My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #852

I took a slice out of The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #852 from the issue of June 5, 2023. My caption is shown below. The drawing is by Dan Misdea.

"I got tired of just flies."

These captions burned the roof of my mouth:

"I'm really the [Frog] Prince of [Pizza] Pies."
"Invite me over and we'll share what's left."

June 12, 2023 Update:  The Finalists

June 25, 2023 Update:  I voted for the caption from Mount Horeb.

 

June 30, 2023 Update:  The Winner

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Charles Addams: A Pair of Frog Drawings

Two drawings of frogs by Charles Addams came up for sale at Christie's last year. The London branch of the auction house had surprisingly little to say about these American drawings, not even that the previous owners were, to all appearances, frog fanciers.

Charles Addams, 1969
"I may be running on this platform quite soon myself    CA"

Charles Addams
Christie's London June 4, 2019

https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/charles-addams-1912-1988-but-how-do-i-6206673-details.aspx

That's it from Christie's. Now it's my turn. The first question to ask is whether the finished Addams cartoon was published and, if so, did it appear in The New Yorker. Yes on both counts, in 1959. Note how much more vivid Addams original is compared with the scan of the cartoon from the magazine's website.

Cartoons by Otto Soglow and Charles Addams

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1959-12-19/flipbook/034/

The second thing to note is the accompanying Addams drawing hastily colored with felt-tip pen. It is dated 1969 and depicts an unfortunate frog outside a restaurant with a sign boasting "Frog's Legs Our Specialty." It seems glaringly obvious that the concept of the unpublished Addams sketch bears a decided resemblance to that of Sam Gross's classic cartoon published in National Lampoon in 1970.

Charles Addams, 1969
"I may be running on this platform quite soon myself    CA"

https://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/2010/12/sam-gross-frog-legs-original-cartoon.html

Note:  Who doesn't love original Charles Addams art? You're invited to share what you've got right here on Attempted Bloggery. Send me an image of something good. I'm in the book.

Sure, I'll accept original Sam Gross art too.

By the way, don't skip the Xmas charity appeal cartoon by Otto Soglow on the New Yorker page opposite Addams's frog drawing. How long will it be until we aging cartoon bloggers need to explain to the next generation of readers what a telephone booth is?

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Arthur Rackham: The Frogs and the Well

It's that time of year again for the Chris Beetles Gallery's annual exhibition "The Illustrators," which features the best of British illustration art from approximately 1800 to 2013. As in previous years, Chris Beetles has unearthed an extraordinary selection of illustration art new to the market. If past years are any guide, the best items will sell out quickly. Take, for example, Arthur Rackham's 1912 illustration of "The Frogs and the Well" from Aesop's Fables. It has already been snatched up, more than ten days before the exhibition officially opens.

http://www.chrisbeetles.com/exhibitions.html

Arthur Rackham, "The Frogs and the Well" from Aesops' Fables. London: William Heinemann, 1912, page 161

http://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/illustrations/frogs-and-well.html

Note:  Can anyone tell me the selling price?

There is more artwork by Arthur Rackham on the blog here.

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