Eldon Dedini: Season in the Sun

Out of the Playboy Archives comes an original color cartoon by Eldon Dedini. It was published in the issue of December 1970. Set, one assumes, in Los Angeles at a swimming pool overlooking the Valley, it offers a stunning view.

"I still can't get used to a Christmas without snow."
Eldon Dedini
Original art
Playboy, December 1970

Caption and Eldon Dedini's signature
Playboy, December 1970

The piece was sold by Julien's Auctions of Gardena on August 26. The presale estimate was $800 to $1,200.

Eldon Dedini
Julien's Auctions listing for August 26, 2025

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/Playboy-Eldon-Dedini-Cartoon-Illustration-97-c-DD3461A947?utm_term=cartoon&utm_source=alerts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=keywordalerts&utm_content=group-noapp&utm_term=354156

Eldon Dedini
Julien's Auctions item description

The published cartoon looks similar to the artwork:

"I still can't get used to a Christmas without snow."
Eldon Dedini
Playboy, December 1970

https://pipeandpjscomics.wordpress.com/tag/howard-shoemaker/

"I still can't get used to a Christmas without snow."
Eldon Dedini
Original art
Playboy, December 1970

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My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for Summer 2024

Moment magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest for the Summer 2024 double issue brings together the old and the new generations in a backyard swimming pool setting. My fourteen captions—I'm not known for my self control—are shown below. The drawing is by Benjamin Schwartz, a mensch.

"They're from Ancestry.com."
"The shtetl claims you owe back taxes."
"They just made it here from Anatevka."
"Do we have any kopeks?"
"I found your birth parents."
"You're gonna need a bigger float."
"Can they stay until Tashlich?"
"It's finally happened—our past has caught up with us."
"So how do you like their canned slivovitz?"
"You're not impressing them with our suffering."
"They assert a rightful claim to your grandmother's samovar."
"Forget the barbecue. We'll all have boiled chicken."
"They need our help assimilating."
"Why do they keep chanting l'dor vador?"

October 19, 2024 Update:  The Finalists

December 7, 2024 Update:  The Winner

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Peter Arno's Side-Show for November 1936

Chances are, if you didn't catch Peter Arno's "Side-Show" cartoon feature when it first appeared in the November 1936 issue of College Humor, you didn't get a second chance. Until now, that is.

"Here's a hot one, lambie—'Dear sir: As an old friend, I feel it my duty to warn
you to keep an eye on your new chauffeur.'"
Peter Arno
College Humor, November 1936, p. 18

"Now?"
"She keeps asking for you! She's delirious."
Peter Arno
College Humor, November 1936, p. 19

Peter Arno's "Side-Show"
College Humor, November 1936, pp. 18-19

The original College Humor artwork for that third cartoon appeared on a contact sheet prepared by the Nicholls Gallery back in 1985.

"She keeps asking for you!  She's delirious."
November 1936

Note:  I'd like to hear from the current owners of Peter Arno's original art for College Humor. Now? Yes, now.

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Claude Smith: An Immersive Competition

A six-panel color cartoon by Claude Smith appeared in the February 1958 issue of Playboy. The original art was sold at auction in Brooklyn over the weekend by Antique Arena, Inc. The panels are numbered top to bottom, left to right, and the wordless cartoon must have been printed across two facing magazine pages:

This multi-panel cartoon shows a wealthy, middle-aged man sitting at his swimming pool while hosting a couple of attractive female companions. Over the wall, he observes his neighbor's well-attended pool party and feels compelled to outdo him. It's an example of keeping up with the Joneses while following the supposed Playboy lifestyle. The young women in bathing suits, then, are commodities the men use to compete against each other. 
There's an assumption in a great many cartoons of this type that money buys sexual success. It's a belief of which many a young and impoverished man is easily convinced. It might even be true.

Claude Smith
Antique Arena, Inc., listing of June 15, 2024

https://antiquearena.com/lot/70281

Note:  Sure I'd love to see your original cartoon art by Claude Smith, who signs his art Claude. Thanks for asking. And thanks for the invitation to your pool.

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #854

I tried to keep my head above water for The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #854 from the issue of June 19, 2023. My caption is shown below. The drawing is by Mike Twohy.

"I'm sticking it to the man. He thinks I'm working from home."

These captions didn't float:

"Jackson, why aren't you multitasking?"
"Carter, let's go over the meaning of executive retreat."
"Please have the courtesy not to splash during business hours."
"The conference room was standing room only and I'd rather stand here."
"We all need work that's more immersive."
"I need to finish before the cannonball competition."
"It's the only place to get a decent signal."
"It's certainly not much of a talent pool."
"I'll change once I get Wordle."

 

June 30, 2023 Update:  The Finalists

July 14, 2023 Update:  I voted for the caption from New York.

July 22, 2023 Update:  The Winner

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Patrick McDonnell: Three Mutts Souvenirs

Stephen Kroninger sends along three drawings by Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell. The souvenir sketches of Earl (the dog) and Mooch (the cat) were created for Stephen's twin daughters when they were very young. It seems to me these can work their magic for people of any age.

Note:  My thanks once again to Stephen Kroninger for scanning this wonderful art. This is Stephen's thirty-first contribution to the blog

Mutts fans with souvenir drawings of their own are welcome to contribute images to this blog.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Patrick McDonnell

Souvenir Drawings

Stephen Kroninger

Attempted Bloggery's Little Pink Index

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The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #42

The downloadable image for the Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #42 contains the string warnedaboutsplashing, which suggests that Drew Panckeri's original caption is something like "Didn't I warn you about splashing?" That's pretty good. Here's what I was able to came up with:

"Now for a spell I once cast on Tom Brady's footballs."
"Didn't I say at lunch to wait an hour before swimming?"
"I have a rule against skinny dipping."
"It's for your safety. I just turned the lifeguard into a frog."
"I'll turn you back for a nice chunk of your pension fund."
"I see the swimming charm doesn't work without a wand."
"Next time I'll look up the correct floating charm."

October 4, 2019 Update:  The Winner

In his analysis of the contest, seven-time New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest winner Lawrence Wood mentions one of my entries and why it doesn't quite fit:

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Drew Panckeri

Witches

Swimming Pools

The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

The Moment Magazine Cartoon Caption Contest

All These Cartoon Caption Contests and More

Attempted Bloggery's Dog Paddling Index

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Views of Arizona: Mother of Pearl Pool

The mother of pearl pool was the only pool at the Phoenician resort a quarter century ago on our first visit. Now several pools have been added above it. The pool is covered with mother of pearl tiles which seem less shimmery to me than they were back then, but then so does everything else.

Mother of Pearl Pool
The Phoenician
Scottsdale

Pool access chair

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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #572

Everybody in the pool! While you're there, could you help fish out my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #572 for June 5, 2017? The drawing is by Michael Maslin.

"Now put that back in the birdbath where you found it."

Caption Contest throwaways:

"They always have to show us up."
"The pool volleyball match is off."
"Euclid who?"

June 19, 2017 Update:  The Finalists

June 26, 2017 Update:  I voted for the second caption.


July 3, 2017 Update:  Winning Caption:

Note:  Last time, cartoonist Charie Hankin gave us a pirate working the cash register in a coffee shop decorated with an anchor THIS big! After that, the Caption Contest declared a moratorium on all size gags. Oh, wait a minute... Anyway, mateys, abandon all hope ye who entered Contest #571—exceptin' ye havin' been declared one o' the finalists, o' course.

Have a ball reading my blog posts about Michael Maslin.

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Did a GEICO Commercial Borrow from a New Yorker Cartoon?

Four months ago, cartoonist Rich Sparks made an auspicious debut in the New Yorker. The idea for this gag is unusually strong because you have to work backwards a bit to figure out what precedes the straightforward caption of "Yes?" This extra step makes the joke all the more rewarding when you get it. You do get it, right?

http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/Yes-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i14309220_.htm

Can it be mere coincidence that the new GEICO television commercial bears a striking resemblance to the setting of this brilliant cartoon? I leave that question to the discerning reader.

"It's Not Surprising"

GEICO TV Commercial

Another version published on YouTube July 27, 2016

Video replaced May 18, 2023

Here, have another look:

Rich Sparks, "Yes?"
The New Yorker, April 11, 2016, page 58

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=2016-04-11#folio=58

https://www.ispot.tv/topic/actor-actress/wLn/jillian-lebling

Note:  If, after all this, you really, really, really don't get this cartoon, you can read the explanation I offered to someone on Twitter here.

This is the first appearance of Rich Sparks on this blog. I eagerly await the appearance of more of his work in the pages of the New Yorker, while I'm sure he eagerly awaits his royalty check from GEICO.


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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #491

Here is my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #491 for September 28, 2015. The drawing is by Michael Maslin.

"Ordinarily he doesn't come out of the maze."

A caption I didn't use:

"We just missed our chance to sell."

October 5, 2015 Update:  The Finalists

October 19, 2015 Update:  Winning Caption

Note:  Last week, Paul Noth held confession in an MRI. My caption was blameless. See the results of Contest #490 and receive absolution.

Dive in to my collected blog posts about Michael Maslin.

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