Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 197 (Drew Dernavich's plane with stiletto landing gear) is

"She's a lover, not a fighter."
Robert McLean (Tampa, FL)

The nominees in Caption Contest 199 (Michael Crawford's snorkeler in court) are

“You think Alcatraz can hold me?”
Joshua Rosales (Rosemead, CA)

"Go ahead, waterboard me."
Lester Craft, Jr. (Basalt, CO)

“Well, the menu did say ‘Choose your own lobster.’”
Donna Palmer (Chattanooga, TN)

My loser:

"What makes you think I was doing something fishy?"

The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 200 (Ethan Kanin's Satan in God's reception room) is

"Yes, we can schedule a session for you same time next Tuesday Mr. Johnson. To be honest, you don't even have to ask anymore. As sexual role-playing businesses go, this has turned out to be a much more limited market than we anticipated. Don't forget to leave your suit to be dry-cleaned."
v

Cartoon Caption Contest 201 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 200 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.

33 New York (28 from the Big Apple, where Lynn Tudor has won twice)

32 California

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)
10 Massachusetts

7 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
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 Florida
3 Michigan
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Rhode Island

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 196 (lab professionals observing rodents attired like lab professionals)—the first caption contest with a nominee from Canada—is

"O.K., let's slowly lower in the grant money.”
Todd Bearson (Arlington, MA)

As noticed previously, this wasn't far from my own

"We've been using the Nobel Prize instead of cheese."

Anyway, Massachusetts now has 10 wins, tying it with Illinois.


The nominees in Caption Contest 198 (P. C. Vey's men driving car with bound man on roof) are

"The instructions should have mentioned that you need a body of water."
Peter Bleyleben (Chestnut Hill, MA)

"That’s smart, Eddie. The first place cops look is in the trunk.”
David Wilkner (Pawtucket, RI)

"What do you mean you don't remember? Either he sleeps with the fishes or he don't."
Tim Wibert (Okemos, MI)

My loser:

"Let's see if you can switch lanes without any jerky motions."

As far as I can tell, this is the second nomination for Contest 99 winner David Wilkner.


Cartoon Caption Contest 200 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 200 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.

33 New York (28 from the Big Apple, where Lynn Tudor has won twice)

32 California

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)
10 Massachusetts

7 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
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

Anti-Caption Contest Continues

The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 199 (Michael Crawford's snorkeler in court) is

"Court is a depressing place, where the permanent regime reinforces its absolute power with a due process charade that no longer bears even the appearance of legitimacy."
J.D.

My loser:

"Judge, you've got to believe me! I'm from a distant planet where everybody wears snorkel gear unless they're going snorkeling!! Something must have gone wrong with the man who was snorkeling at the transporter!!!"

Things are pretty quiet at The New Yorker this week, but you might (or might not) still be able to enter Caption Contest 199.


THE STANDINGS

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

33 New York (28 from the Big Apple, where Lynn Tudor has won twice)

32 California

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

7 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
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 Continues!

Bring out the ticker tape! New York has retaken the lead in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest. The last time New York owned the first-place position was April '05—Caption Contest 1!

So, yes, the winner of Caption Contest 195 (Danny Shanahan's housewife confronting haloed man with stigmata and tiny cherubim in doorway) is

"Which part of 'till death do us part' didn't you understand?"
Caroline Johnston Polisi (New York, NY)

Huzzah, Caroline!


The nominees in Caption Contest 197 (Drew Dernavich's airplane with high heel landing gear) are

"She thinks her bomb bay makes her look fat."
Eric Schares (Portland, OR)

"It's a pretty good aircraft, except that it keeps nagging you to ask for directions."
Adam Pfeffer (Boca Raton, FL)

"She's a lover, not a fighter."
Robert McLean (Tampa, FL)

My loser:

"They're stylish but not very functional."

The Radosh.net Anti-Caption contest goes on under the jurisdiction of guest blogger Harry Effron. The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 198 (P.C. Vey's bound-and-gagged man atop moving car) is

"I think the guy on the roof farted."
The Confidence Man

My loser:

"He's Michael Jackson's doctor. Okay, switch lanes now."

Caption Contest 199 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 199 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.

33 New York (28 from the Big Apple, where Lynn Tudor has won twice)

32 California

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

7 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
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 Continues!

O Canada! I think that, somewhere along the line, someone must have changed a Caption Contest rule, resulting in the very first Canadian Caption Contest candidate!

You see, the nominees in Caption Contest 196 (Phil Noth's lab workers observing lab rodents in lab suits) are

"O.K., let's slowly lower in the grant money."
Todd Bearson (Arlington, MA)

"Relax, for them it's publish and perish."
David Burns (Needham, MA)

"The research is conclusive—mice are even cuter when you dress them up in little coats."
Brad Hodges (Dungannon, Ontario!)

But sorry, Quebec—according to the new rules, "Any legal resident of United States or Canada (except residents of the province of Quebec) age eighteen or over can enter...."

This NAFTA-like development must be very recent, as the soon-to-disappear voting page for Caption Contest 195 (Danny Shanahan's housewife confronting disheveled man with stigmata flanked by tiny cherubim) still stipulates that "Any U.S. resident age eighteen or older can vote"—excluding the entirety of Canada!

As for my Caption Contest 196 loser—

"We've been using the Nobel Prize instead of cheese."

—that's pretty close to Bearson's. Do you think mine is significantly worse?


The winner of Caption Contest 194 (Leo Cullum's slick operator speaking to man in desert) is

"First, we discuss my percentage of any water you find, real or imagined."
Jeff Joseph (Melville, NY)

Borne out of the same terrain as Walt Whitman, this caption returns New York to a first-place tie with California.


The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 197 (Drew Dernavich's pilot on plane with spiked heel landing gear) is

"I'm gellin' alright. And by gellin' I mean dropping napalm on noncombatants."
therblig

My loser:

"I say, have you checked for brevibacteria?"

Caption Contest 198 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 198 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

32 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

7 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 193 (Victoria Roberts's man and woman with attached marionette controls) is

"Free will is overrated."
Nahomi Harkavy (Greensboro, NC)

This enables North Carolina to claim the seventh-place position, with seven votes.


The nominees in Caption Contest 195 (Danny Shanahan's angry housewife confronting disheveled man with stigmata and cherubic escorts) are

"Don't give me that holier-than-thou attitude!"
Paul Greengross (Granada Hills, CA)

"Which part of 'till death do us part' didn't you understand?"
Caroline Johnston Polisi (New York, NY)

"I guess it really did kill you to call."
Dorran Dihle (Seattle, WA)

My loser:

"If this is supposed to be the second coming, I'll hold out for the third."

The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 196 (Paul Noth's lab men observing lab rodents that are wearing lab suits) is

"I love how they dress in their cute little lab coats and talk about their little experiments and go home and murder their fucking bitch wives in their sleep and carry their little clipboards and ..."
Joshua

My loser:

"...and these are the mice I trained to amputate my left arm. Make sure you get all this down."

Caption Contest 197 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 197 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

7 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
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 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 Anti-Caption Contest Continues!

Hooray for Lawrence Wood—yet again! The Chicagoan just won Caption Contest 192 (Jack Ziegler's talk show behind bars) with

"I'm just curious—what's your excuse?"

I believe that makes him the first three-time winner of the weekly competition!


The nominees in Caption Contest 194 (Leo Collum's slick businessman addressing man crawling through desert) are:

"First, we discuss my percentage of any water you find, real or imagined."
Jeff Joseph (Melville, NY)

"Just so we're straight, this is a billable mirage."
Brooks Heintzelman (Wilmington, NC)

"Impressive audition, but we're going with the camel."
Benjamin Levy (Palm Springs, FL)

My loser:

"I am Godot's executor. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

And the Anti-Caption Contest is, alas, going through a[n anti-]crisis....


Caption Contest 196 is here.

UPDATE 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, three captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 191 (Farley Katz's cat and some other critters jumping off a cliff) is

"I'm just curious—what's your excuse?"
Pinghan Chua (Alexandria, VA)

The nominees in Caption Contest 193 (Victoria Roberts's man and woman rigged like marionnettes) are:

"Free will is overrated."
Nahomi Harkavy (Greensboro, NC)

"This was so much more awkward before Craigslist."
Julie Gautreau (Knoxville, TN)

"This is why I suggested a threesome."
Martina O'Boyle (Atlanta, GA)

My loser:

"Who needs these when we have the media?"

The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 194 (Leo Cullum's briefcase man with parched man in desert) had not appeared at the time of this post.

Caption Contest 195 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 195 should turn up here eventually.


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)

14 New Jersey

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

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 190 (Robert Leighton's head-in-the-sand ostrich statue on Wall Street) is

"I think the head's in the wrong place."
Steve Punch (Danville, CA)

So California regains the lead!


The nominees in Caption Contest 192 (Jack Ziegler's celebrity interview on set behind bars) are:

"Both the movie and I will be released this summer."
Lawrence Wood (Chicago, IL)

"This is fancy role-playing for a conjugal visit."
Benjamin New (Plantation, FL)

"It's my first time on 'Celebrity Parole Hearing.'"
Al Miro (Astoria, NY)

Yes, two-time winner Lawrence Wood is in the running again. And me? I'm still a total loser:

"Enough about my movie. Let's talk about ischemia, atherosclerotic narrowings, saphenous vein autografts, and the myocardium!"

Heck, I didn't even "get" the bars on the set!


The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 193 (Victoria Roberts's marionette people) is

"I have to go to the bathroom."
Rob

My losers:

"Actually, I'd prefer to be a finger puppet. Let me show you how that would work."

"Now that we've done away with Mother and Father, I realize how they manipulated us for all these years. Let us celebrate our freedom with another wild killing spree!"

Caption Contest 194 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 194 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)

14 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 189 (Drew Dernavich's punctured acupuncturist) is

"Gesundheit."
Bob Vogel (Portland, ME)

This first win for Maine keeps New York from taking the first-place position and prevents Simon Fraser from tallying up a second win.


The nominees in Caption Contest 191 (Farley Katz's cat with other critters plunging off cliff) are:

"Just to confirm—I get seventy-two lemmings, right?"
Chris Norborg (Chicago, IL)

"Table for eleven? Right this way."
Simon Narode (Portland, OR)

"I'm just curious—what's your excuse?"
Pinghan Chua (Alexandria, VA)

My loser:

"I don't recommend doing this more than about seven or eight times."

Dan Radosh picked the winner of Anti-Caption Contest 192 (Jack Ziegler's talk show scene) before I made my submission, so of course it was a damn lucky week for all of the contestants. The winner?

"I'm sorry. I ran out of 'funny stories from the set' days ago, and yet, I remain trapped in this talk-show set/dungeon, as you stare at me with that creepy intensity, and I hope you'll understand that I'm beginning to wonder whether I'll ever see my family agai-- oh, we have to go to commercial? No, that's fine. I'll finish the story when we get back."
Tim C.

Caption Contest 193 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 193 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.

31 California

31 New York (27 from the Big Apple)

14 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 188 (P.C. Vey's man at a piano filled with fish) is

"This song goes out to the one that got away."
Elisa Narsu (Basking Ridge, NJ)

So Narsu outplays (Brian) Shuman in a piano contest!


The nominees in Caption Contest 190 (Robert Leighton's Wall Street statue of ostrich burying its head on Wall Street) are:

"If we just ignore it, maybe it'll go away."
Lance Massey (Bowling Green, OH)

"The statue of the lemmings was just too depressing."
Andrew Mann (San Francisco, CA)

"I think the head's in the wrong place."
Steve Punch (Danville, CA)

My loser was the suggestion that there be no caption, as the illustration was funny in itself.

Oh well, I tried.


Dan Radosh has returned to picking winners in Anti-Caption Contest 191 (Farley Katz's cats flying off a cliff). His winner:

"Hmm, tough question. If I could have any super power in the world... probably super-strength, I guess. That or laser vision. You?"
Vlad

My loser:

"See what I mean? Even pussies can be part of a suicide cult!"

Caption Contest 192 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 192 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.

31 California

31 New York (27 from the Big Apple)

14 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
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 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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 187 (Charles Barsotti's thief confronting an avenging angel) is

"Trust me—you don't want this. It's filled with mortgage-backed securities."
Francesca DelGuidice (New York, NY)

This is a big win for New York, creating a tie with longtime contest leader California for first-place!


The nominees in Caption Contest 189 (Drew Dernavich's acupuncturist with needles on skin and clothing) are:

"Gesundheit."
Bob Vogel (Portland, ME)

"Congratulations—it's a porcupine."
Simon Fraser (Philadelphia, PA)

"Most people are reassured after three or four."
Barbara Colman (Hopewell Junction, NY)

That's a second nomination for Fraser, who won Contest 21!

My loser:

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had a headache and my coat was wrinkled, but I just took care of both situations."

Dan Radosh has not been naming the winners of recent Anti-Caption Contests, but he promises he'll get back on track soon.


Caption Contest 191 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 191 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.

31 California

31 New York (27 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
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 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 Continues!

The winner of Caption Contest 186 (Danny Shanahan's Moses figure holding tablets with Asian inscription) is

"And Commandments Eleven to Twenty are the same as One to Ten, just with tofu instead of meat."
Douglas Cosby (Austin, TX)

With its sixth win, the Lone Star State advances into a four-way tie with Connecticut, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.


The nominees in Caption Contest 188 (P.C. Vey's keyboardistwith aquarium in piano case) are:

"This song goes out to the one that got away."
Elisa Narsu (Basking Ridge, NJ)

"And every year they return to my piano to spawn and die."
Frank Bruno (Sacramento, CA)

"Any requests before I tell you about tonight's specials?"
Brian Shuman (New York, NY)

My loser:

"If you know the lyrics, just dive right in!"

Compares well, I think.


At the time of this post, Dan Radosh had still not announced the results of Anti-Caption Contest 188 (P.C. Vey's keyboardist with a piano case full of water and fish) or anything more recent.


Caption Contest 190 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 190 is here. And, mind you, the unusually funny drawing is by homeboy Robert Leighton!


THE STANDINGS

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

31 California

30 New York (26 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
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 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!

The winner of Caption Contest 185 (Mick Stevens's man running ashore behind fish) is

"You're in trouble when we get to the bicycles."
John Kinde (Las Vegas, NV)

This second win for Nevada keeps front-runners California and New York from advancing this week.


The nominees in Caption Contest 187 (Charles Barsotti's burglar confronting avenging angel) are:

"Trust me—you don't want this. It's filled with mortgage-backed securities."
Christine Tai (New York, NY)

"Haven't you got some white-collar criminals to attend to?"
James Bell (Charlottesville, VA)

"That skirt is so last year."
Kate Rounds (Jersey City, NJ)

My loser:

"Put that sword away—I'm the CEO."

The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 187 (Charles Barsotti's avenging angel confronting burglar) is

"Relax, I'm not a thief. I'm just an out-of-work mime, bringing a sack of sine waves to an 'Eyes Wide Shut'-style orgy."
Tim C.

My loser:

"Good news, boss—I just robbed the Church of Satan!"

You know, I'm kinda happy with my losers this week—and I hope you are, too!


At the time of this post, Dan Radosh had not announced the results of Anti-Caption Contest 188 (P.C. Vey's keyboardist with a piano case full of water and fish).


Caption Contest 189 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 189 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.

31 California

30 New York (26 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
9 Massachusetts

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

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

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 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

The winner of Caption Contest 184 (David Sipress's man walking into a bar with bodies outlined on the floor) is

"Beat it, buddy. We're out of chalk."
Paul Snare (University Place, WA)

That's the fourth win for Washington.


The nominees in Caption Contest 186 (Danny Shanahan's Biblical figure holding aloft tablets with Asian calligraphy) are:

"And for you goats—thou shalt not marry a dragon or an ox."
Jay Shuck (Minneapolis, MN)

"And Commandments Eleven to Twenty are the same as One to Ten, just with tofu instead of meat."
Douglas Cosby (Austin, TX)

"Read quickly. These are really heavy."
Brad Wilson (Mill Creek, WA)

My loser:

"I offer you the Zen Commandments!"

At the time of this post, Dan Radosh had not anointed the winner of Anti-Caption Contest 187 (Charles Barsotti's avenging angel confronting burglar).


Caption Contest 188 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 188 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.

31 California

30 New York (26 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
9 Massachusetts

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

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

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 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 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 Continues

The winner of Caption Contest 183 (Tom Cheney's car crashing into bedroom) is

"Well, at least he made curfew."
Andrea Fidurko (Needham, MA)

So now Massachusetts is tied with Illinois, which also had a contender in this contest.


Front runners California and New York are among the nominees in Caption Contest 185 (Mick Stevens's naked man running out of water behind a fish):

"Now that I've met your family, I want you to meet mine."
Ben Russak (Carlsbad, CA)

"You're in trouble when we get to the bicycles."
John Kinde (Las Vegas, NV)

"Hi there! Can I interest you in some promotional material about intelligent design?"
Aaron Adler (New York, NY)

My loser:"Sure I'm all wet, but who's the fish out of water now?"


The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 186 (Danny Shanahan's Moses holding Asian tablets) is

"Hey, which one of you sons of bitches left this in front of my house? I specifically smeared my doorposts in blood so I would NOT receive menus!"
gary

My loser:

"Oy! Mein beck!! Mein beck!!! Vy didn't I hire someone to do this heffy lifting? Vat did I think I was, some veightlifter?"

Caption Contest 187 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 187 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.

31 California

30 New York (26 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
9 Massachusetts

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

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

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

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

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
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 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

The BAT Challenge: Playing Favorites Results!

Which of the nominees in Caption Contest 182 (Victoria Roberts's totem pole cats)was my favorite? Myra and Deborah picked

"Yes, Officer, they say he was about six feet four, with pointy ears and abnormally short arms."
Alexia Kauffman (Arlington, VA)

but Debbie went with

"I wasn't laid off—I just decided to pursue other interests."
Christy Yoest (New York, NY)

while nobody, but nobody, picked

"Hello, YouTube? I've got something you might be interested in."
Judy Goldberg (Brooklyn, NY)

And you know what? I didn't pick that one either! What tickled my fancy (and that of voters at The New Yorker) was Alexia Kauffman's submission. Which means that Myra and Deborah advance by one point each!


The current standings:

14 Deborah (includes WWI? credit and Attendance Award and bonus point)
12 Ellen (includes one WWI? credit)
12 Myra (includes 2 Attendance Awards, one 3/3/09 photo credit, and an unredeemed Bronze Medal credit)
10 Debbie (Gold Medal and Attendance Award plus unredeemed Silver Medal and Silver Medal and Bronze Medal and WWI? credits, plus February 2008 and November 2008 WWI? credits)
10 Scott (Two Gold Medals plus two unredeemed WWI? credits)
9 Gary (Gold Medal and Silver Medal plus three unredeemed WWI? and one unredeemed Silver Medal and one unredeemed Gold Medal credits)
7 David (Bronze Medal plus Attendance Award)
2 Luke N. Atmaguchi
2 Daniela
2 Dolph (Bronze Medal)
1 bellj
1 Myron
1 Trapezia

Debbie and Deborah and Ellen and Gary and Myra and Scott can send in their own photos—or propose their own BAT challenges!

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Continues

Two nominees from New York could have won Caption Contest 182 (Victoria Roberts's totem pole cats) but the spoiler turned out to be

"Yes, Officer, they say he was about six feet four, with pointy ears and abnormally short arms."
Alexia Kauffman (Arlington, VA)

Was this caption my favorite? Stay tuned to find out!


The nominees in Caption Contest 184 (David Sipress's body outlines on bar floor) are

"So what makes you think we need a health inspector?"
Galen Lloyd (Charlottesville, VA)

"Beat it, buddy. We're out of chalk."
Paul Snare (University Place, WA)

"Seven men walked into a bar and died. What's it to ya?"
Lisa Peters (Minneapolis, MN)

Nothing from me on this one.


The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 185 (Mick Stevens's naked man chasing fish out of water) is

"The ape should've come before me. Next time I'll try thinking about baseball."
Damon

My loser:

A rare surviving cel from the prototype of the Pepe Le Pew cartoon series. Note that the cat was originally a fish and the eponymous skunk was originally a cheerful naked man nicknamed Slippery Dick. The concept was reputedly sent back to the drawing board after Mel Blanc experienced problems developing a consistent voice for Slippery Dick. Copyright Warner Bros. 1944

Caption Contest 186 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 186 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.

31 California

30 New York (26 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

11 Virginia (five from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

8 Massachusetts

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

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

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

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

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
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 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

The BAT Challenge: Playing Favorites

As you might recall, the nominees in Caption Contest 182 (Victoria Roberts's "totem pole cats") are

"Yes, Officer, they say he was about six feet four, with pointy ears and abnormally short arms."
Alexia Kauffman (Arlington, VA)

"I wasn't laid off—I just decided to pursue other interests."
Christy Yoest (New York, NY)

"Hello, YouTube? I've got something you might be interested in."
Judy Goldberg (Brooklyn, NY)

Which of the three is my favorite? One guess per player, with winning guesses (submitted by 6pm ET Saturday, March 21, 2009) getting one point each.

Anybody can play—just make sure you use a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the usual gang of players, such as Debbie and Deborah!