Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Recap/Anti-Recap

Both the Caption and Anti-Caption Contests are taking a breather, which means that this is a fine time to note the June 1, 2009 item "Chicagoan Larry Wood wins New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for record third time" by Steve Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, which observes that "Blog About Town, which has been tracking the contest, lists Wood, Gable and frequent finalist Lynn Tudor of New York City as two-time winners." Ah, those were the days!


And you know that crazy Caption Contest map that I maintain? It's now the, um, 13th most visited Map Builder Map, ahead of Estadios España and behind Porte de Versailles!


Caption Contest 196 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 196 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all (almost) mapped out here.

32 California

31 New York (27 from the Big Apple, where Lynn Tudor has won twice)

14 New Jersey

12 Virginia (six from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

10 Illinois (eight from Chicago including three captions by Lawrence Wood)

9 Massachusetts

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
6 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
6 Pennsylvania
6 Texas (three from Houston, one from Austin)

5 Maryland (none named Mary)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio
4 Washington

3 Michigan
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Rhode Island

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 Nevada (Las Vegas 1, Zephyr Cove 1)
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Maine
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Parodic The Gothamer illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Continues

What would New York do without champion captioner Lynn Tudor, whose second triumph came in Caption Contest 173 (Tom Cheney's businessmen lugging loads of money) with

"At the next bailout, let's also ask for a pony."

Due to Tudor's affinity for Cheney cartoons, New York is now within one point of longtime leader California!


The nominees in Caption Contest 175 (Drew Dernavich's guy wearing lots of sports stuff) are

"In this economy, you have to let the vacation come to you."
Michael Soskis (Cambridge, MA)

"He's pretty much up for anything."
Kevin Kozee (Marietta, GA)

"He has recreational A.D.D."
Mark Kane (Bayside, NY)

No submission from me, folks.


The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 176 (Mick Stevens's disorder in the court) is

"Mr. foreman, you being an upside-down chair makes me concerned about your potential bias in a case involving other unruly furniture."
Damon

My loser:

Outtake from What's Up, Doc? (Peter Bogdanovich, 1972)

Caption Contest 177 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 177 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all (almost) mapped out here.

30 California

29 New York (25 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

9 Virginia (four from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke)

8 Illinois (six from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

7 Massachusetts

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
6 Pennsylvania

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio

3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Rhode Island

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Parodic The Gothamer illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Resumes

There's some catching up to do, so....

The winner of Caption Contest 171 (Gahan Wilson's butcher with kickline display of meat) is

"I'd suggest you keep them away from the gingerbread men."
Vincent Coca (Staten Island, NY)

That's a first win for the Shaolin!


The winner of Caption Contest 172 (happy head on Easter Island) is

"Guess who's getting voted off the island."
Michael Vorenberg (Barrington, RI)

This third win for Rhode Island ties the tiny state with Al Franken-lovin' Minnesota!


The nominees in Caption Contest 173 (Tom Cheney's businessmen hauling loads of moolah) are

"Who would have thought they'd actually give money to a bank!"
Michael Jensen (New Rochelle, NY)

"At the next bailout, let's also ask for a pony."
Lynn Tudor (New York, NY)

"Did you send your thank-you card to Congress?"
Harvey Kaslow (Pasadena, CA)

Yes, that's at least Lynn Tudor's fourth nomination after Caption Contest 80, Caption Contest 117, and Caption Contest 120 (a win).

My loser:

"I used to sell strip steaks, but they cleaned up their act."

You like??


The nominees in Caption Contest 174 (Harry Bliss's little man, big bird with worm in beak) are

"I want to live at my dad's."
Sean Delaney (Stanardsville, VA)

"No, thanks—I only eat them on reality shows."
Sean Lee (Brooklyn, NY)

"Am I in your dream or are you in mine?"
Joe Sherlock (Omaha, NE)

My loser:

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'm just not into you."

The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 174 (Harry Bliss's little man, big bird with worm in beak) is

The Worm: "Please, my little elven friend, stop gaping and get me out of this bird's mouth before it eats me!"
Ed

My loser:

"Go ahead and PECK me to death, starting with my balls! That would still be nothing compared to what that ganef Bernie Madoff did to me."

In Anti-Caption Contest 175 (Drew Dernavich's person in hybrid sports getup), the winner is

"Him? This is my idiot friend Steve. He used to be... are you wearing a fucking yarmulke?"
Hubert

Nothing from me on this one.


Caption Contest 176 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 176 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

30 California

28 New York (24 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

9 Virginia (four from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke)

8 Illinois (six from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

7 Massachusetts

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
6 Pennsylvania

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio

3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Rhode Island

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Parodic The Gothamer illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CONTINUE!

Today New York City is Tudor City, because oft-nominated Lynn Tudor of New York City has finally become a winner in the Caption Contest! Her submission in Caption Contest 120 (Tom Cheney's Mr. Potato Head in bar):

"If I start to drink too much, just pull off my lips."

This victory brings New York to within one point of front-runner California. Exciting!


Lynn Tudor does not have a caption among the nominees in Caption Contest 122 (P.C. Vey's judge doing dishes):

"Yeah, well, it got me through college and law school, and it'll get me through here, too."
William Manning (Wichita, KS)

"If the jury needs another day, they're using paper plates tomorrow."
Emily Anhalt (Guilford, CT)

"I wish they'd let us wear short-sleeved robes."
Dean Kahn (Bellingham, WA)

I don't think I have my loser verbatim at the moment, but I believe it went something like this:

"That's the last time the jury gets its lunch from Masa."

It was "The jury ordered lunch from Masa."

Please compare with Emily Anhalt's submission.


In Anti-Caption Contest 123 (Leo Cullum's bull by smashed window with red curtain), the winner is

"Remember how you said Frank Miller and Gary Larson would never collaborate?"
A Silly Mus Musculus

My loser:

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times: We'll leave the house and go back to the barn as soon as Farmer Jones and his family return from their trip, and no one will be the wiser...though of course there will now be questions about the window that you shattered in your typical, bull-headed way.

"Oh dear. Now that I think about it, I suppose it's curtains for us!"

Caption Contest 124 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 124 is here.


And the results of the Thanksgiving caption/anti-caption contests can be found here and here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

20 California

19 New York (17 from the Big Apple)

10 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

5 Virginia (two from Richmond)

4 Connecticut (two from New Haven, two not)
4 Illinois (three from Chicago, one from Lake Bluff)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio
3 Texas

2 District of Columbia
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Alaska
1 Arizona
1 Florida
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Michigan
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CONTINUE!

Before moving along to this week's winners and nominees, here's a nod to Erik Gunther's thorough interview with Emily "Emdashes" Gordon over at Yahoo! Picks.

And now for the main course....

In Caption Contest 119 (Danny Shanahan's businessman in large cradle), the winner is

"If he wakes up, you can give him a Martini."
Alan Schulman (Richmond, VA)

That makes two winners in a row from Virginia, which is now in fourth place. Va-va-voom!


New York, long in second place, now seems perched to provide a real challenge to front-runner California—especially if Lynn Tudor finally enters the winner's circle. That's because the nominees in Caption Contest 121 (Harry Bliss's "funny glasses" factory) are

"This part of the job is easy—it's the whoopee-cushion testing that annoys me."
Eric Lindstrom (Ithaca, NY)

"Yeah, that one's funny, too. Next."
James Keegan (Milton, DE)

"I'm just glad we don't make lingerie."
Steven Scher (Bronx, NY)

My appallingly clumsy loser:

"If only the masses understood the hard work behind their laughter."

On reflection, I think I should've gone with

"It wasn't even funny the first time."

In Anti-Caption Contest 120 (P.C. Vey's judge doing dishes), the winner is

"As a liberal judge, I need to keep my hands soft so those slaps on the wrist don't hurt too much. That's why I use Palmolive. It's more than just mild, it softens hands while you do the dishes. Palmolive: tough on grime, but soft on crime!"
Walt

My crude loser:

"Anyone who needs to take a piss while I'm doing the dishes can use the urinal on my left."

Caption Contest 123 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 123 is here.


And the latest on the Thanksgiving cartoon contests can be found here and here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

20 California

18 New York (16 from the Big Apple)

10 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

5 Virginia (two from Richmond)

4 Connecticut (two from New Haven, two not)
4 Illinois (three from Chicago, one from Lake Bluff)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio
3 Texas

2 District of Columbia
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Alaska
1 Arizona
1 Florida
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Michigan
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CONTINUE!

Let's begin with a cheer for Manhattanite Lynn Tudor, whose Caption Contest 120 (Tom Cheney's guy with giant Mr. Potato Head in bar) submission

"If I start to drink too much, just pull off my lips."

is at least his or her third nominee. Huzzah! Tudor already secured nominations weeks ago in Caption Contest 117 ("Welcome to the greatest living room on Earth!") and early this year in Caption Contest 80 ("Look, honey, it's the new Tickle Me Maniac.").

This time Tudor is up against

"My wife left me for Mr. Peanut."
Marla Mercer (Goleta, CA)

and

"I should have stopped after the Botox."
Sue Clifton (Pittsburgh, PA)

This was one of those occasions when it was hard to tell who was talking in the cartoon. Which partially explains my loser:

"Has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?"

As for the winner of Caption Contest 118 (Paul Noth's "angels" perched on giant eggs), it's

"I always figured Hell would be less ironic."
Ben Snyder (Charlottesville, VA)

Wahoo-wa, Ben—Virginia's now in a four-way tie for fifth place.


In Anti-Caption Contest 121 (Harry Bliss's conveyor belt carrying bushy eyebrow masks), the winner is

"Stealing company property? I'm afraid that's grounds for immediate dismissal."
Francis

My loser:

"Get off the line, McGillicuddy. It might be years after that chocolate episode, but you're still not fooling anyone with that disguise."

Caption Contest 122 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 122 is here.


And the latest on the Thanksgiving cartoon contests can be found here and here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

20 California

18 New York (16 from the Big Apple)

10 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

4 Connecticut (two from New Haven, two not)
4 Illinois (three from Chicago, one from Lake Bluff)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)
4 Virginia

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio
3 Texas

2 District of Columbia
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Alaska
1 Arizona
1 Florida
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Michigan
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CONTINUE!

The winner of Caption Contest 115 (Leo Cullum's man in radiation suit at bar) is

"Ever have the feeling you forgot to turn something off?"
Preston Thomas (Chicago, IL)

This is the fourth victory for Illinois and either the third or fourth for Chicago, depending on whether one considers Lake Bluff to be Chicago. Anyone?


The nominees for Caption Contest 117 (Mick Stevens's circus ring in apartment) are

"Welcome to the greatest living room on Earth!"
Lynn Tudor (New York, NY)

"My wife will be here any moment. She's loading herself into the cannon as we speak."
Elizabeth Ruelas (New York, NY)

"The people who lived here before had lions."
Richard Chisolm (Baltimore, MD)

My loser:

"The kids will be home soon."

Close to the one by Elizabeth Ruelas, right?


In Anti-Caption Contest 118 (angels on eggs on clouds), the winner of The Year of Living Biblically is

"Man, fuck Ostrich-Heaven! That's all I'm gonna say."
Ogdred

My losers:

"Okay, Horton, let me get this straight: Hoo's on first?"

Hemorrhoid Heaven [apologies to tom]

Caption Contest 119 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 119 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

20 California

17 New York (15 from the Big Apple)

9 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

4 Connecticut (two from New Haven, two not)
4 Illinois (three from Chicago, one from Lake Bluff)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio
3 Texas
3 Virginia

2 District of Columbia
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Alaska
1 Arizona
1 Florida
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Michigan
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone