It would be better with the image tag.

August 2, 2007 9:19 PM

We've discussed ways to win the New Yorker caption contest for its cartoons (use "previous" to see more), but the tradition of attacking the cartooning institution continues. One long-time mocker has been the anti-caption contest, which has strict rules on how to write the worst captions. Compare this and this, and this and this, to get the idea. Now, Gawker has invited people to draw the worst possible New Yorker cartoons; here are some results. [prev and prev.]
posted by blahblahblah (19 comments total)

The New Yorker caption contest is kind of stupid and depressing (as is the whoring out of New Yorker cartoonists for advertisements in the magazine), but these 'anti-captions' are actually pretty funny, and are no different than the captions chosen as winners on the back page of the magazine. Does this mean the terrorists have won?
posted by KokuRyu at 9:24 PM on August 2, 2007

See also this analysis of New Yorker cartoon caption winners.
posted by blahblahblah at 9:24 PM on August 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

Your second link is supremely super duper awesome.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:28 PM on August 2, 2007

"I wish I was taller."
posted by krinklyfig at 9:31 PM on August 2, 2007

The New Yorker cartoon could be the second best unintentional marketing strategy ever, right after New Coke. People can't stop talking about it. Earlier today, it randomly popped into my head how they're so bad they're funny and I thought I should pick up an issue sometime.
posted by stavrogin at 9:34 PM on August 2, 2007

"Unintentional"?
posted by grobstein at 9:45 PM on August 2, 2007

People can't stop talking about it.

Or playing it at home! For only $29.95, it's all the fun of the New Yorker caption contest in boardgame form. Impress your friends! Wow your neighbors! Christ, what an asshole!®
posted by ormondsacker at 9:50 PM on August 2, 2007

The ones that aren't in the caption contest, grobstein, and suck directly from the start.

"I've enjoyed reading your e-mail."
posted by stavrogin at 9:56 PM on August 2, 2007

The inscrutable (or just plain unfunny) New Yorker cartoon is infamous, but more than one New York cartoonist is awesome. Roz Chast, for instance.
posted by DU at 4:25 AM on August 3, 2007

The trouble with New Yorker cartoons is that you need to have a highly refined sense of humour to be amused by them.
posted by Flashman at 4:32 AM on August 3, 2007

Is that a joke I'd need a highly refined sense of humor to be amused by?
posted by heydanno at 5:59 AM on August 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

The other trouble with New Yorker cartoons is they routinely weed out comics that would be hilarious, but are too offensive for their perceived audience. Their book The Rejection Collection hows that fairly well.
posted by piratebowling at 6:05 AM on August 3, 2007

The other trouble with New Yorker cartoons is they routinely weed out comics that would be hilarious, but are too offensive for their perceived audience. Their book The Rejection Collection hows that fairly well.

piratebowling beat me to it. One thing that really stood out to me when reading The Rejection Collection is how darkly humorous many of those cartoonists are; the cartoons that appear in The New Yorker are just a thin slice of their personality.
posted by dubold at 7:21 AM on August 3, 2007

New Yorker cartoons are, in my experience, much funnier than New Yorker cartoon contest winners. Humor just isn't something you can vote on.
posted by sy at 11:00 AM on August 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

One of my favorite NYer cartoons showed a sailor high up in a crows nest on an old whaling ship. He sees a spout on the horizon and says, "hey! a whale! .. I mean.. THAR SHE BLOWS!"
posted by vronsky at 8:06 PM on August 3, 2007

Thank you very much for this link, blahblahblah. I haven't laughed this hard for months, I've spent hours with this site. Excellent find.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:55 AM on August 4, 2007

Sorry, to clarify I meant the anti-caption pages. Pure gold.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:56 AM on August 4, 2007

The trouble with New Yorker cartoons is that you need to have a highly refined sense of humour to be amused by them.

Christ, what an asshole.
posted by Flashman at 5:57 AM on August 6, 2007

I WON!!! I WON!!!
posted by Meatbomb at 12:40 AM on August 23, 2007