My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for November/December 2025

Moment magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest for the November/December 2025 issue shows angry townspeople carrying torches in pursuit of Dr. Frankenstein's monster. They are led by an Orthodox Jewish man holding a fully lit Chanukah menorah. This man addresses the monster. The drawing is by film buff and cartoonist Benjamin Schwartz. My captions appear below.

"Part of you will always be Jewish."
"They'll never get me to carry a tiki torch."
"But we always have the Frankensteins over for Chanukah."
"Apparently, neither one of us will replace them."
"The townsfolk do not like to lose at dreidel."
"Why do you think we call it the Festival of Lights?"
"Now turn around and act like you're part Maccabee!"

January 24, 2026 Update:  The Finalists

March 24, 2026 Update:  The Winner

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My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for Fall 2024

Moment magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest for the Fall 2024 issue brings us to the day of the emotional college dropoff. The parents are leaving their son with a menorah. My submissions are shown below. The drawing is by former college boy Benjamin Schwartz.

"Guess what we found in the bookstore?"
"It's always been a babe magnet and you're living proof."
"Just set it in any window that's bulletproof."
"It might come in handy in these dark times."

December 7, 2024 Update:  The Finalists

January 21, 2025 Update:  The Winner

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My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for November/December 2021

This year Chanukah began on the Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend, apparently inspiring Moment magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest for the November/December issue. My captions are below. The drawing is by Benjamin Schwartz.

"A great miracle happened back there."
"Wait, you're Amish?"
"Next time you light them, leave your hat on."
"A foil-wrapped chocolate coin for your thoughts?"
"Could we extend the reprieve through Chanukah every year?"

January 30, 2022 Update:  The Finalists

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Karl Haendel: New Yorker Cartoon Drawing #27

In 2007 artist Karl Haendel appropriated his twenty-seventh New Yorker cartoon, mining the work of cartoonist David Sipress for at least the second time. A 2004 work, New Yorker Cartoon Drawing #9, appropriated Sipress's "Bad dog" drawing. As with other drawings in the series, Haendel makes large graphite renderings of published New Yorker cartoon images. His process may or may not involve a light box or a projector; these renderings do not appear to be done freehand.

This drawing is one of five framed pieces that make up the Mazel Tov group. The phrase is Yiddish meaning good luck or congratulations. The Jewish theme suggested by the title may also apply to the inclusion of the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Jokerman." The grouping was offered for sale at Sotheby's in 2013 where it apparently did not find a buyer:

Karl Haendel
Mazel Tov Group (2006-2007)
Sotheby's 2013

The work currently resides at the Henry Art Gallery of the University of Washington, Seattle.  The artist's installation view from a 2019 exhibition is notable for placing the New Yorker drawing and the Dylan lyrics well below eye level.

Karl Haendel
Mazel Tov Group (2006-2007)
Installation View, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington

Joe Milutis's commentary on the grouping articulates the "multiple themes" to be discovered here:

https://henryart.org/exhibitions/karl-haendel-mazel-tov-group#page-navigation-overview

The museum's commentary doesn't even mention cartoonist David Sipress; it speaks only of "a Jewish-American themed cartoon from The New Yorker." That's odd because Haendel does nothing to hide the identify of the cartoonist; the signature is copied directly from his source material. The cartoon was first published in December of 2006 so Handel no doubt selected it when it was quite fresh.

David Sipress
The New Yorker, December 4, 2006, page 68

Karl Haendel
New Yorker Cartoon Drawing #27 (2007)

Cartoon by David Sipress

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/2006-12-04/flipbook/068/

Could there be some autobiographical element to Haendel's appropriation of this cartoon mixing the Jewish and Christian holiday traditions? Haendel didn't meet Emily Mast until 2009, which was two years after he completed the Mazel Tov Group. His wedding ceremony in 2011 was performed by a friend of the bride in "a ceremony that included Jewish traditions."

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/fashion/weddings/emily-mast-karl-haendel-weddings.html

Karl Haendel

Sotheby's New York Contemporary Art, March 7, 2013

https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/contemporary-art-n08967/lot.140.html

Bob Dylan
"Jokerman"
From Infidels (1983)

February 5, 2020 Update:  David Sipress writes of this piece for NewYorker.com's Culture Desk in a piece called "Stop, Thief! My Cartoon Gets Appropriated." His essay was posted yesterday and it marks the first time this blog is mentioned on the New Yorker's website—it's literally parenthetical: "(According to the cartoon-related Web site Attempted Bloggery, to date Haendel has appropriated at least twenty-seven New Yorker cartoons.)" Let's just hope I've been fact checked on this.

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My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for November/December 2019

Moment magazine's latest Cartoon Caption Contest for November/December 2019 closed on November 30 just after Thanksgiving. This time around it's a holiday cartoon we are asked to caption, although precisely which holiday is anybody's guess. One thing we do know is that a little Jewish humor doesn't hurt in this contest. As always, there is no limit to the number of entries here; I could only come up with seven. Eight would have taken a miracle. The drawing by Benjamin Schwartz is very nice though I expect it will get mixed reviews.

"It's not a miracle. I borrowed one of your elves."
"I need to find the Little Match Girl."
"Do you need a ride to the Kwanzaa party?"
"Rudolph has the flu."
"Those reindeer games we wouldn't let Rudolph play? Dreidl."
"Check it twice. It's a hanukkiah."
"There's something Mrs. Claus wants you to know."

December 31, 2019 Update:  The Finalists

February 28, 2020 Update:  The Winner

Note:  Last year's Moment profile of some of the Caption Contest contestants may be read here.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Benjamin Schwartz

Santa Claus

The Moment Magazine Cartoon Caption Contest

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

The Cartoon Collections Cartoon Caption Contest

All These Caption Contests and More

Attempted Bloggery's Jolly Index

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Matthew Diffee's Life of the Party

An unpublished 2013 cartoon by Matthew Diffee carries a timely warning for Chanukah. The drawing was sold early this year in a charity auction for Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai and his wife Sharon. A total of fifty bids were placed on eBay. Unfortunately Sharon Sakai passed away just last month succumbing to a brain tumor.

Matthew Diffee, "Wade Greenberg, wearing his hemp blazer, inadvertently

becomes the life of the party when he stands too close to the menorah."

EBay Listing Ended January 15, 2014

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-NEW-YORKER-CARTOONIST-MATT-DIFFEE-ORIGINAL-UNUSED-GAG-CARTOON-2013-/350972306131?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b79462d3&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

EBay Item Description

Matthew Diffee, "Wade Greenberg, wearing his hemp blazer, inadvertently becomes the life of the party when he stands too close to the menorah."

"Highly smudgable!" --Diffee

Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo

Fifty bids!

Note:  Usually my blog posts about Matthew Diffee are less incendiary.

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