The CartoonStock Cartoon Caption Contest No. 197

In the CartoonStock Caption Contest number 197, two chefs show up at a woman's door. The one on the left speaks.

The rules of the monthly cash prize contest have not changed (and neither has my description of them): Five dollars buys up to three entries. Real cash prizes are $500 for first place and $100 for each of five runners up. As of this writing, I've put $210 into the first forty-two pay-to-play contests and this forty-third challenge brings my total cash outlay up to $215. Having achieved runner-up status with three previous entries, thank you, I've collected $300 from CartoonStock, so I'm very much playing with the house's money thus far. In fact, so few contestants enter that the odds may generally be considered favorable even for us less-gifted caption writers. My three entries this round are shown below. The cartoonist is Nathan Cooper. He's new to the blog.

"We understand you have a double oven."

"We couldn't help noticing you don't have a cooking show."

"Do you have a moment to talk about soufflé?"

September 23, 2025 Update:  The Winner

This month's Caption Contest Commentary was written by Trevor Hoey for the traveling Lawrence Wood. Only my third caption was mentioned:

https://www.cartoonstock.com/blog/chefs-caption-contest-commentary/

In addition, Trevor selected my first caption in his top ten list. Bob Mankoff put my second caption in his top ten. So I got a little bit of notice, but no five-star reviews.

The Judges Deliberate

05065

Rob's Copy of The Art in Cartooning

The book is The Art in Cartooning:  Seventy-five years of American Magazine Cartoons, published in 1975. The original owner was named Rob and he had the good sense to get his copy at a signing with multiple cartoonists present. The four who signed and decorated his book were Gahan Wilson, Sam Gross, Marvin Tannenberg, and Bill Woodman. The cover art is, of course, by Charles Saxon.

Inside the book, the cartoonists play off each other's sketches, top to bottom. Wilson starts it off in his macabre manner with a drawing of a waiter serving his customer: "This what you asked for, sir?" Gross changes the culinary subject to frog legs, a convenient reference to his most famous cartoon, which appeared in the National Lampoon: "No, you yo-yo / He asked for frogs legs." Tannenberg supplies a missing frog leg on his self-portrait with "What's this craziness with frog's legs[?]"

What's on the menu? Woodman takes us out of the dining room and into the kitchen where a chef is in the preliminary stages of preparing dinner. With a full page (or at the very least half of one) to himself, Woodman shines.

The Art in Cartooning
eBay listing ended August 2, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204890575268?epid=2911644&itmmeta=01J4AZMZ64DACWYWKGTV6M9R3X&hash=item2fb46e11a4:g:WtwAAOSwzFtk1BCX&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8Oz%2F1S0dmyDe7H2Y4X6i22p5vCV7MZPCQyGxvEkZG5ra%2FNVuozwauT2KyCj15RYCcZGnvvG%2BHesoDlO%2BeCG1o6lb7%2Fd9YyEpCAFKBEWvVU7MMJ%2FMfcu97t

ufa%2FsdO6hSiLkl%2BWilTk1Y812aAo4LHrmgo%2BbaDGqVtOvcBiuoCKhRgjaDlZXYAgeErEl1GOGEUE1SeZ5S2jyjWegGW4LCNAq604XGAk6g5ic%2Bir6deftQunh03Mz5%2BI5VINWjXvFa9PU8vjP6leJfp56vbEzI9ujeR%2BrJtxG7Wpwl%2F%2ByFVNLqmZPiYMo2t0WgvtCOHKL9DQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5Tz09-iZA

The Art in Cartooning
eBay item description

A best offer of $175 was not accepted. A counteroffer of $195 nevertheless sealed the deal.

Note:  This is the tenth very special copy of this book to appear here on the blog. Scans or photos of other personalized copies from book signings of yore are welcome.

04708

Elise's Copies of Two Books by Milt Gross

Five years ago, PBA Galleries auctioned off two books by cartoonist Milt Gross with original drawings dedicated to either Elise or to Elise and Jimmy. The one for both of them is an atmospheric sketch of Hiawatta, to use Gross's singular spelling of Hiawatha, asleep in her hammock. The charming rendition is from Hiawatta and De Night in de Front from Chreesmas (1950). The other, for Elise alone, of a pipe-smoking pastry chef appears in a copy of I Shoulda Ate the Eclair (1946). Both books are signed simply Milt, indicating a personal relationship.

Milt Gross
PBA Galleries listing of April 19, 2018

https://www.pbagalleries.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/450/lot/145979/Two-volumes-by-Milt-Gross-with-original-signed-pen-amp-ink-sketches

Note:  Milt Gross is one of those cartoonists in Michael Maslin's exclusive One Club, indicating that he had one and only one drawing published in the pages of The New Yorker. His style is, all things considered, pretty wild for that publication.

Many more books with original Gross sketches are no doubt out there, and I'd be happy to show a few of them here on the blog if anyone cares to submit some good images.

04190

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #748

Got that empty feeling inside? Welcome to The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #748 for the date March 22, 2021. My rib-tickler is below. The drawing is by Paul Noth.

"I think that little wooden boy lied to us."

These captions didn't follow the recipe:

"Remind me again why we agreed to switch places with Jonah."
"You've got to admit, that was one hell of a party before we capsized."
"I'll tell you what his nose meant. It meant that little wooden boy was lying to us."
"It never occurred to me that we were dessert."

April 3, 2021 Update:  The Finalists

April 17, 2021 Update:  I voted for the caption from Jerusalem.

The Winner:

03572

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #708

My entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #708 for May 4, 2020. The drawing is by Sofia Warren.

"An apron will do."

These captions were overdone:

"How many prisoners will you be taking?"
"And how many maidens will you be abducting for dinner?"
"Down the hall, first garderobe on your left."
"Even if you come back with your sword, you may not have the recipe."
"There's no tower here, so there's no maiden in a tower."
"I don't care if your visor is stuck. We do not have straws."
"You're the exterminator?"
"Sorry about your horse."

May 11, 2020 Update:  The finalists each have the knight talking. That's not how I read this cartoon.

May 18, 2018 Update:  If we have to have the knight speaking—and we do—my vote is with Boston. 


May 25, 2020 Update:  The Winner

Note:  In last week's Caption Contest, cartoonist Kaamran Hafeez showed us Atlas leaving for work. My caption just didn't have any heft. Go get carried away with Contest #707.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives

Sofia Warren

Knights

Chefs

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

The Moment Magazine Cartoon Caption Contest

The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest

All the Above Cartoon Caption Contests and More

Attempted Bloggery's Index in Shining Armor

03248

My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #610

Come in and visit my Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #610 for April 2, 2018. The drawing  is by P. C. Vey.

"How many will you be serving?"

These captions were found by the prison warden baked into a cake:

"I'm afraid I ate your alibi."
"Your getaway plan was half-baked."
"The recipe didn't call for arsenic."

April 9, 2018 Update:  The Finalists

April 16, 2018 Update:  I voted for the first caption.


April 23, 2018 Update:  Winning Caption

Note:  Last week cartoonist Michael Maslin went underground. My caption made on unscheduled stop. Take the local to Contest #609.

P. C. Vey is on the blog menu here.

Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.

02504