My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #993

In The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #993 from the issue of June 8, 2026, three pigs are seated at a trough in a restaurant looking at the menus. The one on the left is speaking. My submission is shown below. The drawing is by Avi Steinberg. 

"Could you explain for my brothers the advantages of having a brick oven?"

These captions weren't quite good enough for me to serve up:

"Is the slop fresh?"
"I don't suppose the catch of the day is wolf?"
"It appears the house specialty is bacon."

June 21, 2026 Update:  The Finalists

June 27, 2026 Update:  I voted for the caption from Pamplona.

July 4, 2026 Update:  The Winner

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William Steig: The Welton's Restaurant Menu and Wine List

The menu and wine list covers, front and back, for Welton's Restaurant of Worcester, Massachusetts, circa 1947, are designed by none other than cartoonist William Steig. Such a menu would no doubt be hard if not impossible to find today. Nevertheless, a giclee print reproduction can readily be had for $25 from Vintage Menu Art.

The patrons shown are exclusively balding white men in business or formal attire. The "menu and wine list," at least on the two pages of it we are given, show no food and not all that much wine. The imported Bénédictine pony is 75¢, but the domestic is a bargain at just 45¢. The cognac, at 75¢, is also marked imported to explain the expense; of course, all cognac is imported.

"No extra charge for ginger ale or soda highballs.
Coca Cola 5¢ extra."

William Steig
Website accessed January 20, 2024

https://vintagemenuart.com/products/weltons-worcester-ma-1947-william-steig-menu-art

William Steig
Item description

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Fine Dining: 1950s Punch Staff Dinner Menus

Punch's annual staff dinners must have been singular affairs, attended as they were by literary lights as well as by leading cartoonists and illustrators. Held at the Café Royal in London, the dinners had French menus and were punctuated with toasts, entertainment, and dancing to live music. Each menu was designed by a prominent Punch cartoonist. An eBay sale from 2018 included the menus from 1952 to 1955, as well as from 1957. The cartoonists are Bill Hewison (1954 and 1957), Ronald Searle (1952), George Sprod (1953), and Norman Thelwell (1955). One of the two 1954 menus included in the sale had been autographed by many of the attendees, including Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator Ernest H. Shepard.

Punch dinner menu designers, top row: Bill Hewison (1957), Ronald Searle (1952), George Sprod (1953)
Middle row:  Norman Thelwell (1955), Hewison (1954)
Bottom row: Hewison (1954), Thelwell (1955)

Punch staff dinner menu designed by Bill Hewison (1957)

The 1954 menu includes the signature of Norman Thelwell, top right

With the unusually sloppy signature of Ronald Searle, center.

With the signature of Ernest H. Shepard, bottom

Autographed menu designed by Bill Hewison (1954) with many signatures on the back cover including that of Ernest H. Shepard (lower left) and of R. E. Williams (right, by the dog's head). On Twitter, @PunchBooks has added more:  "We think the Brockbank signature [above Williams] might be for Russell's wife Eileen. We also spied the signature of Mary Knox, wife of E V Knox, the former editor of PUNCH; Mary was the daughter of Ernest H Shepard and an illustrator in her own right, most famously for the Mary Poppins books!"

Autographs, interior

Ronald Searle (1952, interior)

Bill Hewison (1954)

Ronald Searle (1952)

Punch Annual Dinner and Dance menu designed by George Sprod (1953)

Punch menu illustrations by Norman Thelwell (1955)

Punch Annual Staff Dinner Menus
eBay Listing Ended November 7, 2018

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Autographed-menu-RONALD-SEARLE-NORMAN-THELWELL-ERNEST-H-SHEPHARD-and-others-PU-/173613293657?hash=item286c28a059%3Ag%3ANyoAAOSwrmRb1rLl&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Punch Annual Staff Dinner Menus
eBay item description

Punch Annual Staff Dinner Menus
eBay bid history
The last minute bid failed because the second-to-last bid placed was higher. The last bidder had enough time to bid again, but did not.

January 21, 2021 Update:  Thanks to @PunchBooks on Twitter for helping out with some of the signatures on the back cover of the 1954 menu.

Note:  I might have made an error in labeling that first photo, as the eBay seller notes two copies of each Hewison menu, but I count two copies of the Thelwell menu as well. If you spot a mistake, please let me know. I am always happy to make corrections.

I suppose this is the time for me to request images of menus, particularly those designed by cartoonists. Punch menus from other years than we have here would be welcome. Original art by any of these artists could also work quite well on the blog.

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The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #87

Having recently run a few nearly indecipherable caption contests, Cartoon Collections relented somewhat on this one and explained for all to see that contest #87 features "aliens dining out." To be even more specific, the image file for the contest is labeled Alien Fois Gras. Perhaps that's too specific. Anyway, my caption entries are below. The drawing is by Ivan Ehlers.

"Tonight's special is Tang."
"I'm sorry, but I'm told your dinner just reached escape velocity."
"Any slime allergies?"
"Tonight we're featuring delicacies from Earth, anything but escargot."

August 19, 2020 Update:  The Winner

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Ivan Ehlers

Aliens

The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

The Moment Magazine Cartoon Caption Contest

All the Collected Cartoon Caption Contests

Attempted Bloggery's Tangy Index

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #701

Today's special is my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #701 for March 16, 2020. The drawing is by Mort Gerberg.

"How is the cheese plate prepared?"

March 23, 2020 Update:  The Finalists

March 30, 2020 Update:  I went with Worcester.

April 6, 2020 Update:  The Winner

Note:  In last week's Caption Contest, cartoonist Kaamran Hafeez showed us a centaur at a pharmacy. My caption must have been a placebo. Still, you might want take a generous dose of Contest #700. I'm sure you'll feel better.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives

Mort Gerberg

Mice

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

The Moment Magazine Cartoon Caption Contest

The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest

All the Above Cartoon Caption Contests and Even a Little Bit More

Attempted Bloggery's Cheesy Index

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Syd Hoff: Menu Mastery

Syd Hoff's self-assured young woman orders her dinner so confidently she might as well be ordering for two in this postwar gag cartoon published in Collier's. The composition is based simply on the three central heads forming a nearly equilateral triangle, but there is nothing equal in the relationship we are looking in on. Collier's, it should be noted, has misspelled the artist's first name, which of course is Sydney.

"I'll just have whatever you're having, if it's steak[.]"
Syd Hoff
Collier's, August 14, 1948, page 42

Scan by Dick Buchanan

Note:  My thanks to Dick Buchanan for providing us with this deliciously obscure Hoff scan from the legendary Dick Buchanan Cartoon Clip Files. It's rare to find anything in this medium so well-done. Dick contributes regularly to Mike Lynch Cartoons, most recently a post entitled, "From the Dick Buchanan Files: Gag Cartoon Clichés 1949 - 1965 Part 3." Prime stuff.

Syd Hoff's work has been the focus here at Attempted Bloggery for the past three weeks or so. It's time for us to move on, but remember I am always eager to receive scans or photos of original Hoff art as well as forgotten gag cartoons, illustrations, and advertisements.

A Syd Hoff Salute

External Links:

Syd Hoff, Cartoonist & Author

Syd Hoff's Wikipedia Entry

Syd Hoff on Ink Spill

Syd Hoff in Christopher Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Gallery 

Syd Hoff in the collection of Syracuse University

Syd Hoff on Hairy Green Eyeball


Syd Hoff's proposed cover designs for Danny and the Dinosaur


Quick Links to the the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Syd Hoff

Dick Buchanan

Collier's

Attempted Bloggery's Choice Index

Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.

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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #589

Have a taste of my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #589 for October 23, 2017. The drawing is by Christopher Weyant.

"The chef has an encyclopedic vision of meatloaf."

These captions just didn't fit on the menu:

"Would Monsieur care to hear tonight's specials?"
"Don't forget to save room for dessert."
"Would you prefer the large-type?"

October 30, 2017 Update:  The Finalists

November 6, 2017 Update:  The finalist captions are all good. I never got to choose which I would vote for because the Caption Contest ended an hour earlier than I expected. Someone at the New Yorker forgot about turning the Caption Contest clock back an hour when daylight saving time ended.


November 13, 2017 Update:  Winning Caption

Note:  What hump? Last week cartoonist David Borchart rang some bells. Claim sanctuary in Contest #588.

Christopher Weyant has been on this blog in a big way.

Try these gags on for size.

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