Caption Contest Commentary

Mick Stevens’s cartoon is set in a clothing store, where a very short woman addresses a sales clerk who’s standing behind a counter that’s taller than the customer. My first two captions suggest that the customer is considering ways to make the dresses fit: “What if I wash it on hot?” “Can I have it…
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David Ostow’s cartoon is set in a museum, where a guide leads a group from a selection of dark and disturbing works to a collection of cheerier but banal paintings. My first two captions highlight the stark contrast between the two sets of paintings: “These lack artistic merit but are far less depressing.” “Now for…
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Joe Dator’s cartoon is set at a private event in a fancy restaurant. The host, as well as all the men who have already been admitted to the event, are wearing suit jackets, bow ties, and denim cutoffs. The women are dressed appropriately. The host is addressing a couple who are waiting to get in….
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First, today is my twin-daughters’ 16th birthday. Happy birthday, girls! Now, on to the commentary. In the late Charles Barsotti’s cartoon, a businessman has just been knocked off his feet by a ball-shaped doppelganger who’s happily rolling along the ground. The man who’s been knocked off his feet is speaking. This contest highlights the difference…
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Carolita Johnson’s cartoon is set in a psychiatrist’s office, where the patient is being levitated above the couch by a magician. The magician is passing a hoop over the patient to show that there are no invisible strings. The psychiatrist is speaking. I first tried to reconcile the disparate elements—magic and psychiatry—by referring to a…
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This contest, featuring a cartoon by Ernio Hernandez, may be the most challenging yet. I stared at the drawing for an hour, trying to figure out what was going on. There are two fish; that much I know. Though they appear to be on the outside of a fish tank—more on that in a bit—they…
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