August 31, 2018

Guess the caption on today's New Yorker cartoon of the day.

It's not one of the caption contest drawings. This was drawn for a specific caption, but guess what it is (or say something funnier):


The actual caption is: "You can get the pillow fort back when you bring Mommy some good news."

I'm sure you can do better because it really makes me feel like lashing back, mostly because I empathize with little kids. But I'll throw it over to you.

132 comments:

LYNNDH said...

I'm in my Safe Space. Bring Mommy a glass of wine.

Ralph L said...

Wait until your Father leaves home.

Ralph L said...

I can't find the missing eye of your bear, but I did find my pussy.

Henry said...

"Shorts-wearing midget, why do you torment me?"

Qwinn said...

",,, and by good news I mean bad news for Trump. Don't bother me with good news for the country, there's plenty of that, that's the problem!"

Ralph L said...

Kid: "I made a video to send to FailArmy. Now make me a sammich."

traditionalguy said...

Crazy mothers. Don't leave home without one.

Seriously, children are seen as dealing with reality better than their disassociated personality parents these days.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"what's the matter, sonny-- never seen a priest in drag?"

Unknown said...

"Who forted?"

I am Laslo.

Bill Peschel said...

"Mommy, you can't make pillow forts for shit."

Ralph L said...

Kid: "It's difficult to make Danish Modern even uglier, but you did it. Plus you're leaving newsprint smudges on that wretched berber carpet."

Wince said...

"Daddy will be done in a minute."

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Mommy - would you like me to bring you your sippy Cortex-Nixon-Abolish-ICE-pacifier?

Ann Althouse said...

Great captions so far.

I was just thinking of the kid asking where the matches are.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

The cartoon must be seen from the "New Yorker" viewpoint. The mother is overwhelmed by seeing only depressing news.

Actually, there is plenty of good news out there. The mother sees only depressing news because she is a New Yorker reader. She has Trump Derangement Syndrome.

For ordinary people, the cartoon and caption make no sense.

MadisonMan said...

"You'll have to be the adult today. I'm too outraged to be responsible."

Ipso Fatso said...

Mommy who is Ruth Bader Ginsburg and why are all the guys and girls on TV crying?

dreams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amadeus 48 said...

“But Kelsey, yesterday you said you were a little boy and Teddy was a little girl. What changed?”

mezzrow said...

Mommy who is Ruth Bader Ginsburg and why are all the guys and girls on TV crying?

Early winner. I can't touch this.

My name goes here. said...

Hi, I would like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

Ralph L said...

Kid: "Maybe a Valium will reduce the damage from your next Trump Derangement Convulsions."

dustbunny said...

Grow up mommy. She lost.

Ann Althouse said...

"The cartoon must be seen from the "New Yorker" viewpoint. The mother is overwhelmed by seeing only depressing news."

More basic than that is that the cartoon is from the mother's point of view. The child is just there to be spoken to. It's assumed that the reader will so identify with the woman that her failure to care about the needs of her own child will be shunted aside for the fun of empathizing with the mother.

That's the same approach to the subject matter that Roseanne used. It lets a lot of hostility to children find expression.

And I realize that in saying that, I'm being part of The Era of That's Not Funny.

Phil 314 said...

Would any New Yorker reader:
- look like this mom?
- show cleavage in such an unfashionable top?
- have a child?
- have a child who built a cushion fort?
- know what a cushion fort is?

And do I care what New Yorker readers think?

dreams said...

You don't like our new home in California?

Ralph L said...

Kid: I don't think Pilates is supposed to look like that.

mockturtle said...

Far better captions in these comments than the original. Good work!

Ralph L said...

Kid: "Jesus Christ, you've got big ugly feet! Didn't they rediscover prospective in the Renaissance?"

Henry said...

What a drag it is getting old

hat/tip to Ralph L. for the prompt.

Wince said...

The cartoon must be seen from the "New Yorker" viewpoint.

"Your other mommy will be done in a minute."

Amadeus 48 said...

“Darling, I’m all wrapped up in Myanmar. Go ask your father. “

Amadeus 48 said...

“But if we put our tent outside, bad men with guns might shoot Teddy.”

Crimso said...

"Next year you'll be old enough for us to go to the real Burning Man."

Ralph L said...

I was just thinking of the kid asking where the matches are.

It took me a while to get this one. Talk about hostility.

tim in vermont said...

"You can relax, mommy, Hillary will never be president."

Static Ping said...

I keep trying to come up with a caption, but fail. There are lots of silly things about the comic, many of them unintentional, but nothing that gives me a good one liner.

Right now, I am wondering if the newspapers are there because she has the same bathroom habits as a caged bird.

Amadeus 48 said...

“But your father never actually cooked weenies here in the living room, did he.”

tim in vermont said...

"You better clear out, they'll have their artillery within range by evening, and we can't stop them. "

Laslo Spatula said...

"Mommy, is this because I have cancer?"

I am Laslo.

Birkel said...

Kid: Mom, if you turn that lamp on to read, you will burn down the house.

rhhardin said...

"That's not funny."

David53 said...

"Everything is ok Mommy, just stay there until the mid terms are over."

Crimso said...

"My wife is a slut." (h/t Cosmo Kramer)

tim in vermont said...

"You've got to stop watching CNN mommy, and reading the WaPo, everyone knows it's all bullshit."

MayBee said...

"Mommy will pay attention to you when you learn to say something worth tweeting"

tim in vermont said...

"Mommy, who's 'The Jackal' and what did he mean when he told me that I "couldn't protect my women"?

exhelodrvr1 said...

Mom, that pillow lifeboat won't save you from Global Warming.

Crimso said...

"For ordinary people, the cartoon and caption make no sense."

It's merely a commentary on contemporary mores. Alternatively, it can be noted that the cartoon is like gossamer, and one doesn't dissect gossamer.

Or it may just be a vorshtein.

stlcdr said...

"I couldn't find any Oreos."

wwww said...


Typical afternoon with a toddler after he tosses around the recycling pile of newsprint and magazines.

tim in vermont said...

"I was just checking, and those stocks you sold the day after the election could have covered my college tuition by now. Oh yeah, and a little dab of creme rinse wouldn't hurt, the size of a dime."

tim in vermont said...

"Don't worry Mommy, the economy will get bad again and the help won't be so uppity."

Eleanor said...

"Sorry, kid. It' a She-Tent now."

policraticus said...

"Mommy, I am the good news."

Sebastian said...

No, mom, I don't want to become a girl.

Ralph L said...

Kid: So I can't get my "E"s straight. I can still get into Harvard since I'm not Asian.

Bob Boyd said...

"You can get the pillow fort back when you bring Mommy some good news."

"Um...I don't have facial ticks or pubic lice."

"I...uh...Well okay then."

rehajm said...

Let's apply Burge's Law:

I think i'm going to kill myself

Yup. Still works.

Sebastian said...

Stock market up again. Unemployment down. Still no Russian collusion. God, it's depressing.

Tim said...

I think I'll kill myself.
it makes sense for every new yorker "cartoon".

Earnest Prole said...

You can get the pillow fort back when you bring Mommy her box of Chardonnay.

Amadeus 48 said...

“No, darling, you can’t call Mr Bear ‘The Donald’”.

Freeman Hunt said...

"Who says Occupy Living Room shows more solidarity than Occupy Playground?"

Freeman Hunt said...

"I don't think you're a very good babysitter."

Dan in Philly said...

"Daddy still loves you, he just wanted to have a night to deal with seeing me with Uncle Dutch."

WisRich said...

"See how fun it is to play 'homeless in San Francisco'. I even did a #2 on the carpet."

Kevin said...

Iowahawk’s Law is that any New Yorker cartoon can be made funnier or remain just as funny with the caption: “I think I’m going to kill myself.”

Night Owl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David in Cal said...

It depresses me that blacks and Hispanic are getting jobs instead of being on welfare.

SDaly said...

"Eat, pray & love didn't make you happy, Mommy?"

D 2 said...

"Yes you got the vaccine. And no that doesn't explain why you are a little shit"

"Honey - I just read through forty pages of wise old sayings about mothers and sons, and none of them hit home. At all. So maybe let's have some alone time, ok?"

Carol said...

"You mean we AREN'T moving to Canada?"

DCPB said...

Pay no attention to the man behind the cushion.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

one of my personal "new Yorker"** faves:

Chicken and egg in bed.
Egg puffing casually on a post-coital cig. Caption:

"well, I guess that answers that old question"

** sadly, this was rejected, and ended up in the New Yorker Rejects cartoon collection. Apparently offended some Avain-Americans

Breezy said...

Kid: "Carry on all you want, you're not getting my teddy..."

Henry said...

"When did you start walking?"

Pure deadpan. My favorite so far.

Night Owl said...

Here's a few:
"Dammit! I'm a mother, too?!"
*****
"When did you start walking?"
*****
"You're the poster child for toxic masculinity."
****
"Why aren't you a cat?"
****
"Mama, do you need a time out?"

(Edited to remove ugly blank spaces from earlier post)

SDaly said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Freeman Hunt said...

"Yes, mother, but it's not five o'clock here, is it?"

WK said...

Asia Argento told me that kids like forts....

n.n said...

Girls just want to have fun.

Triangle Man said...

"There you go, Mama. I hope you feel better soon."

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Listen you little patriarch, I’m occupying the living room because Mommy lives matter, and you can make your own damn sandwich!

Stephen said...

"Mommy's practicing her Downward Facing Dog-tired."

FWBuff said...

"Look in the outer boroughs this time! Surely there's a responsible adult out there who will take you in."

tomaig said...

She goes running for the shelter
of her mother's little helper

Fernandinande said...

"Mommy is having substantial engagement with the materiality and cultural complexity of the pillow fort, so why don't you go home?"

Big Mike said...

More basic than that is that the cartoon is from the mother's point of view. The child is just there to be spoken to.

Interesting that I didn’t see it that way and neither did Ipso Fatso, dustbunny, Freeman Hunt, Trisngle Man, or Laslo with their suggested captions.

Darrell said...

"I thought I aborted you."

BudBrown said...

Ok, Mommy, I get a real monkey for my birthday or I say Trump rules again.

Yancey Ward said...

"Mommy, did a Red Wave go through the living room?"

rcocean said...

Make mommy a martini. Trump is still President.

rcocean said...

I flipped through the New Yorker last week, and was amazed at how bad the cartoons are now.

But then the whole magazine is really a shadow of its former self.

rcocean said...

Thank you Darrell.

Jim at said...

Grow up mommy. She lost.

Perfect.

Sadly, I know way too many people - responsible adults, even - who refuse to do just that. They've become insufferable and 40 years of friendship is being sorely tested.

rcocean said...

Actually, since its the New Yorker, it should be:

Go roll Mommy another Joint. Trump is still President.

tcrosse said...

Go get help. I'm stuck in a New Yorker cartoon.

gadfly said...

Mommy, Dad said that the president wasn't talking about you when he said: "Lock her up!"

PackerBronco said...

"Let me make this pillow fort great again"

Quaestor said...

This is Drogheda. You're Cromwell and I'm the Irish.

Quaestor said...

Little Timmy Weiner: Mommy, Ronan Farrow is at the door.

navillus said...

Kid- "Mommy, I just saw William Shawn's ghost in the kitchen. He said on a scale of 1 to 10, this cartoon sucks balls."

Night Owl said...

"I'll go get our pussy-cat hats, mama."

TheThinMan said...

"The blanket? It's over the lamp to start a fire and burn the house down. Isn't Mommy funny?"

Qwinn said...

"Some Rethuglican told me there's no proof of Trump colluding with Russia. I've looked through 312 stacks of newspapers and all I can find are stories about Uranium One buried all the way on page E32. Go get me some more from the neighbor's shed."

Michael K said...

"Mommy will not speak to you until you agree to be castrated.

Being nuts is fairly heritable: I have no doubt that many of these girls’ mothers were cutting themselves ( while listening to grunge) back in the 90s. If you remove their ovaries, these girls aren’t going to have descendants: end of story.

Darwin usually wins.

Barry Dauphin said...

Check your parental privilege, beeyatch, and give me back my fort.

SDaly said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SDaly said...

"Vive la Resistance!"

Fernandinande said...

This is the best one:

"Timmy, quick! Go get Lassie!"

BJM said...

rcocean said...
I flipped through the New Yorker last week, and was amazed at how bad the cartoons are now.


The New Yorker cartoons were cleverly arch and occasionally inscrutable but always eagerly anticipated. Booth's dogs and Mankoff's captains of industry were favorites.

Even the stuff-WASPy-Easterners-like ads in the back of the magazine have declined. In the 70's I mail ordered a sleek, modern Swedish stainless steel and teak cheese plane, it cost almost a week's pay. It is still in use, solid and sharp as the day it arrived. We bought supple driving mocs and small bundles of fat wood.

The current literary content reflects the times. When everything revolves around tribal politics art suffers the most. Writers in particular must hew to the mindset-of-the-day or be ignored and unpublished.

Even Sci-Fi has been infected by the PC/SJW mind parasites.

mockturtle said...

I miss Gahan Wilson.

Clyde said...

"Mommy, don't take the shutdown of the Village Voice so hard! Think of all the trees that won't have to die to satisfy your anachronistic reading habits!"

Scott M said...

"Fuck off, Timmy. I'm not adulting today."

Earnest Prole said...

Things got a little out of hand -- it's just that lying son of a bitch Trump.

PM said...

"I need to borrow your teddy bear."

tcrosse said...

Timmy, turn around and say Hi to Althouse.

gilbar said...

"isn't 4.2 good enough?"

Qwinn said...

"I've been looking for a single headline in any newspaper about the Village Voice shutting down that uses the adjectives 'leftist' or 'left wing'. So far, just 'groundbreaking', 'venerable' and 'alternative'. I'm going to need more coffee."

dbp said...

Your fort? Your father and I purchased these furnishings and so you did not build this! Now stop sniveling and fetch mommy a nice glass of wine.

southcentralpa said...

There is no Mom. There is only Zuul...

Jon Ericson said...

I miss George Booth.

Sprezzatura said...

"it really makes me feel like lashing back, mostly because I empathize with little kids."

That was exactly my reaction!

It's terrible that that lady did this to her kid.

Shame.

Sprezzatura said...

Althouse and I are sickened by this situation.

Obviously countering this child abuse must be a top priority re blogging re bad stuff re America. We speak out for the children, well at least this one, who is being hurt in America today.

Althouse and I love caring about the wellbeing of children. Thankfully DJT is working tirelessly to help children, esp like the one who was abused by her mother here.


MAGA!

BertBaker said...

Dad! Mom's been watching Wes Anderson again!

Sprezzatura said...

Anywho,

Caption:

"No those aren't dad's feet, he isn't hidden onatop in here doin' what gots ta be done."

wildswan said...

It's called papernews and you lie on your stomach and "read" and it's like being pioneer, the pictures don't move.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Mommy, don't take the shutdown of the Village Voice so hard!


?







My God ! ! !

I went to NYU. The Village Voice... Was the Village's Voice.

I wish I'd known.

Rusty said...

I know you're homeless but that's my fort.

Alex said...

Mommy is a lush who writes a weekly blog for Gender Queer website.

Rumpletweezer said...

"Mom, it's 12 o'clock. Clean up your room, brush your teeth, and go to bed. I've got school tomorrow."