Fresh Air recently ran an interview with the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, who just published a new memoir. They started the interview with a discussion of his most famous cartoon, which can be seen on the link, and the caption for which is the title of this thread. This, apparently, is the most famous and reprinted New Yorker cartoon ever, and the line had been parodied endlessly in all kinds of ways.
Had you heard it before? I’ve intermittently read The New Yorker for years, and have browsed some of their cartoon collections in bookstores and on coffee tables. Can’t say I ever noticed it. And although it’s a good line, I’m not terribly blown away by it either. Anyone else?
I heard that interview. I loved the fact that that was “the most famous” New Yorker cartoon. It epitomizes the NYer style of humor–kind of blandly chuckleworthy, no more no less.
I was also mildly surprised that anyone could have been said to have made up that joke–it seems to me like the kind of thing almost anyone could have said. Not a joke you make up, so much as a standard quip that would occur to anyone independently.
The things the guy had to say about “what is funny” were kind of hilariously revealing too, though I can’t remember any specifics about that.
Yes - I know of it. A buddy of mine was given a signed copy of it for his office, but I knew the cartoon well before that.
But I am surprised it would be named as “most famous.” The first one that comes to mind that I would’ve thought was more well-known is “on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”
Never seen that one before, but I’m not the most voracious reader of the New Yorker. All the cartoons I’ve ever seen seem to only elicit a chuckle or a mild groan and are instantly forgotten. However, I do remember the internet/dog one. I have difficulty bringing to mind any other ones, though.
I don’t believe that it was claimed to be the most famous New Yorker cartoon, just that cartoonist’s most famous. And I suspect it was discussed primarily because that was also the title of the book he was promoting and therefore started with an explanation of the title.
My favorite is by Charles Addams, but not the Addams family. A bunch of zookeepers are standing in a line holding a gigantic python, posing for a picture, except one downcast guy on the end, and someone says words to the effect of ‘never mind, you’ll be able to be in the photo next year’. There’s another, of a factory where robots are manufacturing robots, and someone says, where is it all going to end? which is rather creepy.
I’ve certainly heard that punchline before, but never realized it had a particular origin. In a sense, that comic is so famous that nobody’s ever heard of it.
In a typical issue, I find a number of cartoons laughworthy (and therefore laugh), but that would not be one. When you have to explain why it’s funny, it usually isn’t, especially, I find.
Am I simply bitter over never winning the weekly caption contest? I don’t think so. After all, I figure you can only win it once (whether that is the actual rule or not), and worst case is to be picked as one of the three finalists and then not win. Still, I am often unimpressed with the nominated captions for what I think are objectively impeccable reasons. Often, a caption will ignore a very salient feature of the cartoon, and no matter how amusing, that strikes me as not meeting the challenge head-on.
Also, to reiterate what several others have said here already, the article does not claim that this is the most famous of all New Yorker cartoons.
I’ve absolutely seen the cartoon before, and its my favorite New Yorker cartoon. I had a co-worker who had this on her office door in the mid-90s (so I’ve been familiar with it for about 20 years now) and I thought it was great then, and still do.
(This cartoon comes to my mind every time I’m haggling over the phone with someone tring to find a convenient time to meet, and I’m always tempted to say it.)
I had no idea who drew the cartoon, though, and when the NPR interview with Bob Mankoff aired a couple of weeks ago, he was discussing his favorite cartoons. As they introduced the segment, I hoped they would at least mention this particular cartoon. I was tickeled when it was the first one mentioned, and in fact was the the title of his new book.
Vote for “never seen it before”, but I think it is a good NYer cartoon. Actually, I think, because not everyone here in flyover country has seen it, that makes it a better NYer cartoon. The whole stereotype about NYers is that nothing outside of the city matters.
My favorite “cartoon” (technically, it was a cover):
I know the cartoon well, and have seen it in many places. I think I first saw it in Mankoff’s book on how to create cartoons, The Naked Cartoonist. But I think some of you are misreading the article.
It’s Bob Mankoff’s most famous cartoon, and one of the most often reprinted New Yorker cartoons, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the New Yorker’s most famous cartoon. My vote for that title would be Charles Addams’ The Skier.
EDIT: Just acknowledging that Obfusciatrist said it first. I’m just agreeing for emphasis.
