My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #963

In The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #963 from the issue of October 13, 2025, we are looking at a business office. A man wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase stands by a receptionist who is dressed as a clown. In the next room, another man sits at a desk with a laptop. The clown speaks. My entry appears below. The drawing is by Mick Stevens.

"Don't look so serious. He likes a bit of whimsy."

October 21, 2025 Update:  The Finalists

October 28, 2025 Update:  I voted for the caption from Burlington.

November 9, 2025 Update:  The Winner

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #891

It's time for the home opener in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #891 from the issue of April 1, 2024. My caption is shown below. The drawing is by Mick Stevens.

"Get back in the bullpen."

April 12, 2024 Update:  The Finalists

April 27, 2024 Update:  I voted for the caption from Chicago.

May 5, 2024 Update:  The Winner

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The CartoonStock Cartoon Caption Contest No. 173

I'm not entirely sure what's going on in the CartoonStock Caption Contest #173, but in many ways it looks like just another day at the office. There's a man sitting at a laptop in his cubicle talking to a female coworker while in the background the imposing landscape burns as if consumed by the fires of hell. The rules of the monthly cash prize contest are the same: 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 $90 into the first eighteen pay-to-play contests and this nineteenth one brings my total cash outlay up to $95. After two previous runner-up entries, I've collected $200, so I'm still doing very well. In fact, so few contestants enter that the odds are generally quite favorable for all. My three entries are shown below. The cool cartoonist is Drew Panckeri.

"Even so, it beats telemarketing."
"Before I get up, are you wearing anything today?"
"What I really can't take is that calendar."

November 23, 2023 Update:  The Winner

The Judges Deliberate

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #869

It's just another day in the conference room, except that the boss is a goldfish in a bowl. Welcome to The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #869 from the issue of October 9, 2023. My caption is shown below. The drawing is by Tim Hamilton.

"Make the user experience more immersive."

October 21, 2023 Update:  The Finalists

October 28, 2023 Update:  I voted for the caption from Methuen.

November 5, 2023 Update:  The Winner

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Ecosystem: Ivan Brunetti Preliminary and Final New Yorker Cover Art

So this is office life? Ivan Brunetti's original cover art for The New Yorker of March 2, 2009 was sold yesterday at Heritage Auctions along with his rough. The magazine published the cover with the title "Ecosystem." As big a word as it is, I don't think it adds anything. The original art is black and white; color was added digitally.

Ivan Brunetti
Heritage Auctions sale of September 15, 2023

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/covers/ivan-brunetti-the-new-yorker-3-2-2009-ecosystem-cover-original-art-and-preliminary-art-new-yorker-/a/7341-93119.s?ic2=mytracked-lotspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyTrackedLots-101116

Ivan Brunetti
Heritage Auctions item description

Four bidders had already placed bids eighteen days prior to the sale.

 Bidding as of August 28, 2023, eighteen days before the auction

Bidding at the close of the auction on September 15, 2023

The rough isn't all that different from the final version.

"Ecosystem"
Ivan Brunetti
The New Yorker, March 2, 2009

Four bidders had already placed bids eighteen days prior to the sale.

 Bidding as of August 28, 2023, eighteen days before the auction

Bidding at the close of the auction on September 15, 2023

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The CartoonStock Caption Contest #162

It's time to disrupt the CartoonStock Caption Contest #162. To recap, here's how the new cash prize contest works: $5 buys three and only three entries. Real cash prizes are $500 for first place and $100 for each of the five runners up. As of this writing, I've invested $40 over eight contests and I managed to win $100 from one of these outings. So far the math is good for contestants and bad for CartoonStock. Few enough people enter that the odds are favorable even for an indifferent captioner like me. My three new entries are shown below at the top of the list; the lower captions were written by me but, on due consideration, withheld. The drawing of conference room chaos is by John Klossner.

"Were we expecting corporate raiders?"
"Ah! They've finally elected a Speaker."
"We've got to find a better doorman."
* * *
"Can I assume we'll be working through lunch again?"
"I tried to tell them you weren't in."
"Your three o'clock is early."
"They want to cash in their stock options."
"They're not here to negotiate."
"The union is getting militant."

January 22, 2023 Update:  The Winner

https://www.cartoonstock.com/caption-contest/winners

My doorman caption is first mentioned in the contest deliberations by Bob Mankoff during minute 18 and it is chosen as a runner up in minute 31.

Contest #162 Deliberations

Eight-time New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest winner Lawrence Wood had this to say about my entry in his Caption Contest Commentary:

https://www.cartoonstock.com/blog/viking-office-caption-contest-commentary-with-lawrence-wood/

This is my second payout in the new cash prize contest. It's the twenty-first time Larry Wood cited a caption of mine in his commentary.

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #797

This week, my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #797 from the issue of April 4, 2022, was not exactly dressed in shining armor. The drawing is by Kaamran Hafeez.

"Ask around discretely if anyone's seen a codpiece."

These captions were just too classy:

"I said, 'Oil can.'"
"Well, someone here must have WD-40."
"Would you start over? I'm feeling a bit rusty."
"Tell marketing I'm prepared to throw down the gauntlet."
"To the death then, or at the very least till Friday."

April 17, 2022 Update:  The Finalists

April 18, 2022 Update:  I voted for the caption from Sydney, mate.

May 6, 2022 Update:  The Winner

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The CartoonStock Caption Contest #144

I stayed up late for the CartoonStock Caption Contest #144 and I entered before the deadline. My three captions are shown below. The high-flying drawing is by Shannon Wheeler.

"Well, someone rose to the occasion."
"You wanted to float something by me?"
"Usually you seem so grounded."

December 21, 2021 Update:  In his Caption Contest Commentary, Lawrence Wood mentioned one of my entries.

December 22, 2021 Update:  The Winner

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #780

It's time to sink into The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #780 from the issue of November 15, 2021. My caption is shown below. The drawing is by Pia Guerra and Ian Boothby. 

"I tell you, it's a jungle in here."

November 24, 2021 Update:  The Finalists

December 5, 2021 Update:  I voted for the caption from Oneonta.

December 11, 2021 Update:  The Winner

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Leo Cullum: Practical Downsizing

Original 1997 New Yorker cartoon art by Leo Cullum (1942-2010) explores the making of unpleasant business decisions. It's alarming, it's dark, and it's probably closer to the truth than we'd care to acknowledge.

"We've got to get rid of some people, Cosgrove.
Who are the least likely to come back and shoot us?"
Leo Cullum
Original art
The New Yorker, January 27, 1997, page 37

Leo Cullum
eBay listing ended December 1, 2018

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leo-Cullum-Original-Signed-Ink-Gag-Cartoon-Drawing-Published-in-The-New-Yorker-/392179787321?hash=item5b4fbca639%3Ag%3ACLUAAOSw1XFbzrCw&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Leo Cullum
eBay item description

Leo Cullum
eBay bid history
One bidder takes all.

[End of eBay listing]

Unsigned spot drawing and a cartoon by Leo Cullum

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1997-01-27/flipbook/036/

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