we recorded the judging process and you can watch the video below<\/p>\n
![\"CartoonStock](\"https:\/\/www.cartoonstock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SMALLKate-Isenberg-captioncontest_300.jpg\")
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