Monday, December 19, 2011

Bill Woodman: The Funniest Cartoon in the World


We've talked about magazine gag cartoon cliches before. The one and only Bill Woodman puts them all together in one image (above). Here are a few of the cliches that encompass The Funniest Cartoon in the World, from the May 1973 issue of National Lampoon.



  • Psychiatrist's couch
  • Man on bed of nails
  • Flying carpet
  • Mountain clmber thwarted by goat
  • Elopement
  • Patent office
  • Stork w/baby
  • Bum
  • Counting sheep
  • St. Bernard w/whiskey barrel
  • 2 people wearing horse costume




  • Cannibals
  • Large fish eating medium sized fish eating small fish, etc.
  • Prisoner
  • Wife in bathrobe, curlers & holding rolling pin as weapon
  • Man in desert
  • Boxer
  • Shackled pilgrim
  • Mermaid
  • Wishing well
  • Guy painting himself into corner
  • "End is Near" protest sign




  • UFO
  • Suicidal businessman ready to jump
  • Bandaged-up guy in hospital bed
  • Father throwing daughter and illegit infant into cold, cruel world
  • Shark fins
And those cliche signs:
  • "Eat at Joe's"
  • "Out to Lunch"
  • "Watch Your Hat and Coat"
  • "Beware of Dog"
  • "The World is Coming to an End"

And, while we're in 1973, here are a few more scans. First, the great cover by Warren Sattler of Ralph Nader as Dick Tracy:




And some great adverts:




 A big hat tip to Sam Henderson for telling me about The Funniest Cartoon in the World!!

EDIT: the next evening, December 20, 2011, I had the opportunity to have dinner in Portland, ME with Bill Woodman.

From left: me, Bill Woodman, Jeff Pert and David Jacobson.




1 comment:

Karen said...

I remember every single one of those ads.

1970s counter-culture was so damn much fun.