![\"CartoonStock](\"https:\/\/www.cartoonstock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SMalVEYFinalContest.jpg\")
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Last month\u2019s contest featured a drawing by <\/span>New Yorker<\/span><\/i> cartoonist P.C. Vey. He didn\u2019t join us for the judging video\u2014he claims to be camera-shy\u2014but he did send us his top ten entries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Vey\u2019s drawing, set in the middle of an arid wasteland, is just the latest variation on the \u201cman crawling through the desert\u201d trope. This time the man is crawling toward a table on which there are three water jugs of varying sizes. Next to the table stands a man who\u2019s wearing a tie and gesturing toward the largest jug and saying something.<\/span><\/p>\n Vey\u2019s original caption was, <\/span>\u201cNow this one will get you through most desert scenarios, no problem.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Two of you made similar jokes:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n That second caption focuses on one minor detail in the drawing (the cactus), while the following entry focuses on yet another detail: <\/span>\u201cOf course. But first, how many fingers am I holding up behind my back?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Here were the best \u201coblivious speaker\u201d entries:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The first two captions are nearly identical, and we initially preferred the second version because it\u2019s shorter. But on further reflection, we realized that the addition of the word \u201cso\u201d improved the joke by making the question sound like something a salesman might actually ask.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A couple of my fellow judges liked this caption\u2014<\/span>\u201cSmall, medium, or mirage?\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u2014but I did not, and not just because of my general aversion to puns. The joke makes no sense, as it suggests that only one of the bottles is a mirage. Now here\u2019s a mirage joke that makes far more sense: <\/span>\u201cOur mirages come in small, medium and large.\u201d<\/i><\/b> Like the better of the two mirage jokes, this entry addresses the bottles\u2019 different sizes: <\/span>\u201cAre you slightly, moderately, or extremely dying of thirst?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The next six entries all suggest that the jugs contain no water:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n This caption, by contrast, suggests that the jug contains not just water but an additional ingredient: <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s a mixture of water and wood glue for the sandcastle contest.\u201d<\/i><\/b> I love that joke, both because it comes out of left field and because it addresses the desert setting in a really clever way, but Bob thought I\u2019d lost my mind.<\/span><\/p>\n This caption suggests that the smaller jugs contain water but the largest does not: <\/span>\u201cThis one costs a little more because it\u2019s vodka.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n This next set of entries all have the salesman employing hard-sell tactics:\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Many of you submitted captions suggesting that the water jugs on the table are not available for immediate consumption:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The next five entries, however, identify other reasons the crawling man might have to wait to satisfy his thirst:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n This caption, the month\u2019s best example of turning a common expression into a fitting caption, was also the number one entry in crowdsourcing: <\/span>\u201cWell look who came crawling back.\u201d<\/i><\/b> I like it, but it\u2019s obvious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This caption does a nice job of addressing the crawling man\u2019s condition: <\/span>\u201cFree?! Are you delirious?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Here are the month\u2019s best recycling jokes:\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Ad here\u2019s a caption for everyone who, like Trevor, hates the way Starbucks makes its customers sound pretentious while placing their orders: <\/span>\u201cYou have to say \u2018grande.\u2019\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n I like the way this caption tells a story, or at least hints at how the crawling man ended up in the desert: <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t make this your second worst decision of the day.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n This caption makes no sense because the crawling man is wearing a shirt: <\/span>\u201cNo shirt, no shoes, no service.\u201d<\/i><\/b> Many of you submitted a better version of the same joke\u2014<\/span>\u201cNo shoes, no service.\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u2014but it\u2019s a little obvious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This next entry, which qualifies as the month\u2019s best ironic caption, suggests that the salesman is even more relieved than the crawling man: <\/span>\u201cThank God! I haven\u2019t seen anyone in days.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n I\u2019ll end this commentary with five decent entries that don\u2019t fit neatly into a particular category:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Congratulations to VICTOR CHONGCHUA, who submitted this month\u2019s winning caption: <\/span>\u201cThese are display only.\u201d<\/i><\/b> Victor created the \u201cWords Below\u201d website, an archive of every <\/span>New Yorker<\/span><\/i> cartoon caption contest, and his wife Jolene won CartoonStock contest #196.<\/span><\/p>\n The five runners-up for last month\u2019s contest are:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n If you’re interested in how we made our selections we recorded the process and you can find it below<\/p>\n\n
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Watch the Judging Process<\/h3>\n
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