My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for the Summer Double Issue 2025

Moment magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest for the Summer 2025 double issue shows two robots at home in a futuristic setting. One reads a copy of Moment magazine. The other speaks. My entries are shown below. The drawing is by that technological whiz, Benjamin Schwartz.

"The captions are so much funnier in binary."
"How close are we to peace in the Middle East?"
"What is their stand on bot mitzvahs?"
"It's because of readers like you that we're going to lose the tree."
"Jews and captioners open it from the right."

A particularly intriguing caption turned up among the entries:

September 14, 2025 Update:  The Finalists

November 15, 2025 Update:  The Winner

05014

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #924

In The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #924 from the issue of December 2, 2024, we see a robot couple at home in their apartment. One is reviewing the want ads; both appear dejected. My submission is shown here. The drawing is by E. S. Glenn.

"They're all looking for loyalty, not competence."

These captions did not follow Asimov's laws:

"Guess who's considered obsolete?"

"But I can't dance."

"We're being replaced by smart robots."

December 9, 2024 Update:  The Finalists

December 21, 2024 Update:  I voted for the caption from Saskatoon.

January 11, 2025 Update:  The Winner

 

04812

Keith Haring: Men and Robots

Oh, come on. Who doesn't like robots? Still, there may be something apocalyptic about Keith Haring's untitled drawing of men and robots. Both entities, so to speak, are warming themselves by a primitive fire while what conceivably might be radioactive fallout rains down on them.

Keith Haring
Palm Beach Modern Auctions, December 3, 2022

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/keith-haring-men-robots-ink-drawing-estate-coa-682-c-e33417fba7?objectID=175500866&algIndex=undefined&queryID=aaeb4f24ab3acc40c51ed3c3023f1f3b#

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The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #103

Cartoon Collections states that its Caption Contest #103 "shows a robot or mechanized person and a human who may be a doctor, researcher, or scientist. The human is speaking." Very well, but who uses the phrase "mechanized person?" Wouldn't that be a cyborg? That's my interpretation here. Nevertheless, robot or cyborg, I'm a little surprised at the earthy direction my three captions, shown below, took. The drawing is by Lars Kenseth.

"What services can you provide other than house cleaning?"
"Your human parts still need love."
"How is your sexual functioning and did you know there's been a recall?"

December 12, 2020 Update:  The Winner

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Lars Kenseth

Robots
  

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 Humanoid Index

 

03460

The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #41

Don't heckle my entries in the Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #41. The drawing is by Pat Byrnes.

"You need new materiel."
"That one was old when Robby told it."
"That's easy. One to draw the robot with the light bulb and five thousand to write the caption."

September 25, 2019 Update:  The Winner

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Pat Byrnes

Robots

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 Open Mike Index

03039

Ed Arno: Anne and Her Robot

From the estate of cartooonist Ed Arno comes this original manuscript for a proposed children's book. It is entitled Anne and Her Robot:  An Almost True Story Drawn and Told by Ed Arno. The 32-page story was never published.

Here is an example of precisely how exciting an eBay auction can be. Bidding was started at $0.99 without a reserve. Forty-five bids were placed during the course of the auction, but only two bidders slugged it out past the $30 mark. The item sold for $585 as a result of this aggressive bidding war waged during the final hour of the sale.

Ed Arno
Anne and Her Robot
Original Children's Book Manuscript Title Page

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Childrens-Book-Manuscript-Illustrations-New-Yorker-Cartoonist-Ed-Arno-/281033409095?nma=true&si=VJo29%2F7WbHpl1SY9gWmnl4%2FkT80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ed Arno
Anne and Her Robot
Original Children's Book Manuscript Page

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Childrens-Book-Manuscript-Illustrations-New-Yorker-Cartoonist-Ed-Arno-/281033409095?nma=true&si=VJo29%2F7WbHpl1SY9gWmnl4%2FkT80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ed Arno
Anne and Her Robot
Original Children's Book Manuscript Page

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Childrens-Book-Manuscript-Illustrations-New-Yorker-Cartoonist-Ed-Arno-/281033409095?nma=true&si=VJo29%2F7WbHpl1SY9gWmnl4%2FkT80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ed Arno
Anne and Her Robot
Original Children's Book Manuscript Page

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Childrens-Book-Manuscript-Illustrations-New-Yorker-Cartoonist-Ed-Arno-/281033409095?nma=true&si=VJo29%2F7WbHpl1SY9gWmnl4%2FkT80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ed Arno,
Anne and Her Robot
Original Children's Book Manuscript
eBay Winning Bid
December 13, 2012

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Childrens-Book-Manuscript-Illustrations-New-Yorker-Cartoonist-Ed-Arno-/281033409095?nma=true&si=VJo29%2F7WbHpl1SY9gWmnl4%2FkT80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ed Arno
Anne and Her Robot
Original Children's Book Manuscript
eBay Item Description
December 13, 2012

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Childrens-Book-Manuscript-Illustrations-New-Yorker-Cartoonist-Ed-Arno-/281033409095?nma=true&si=VJo29%2F7WbHpl1SY9gWmnl4%2FkT80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

0580

Blechman's 'Bot

R. O. Blechman, Original cover art, The New Yorker, October 7, 1991

Lot No: 113 R.O. Blechman (American, born 1930)
"Robot (after Rodin)," cover design for The New Yorker, 1991.
Signed.
Watercolor and ink.
29 x 21cm (11 7/16 x 8 1/4in).
Estimate: US$5,000 - 8,000.  Unsold. View Condition Report 
Footnote:An amusing commentary on the modern mechanization of Man as a wry parody of Rodin's famous sculpture The Thinker. Reproduced in Steven Heller, R. O. Blechman, Paris: Delpire, 2004, p 91.

R. O. Blechman, The New Yorker, October 7, 1991

Auguste Rodin, The Thinker

Bonhams's June 22 auction of illustration art included this sole example of original New Yorker cover art by R. O. Blechman. The sale contained a number of pieces that were dedicated to Mr. Blechman and some that were drawn by him, so it seems likely that the artist himself consigned this premium lot. To my eye, this artwork is very desirable, but, as with many of the lots in this sale, the estimate was on the high side. I have no idea where the reserve was set, although I suspect it was fairly high too, and this beautiful and collectible painting  failed to find a buyer. I think the art market was somewhat weak on June 22, the stock market having taken a drubbing since May, whereas the estimates seemed to anticipate a more robust economic atmosphere. Still, I think there's a good chance we may see some of the unsold lots offered again....

The auction:  http://www.bonhams.com/eur/auction/19514/lot/113/

The photo:  http://ycwu001.blogspot.com/2008/11/thinker-by-rodin.html

April 16, 2014 Update:  This illustration has indeed turned up once again at auction in January. This time it found a buyer at $3,000 including the buyer's premium, a much more reasonable price.

R. O. Blechman, Original cover art, The New Yorker, October 7, 1991

http://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=2337++++++21+&refno=++684956&saletype=

022