Cops and trees is my favorite.

ok, the Tree one is totally my favourite, and the rest tie for second. LOVE the "tassels" one. Jeez, it's funny already, can't they just publish it and not over-analyze it to death - literally?

And speaking of death, the life cycle of garbage took me a few minutes to understand (maybe because of the size of font vis a vis my aged eyes), but once I got it I think I shed a tear. Just a little one.

Guess I'm part of the target audience that doesn't count, because I think all of these are brilliant! the Grim Reaper one... maybe they didn't notice the fluffy slippers? What if you added bunny ears...? too funny. Poor old Grim Reaper

Thanks for the first few chuckles of the day, Bob

I thought they were all great, Bob. The GPS one made me spit out my coffee! P. S. Fluffy slippers always help.

Fantastic. I LOVE you stuff. Thanks Bob, you're great!

Laughed out loud at Sasquatch with a walker. :-) And smiled at the rest. Thanks for cheering up a drab Friday, Bob.

Bob, thanks for a look at more of your humorous cartoon collection. Sasquatch might want to call "The Scooter Store" to upgrade to a motorized scooter.

We have a tie between Sasquatch and the Grim Reaper. After a witnessing an actor dressed as the Grim Reaper get on a hospital elevator and request "four please" to give a nurse a surprise bouquets of black balloon for her 4oth birthday, the hospital adminstration outlawed the practice of allowing people in costume into the Hospital, except as ER patients. The Grim Reaper at the hospital scared the patients. I thought it was funny.

These are great ! Everyone a winner.

This was fun and these were funny. It's interesting to get just a hint of the thoughts that go through you mind during your creative and "post-creative" processes, Bob.
Rated

Last week I read a copy of, "The Rejection Collection: Cartoons You Never Saw, and Never Will See, in The New Yorker," and some of those reject cartoons were way funnier than some of the stuff that was actually published.

The same applies here! Some of your rejects are pretty damn funny! Editors... bah, humbug!

Like the new banner you have.
Tree joke was good. And I liked death watching tv, but with bunny slippers he'd be even funnier.

Great stuff Bob. I like the tree in the forest the best.

Thanks for all the comments.

Karin, I'm so done putting rabbit ears on the grim reaper, seriously, I have my standards.

Russ, in my personal experience the editors are often right. I've learned a tremendous amount from editors as well, especially in my writing for magazines–of course it depends and it's case by case (I even belong to the minority here at OS that finds that the editors almost always provide a better headline for our stories).

But the cartoons I've sold are hands down better than the work I get a chance to show others (unfortunately). Wish I could compare and contrast here but I'm actually not allowed to now as even those "held" are frozen by those deciding on whether or not they want to publish them. So many of my cartoons (the funny ones) are in limbo for up to three months before released back to me. By that time they're stale! I originally made this post a couple of days ago with other cartoons (I colored them for the post!) but had to remove them for the reasons above.

By the way, just for some closure regarding the The Rejection Collection book; I did a piece three years earlier published in Details magazine also a Conde Nast publisher on Cartoons Rejected by The New Yorker. The guy who did the Rejection Collection is Matt Diffee who probably wasn't aware of my piece (although at the time it get press including a retort from the NYer) and is not only a really nice guy but I'm the biggest fan of his cartoons–he's funny funny. His book, ironically was published by SSE and by same people at same time as my snowman book.

I actually just had a cartoon appear in the Times and have a couple of cartoons coming out in the NYer hopefully soon (they don't tell you the exact date-you just have to keep looking for your cartoon).

Thanks, Marcelle. I'm actually now beginning to soften my stance about bunny ears and grim reapers. I believe I've made a terrible mistake. Should have trusted Karin's instincts.

Smartass Ideas For the Home refers to a new project I'm trying to get off the ground involving my house.

The his and hers GPS's made me laugh out loud. The other cartoons - not so much.

Sending virtual shekels and release forms. Why, if I were an editor...

You've made my day! The trees thing killed me.

Maybe Death should have been wearing fuzzy bunny slippers and watching an infomercial about miracle weight loss pills. Just saying...

I laughed at many, and chuckled at some. But the grim reaper in a Lay-Zee-Boy with flipflops on? :-D

Loved the tree one and man, I could of used those GPSs once upon a time.

Thumbed for cartoonerificness.

I really don't know how you could have missed with grizzly bears and hats. Taken individually, each of those is comedy gold, but together? I mean, come on.

(Seriously, that was my favorite one.)

Tassels didn't load at first, but I'm glad I refreshed the page and finally got to see it. Funny, funny, funny. Glad to hear some stuff will be published soon. You're so good.

most, frankly, fall short, as you say. not that they aren't amusing.

But North Korea is a solid hit. How could anyone fail to see it?

Someone once told me this joke incorrectly:

Q. How do you get down off an elephant?

A. You don't, you down off a duck.

Instead she said

A. You don't, you get off of a duck.

To this day i think that is FAR funnier.

I like Sasquatch, the Grim Reaper and Hats for Grizzlies in particular.

Forgot to add - Bob, it takes a lot of guts to show your "failures".

That tree one -- why didn't I think of that? It seems so obvious now that you've done it :) Brilliant.

REALLY liked the tree cartoon, but I couldn't hear it.

Bob, the Grim Reaper would have sold to right wing publications had you put Obama standing beside his chair.

Loved'em all.
rated

I dont know how "Hats for Grizzlies" could be a failure.

Definitely go with the bunny ears. If the grim reaper is vain enough to worry about the whiteness of his teeth, then surely he's soft enough to wear bunny slippers. I hadn't even read Karen's comment when I made mine, so that's two independent votes for bunny ears.

It used to be, on picking up a new New Yorker, one would first flip through to check out the cartoons. Arno, Addams, Price, et al were reliably risible week after week throughout the years. Now the poetry is funnier than the cartoons, and that ain't funny.
Is it that I'm getting old? No, I'm as funny as ever.
One of the best cartoons ever, by Charles Addams: Interior of a commuter train car, a startled-looking gentleman looking out the window at a giant bare knee under short pants and a giant chubby hand on the control of a transformer.

ooo, just came from the smartass web site, love it!

We have them now! The North Korea tantrum is a fave!

Loved the hats for Grizzlies and I really liked the Death one.

Great. I love the GPS and Sasquatch especially. From a fellow February 27-er.

Each and every one of these is priceless and I feel greedy that we got so many at once. The tree falling in the woods is brilliant and I especially loved the therapy one (duh) and the reality show one. You are one clever guy!

if a man speaks in the forest
and there is no woman to hear him...
is he still wrong?
i LOVE that top one!
what would i owe you if i print 2x and use them in homemade cards (one niece married a state trooper, another, fbi)? $2/ea ok?
it would be worth whatever i gotta do re: that TIP thing.

Sasquatch and a walker. The Grim Reaper wearing fluffy slippers. Great stuff... I needed the laugh. Thank you.

Love these, especially "hats for grizzlies." Anything surreal and farcical gets my attention. I would have bought it. Too bad I'm not an editor.

Tree joke made me laugh out loud. Ditto North Korea. Release form is totally on target. You are not the only person who finds the death cartoon highly amusing... if I count. Sasquatch is almost there, maybe it's the debris in front of him that pulled me away from the concept, which is hilarious. Loved the GPS one too.

But hey, remember, we're all a little weird here. If only they'd pay you to do these for us, you'd have a full time devoted audience.

rated highly

Personally I hate editors. Most are petty despots meat-axing artful creation with blue penciled scrawls.

Is that last Grizzly named Bob?

I liked the grizzly hats. Made me giggle.

I could never give you a fair critique. I laughed....hard, at all of them.
I hope you release more as time goes on Bob. Best wishes......G

GPS my fave, but all are good. All best Bob. Most of us have a bunch of non-usables which need repostings somewhere.

Almost anything with the Grim Reaper in it is bound to be funny, so long as he's not Reaping. (And even then, maybe; what if he was, like, reaping wheat because he needed to build up his stamina or something?)

Whoever didn't want these cartoons is an idiot. These are excellent. Every one of them.

I would agree w Steve's statement....BTW, your clients seem to be your own worst enemies....... and theirs as well!........

The tree cartoon is funny. How did that not sell?

I love them all. The North Korea one is splendid. I don't think the editors who said no to these toons can always see clearly. Stuck in their cubicles, they are sometimes blinded and not to escape from their cubicles. Tree falling in the forest is a classic. Lovely! By the way, Bob,google "The Bindle" and see
my new reading device called, yes, The Bindle. You might even want to
do a cartoon on this and i hereby give you permission to borrow the word BINDLE or even steal, i purposely did not copyright it so anyone can use it and credit not needed. Here is photo of the
new "reading" device:

http://zippy1300.blogspot.com/2009/08/introducing-bindle-new-reading-device.html

These are brilliant, Bob, thank you for sharing them! Following the lead of other comments, my faves and a wish: My favourites are the GPS and the North Korea jokes. For me, an avid Terry Pratchett fan, the Grim Reaper was adequately clad but I feel designator is on to something: maybe a Sasquatch on a Segway? (That might be more of a comment on my personal prejudice against gadgets than your art, of course. ) Off to check out the Smartass House and thank you for the link to Free Range Kids. What a wild concept, sane - as opposed to safe - parenting, who knew?

I'm in awe of anyone who can think this way and then create a visual of it...no explaining needed.

Thanks, I really appreciate the kind words. Too bad about sharing my bottom of barrel, it really is a bit embarrassing especially when so many go out of their way to be encouraging, but I really enjoy participating on OS and this time around that's what I had to share.

Dan Bloom's site he mentions above IS really neat.

Old Gold (& anyone else interested), if you would like to use an image for personal use like a birthday card, etc. send me your personal email address on PM and I'll be able to email you a high re, printable version of the cartoon for you to print. No need to pay or tip me anything but in exchange you have to check out my website Today's Snowman. it doesn't cost anything–just want people to enjoy the stuff there. It's alot of fun!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're the best. Your presence on this blog makes all of us look better.

Great, funny cartoonist, but, ultimately, I think, a better hockey player. Always pinched at the right time and saw the right passing lanes.

Great, funny cartoonist, but, ultimately, I think, a better hockey player. Always pinched at the right time and saw the right passing lanes.

Dear goodness, Roger, I hope that's not the meds talking! You're too kind to me. I want you to totally trash me next time you comment to keep my ego in check

Holy MOSES! Jeff Stein, fantastic to hear from you. How's school? How's your writing? I have a new great game I'm in if you're interested on wednesday nights indoors on upper East Side.

The Grim Reaper watching infomercials is hilarious!

The image of the Grim Reaper as a middle class schmo cracks me up--The Reaper mowing the lawn, The Reaper trying to program his TIVO, The Reaper rocking out to Blue Oyster Cult--I am laughing just thinking about this.
Oh, and the The Grim Reaper in his Lazy-boy reading "How to Play Chess" would also be hilarious.

I loved His and Hers GPS.

Hilarious.

Thank God we can't see what each other is thinking. There would be more divorce than there is already.

d

All of them are just as good as any I've seen in the New Yorker. Usually about half the ones in a typical magazine make me laugh. I could show the same magazine to my husband and he would laugh at the other half. The one of yours that really made me laugh out loud was Sasquatch. The majority of the rest were funny, and your drawings are great.

Well, at least they don't scream for replacing their captions with the default Caption Contest caption:

http://www.modernarthur.com/blog/christwhatanasshole.html

(that is, I think they're better than that).

Thanks for the laughs - these are great - and I can't believe I almost didn't get to see them! They made my afternoon!

Hey Bob, glad to hear you're still playing! Unfortunately, I'll be up in Ithaca till Thanksgiving--I'm trying to pick up roller hockey, but it's pretty tough if you can't rollerblade. Hats for Grizzlies, I think, is my favorite cartoon, but they're all great. I'm gonna try and convince my dad to join you (god knows he could use the exercise!).

I laaauuuughed! Or however you spell that, laughing while scrolling down without stopping laughing. Funny stuff.

You're so gifted the way you make people smile!

Love the GPS one. Also cops and trees... have you heard the joke, "If a man speaks in forest and there's no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong!?"

I particularly enjoyed "Did anyone hear anything?" and "His & Hers GPS." That last one's a keeper!

Bob, I was laughing out loud at the trees, the Sasquatch...oh heck all made me do the spit thing on my keyboard this morning. I so needed these visuals today. Thank you soooo much!

Thanks Sheila...I, of course, read your post and I'm very sorry–you have a lot of friends and support here. All the best.

I want a copy of those groovy grizzlies. Whoever turned those down missed the boat! (Or the bear in the woods.)

Trees and Korea are my favorites. Big smiles from me!

Wow Bob! These are wonderful. Thanks for sharing. Our friend Graham has returned to the OS...he had his troubles reconciled. Hugs Lolly
I have been away but am home now...was in California for three weeks.

I love them all! "bears In Hats" should be, I don't know ...I would send people cards with that on it. And "North Korea" is hilarious.

I wonder if you could incorporate a "Slanket" (aka a "Snuggie") for the grim reaper - it's a meme that has been going around for awhile but still seems to be popular.
You're the best!

See? I *told* you that the Grim Reaper is always funny! What cartoon did they choose for the OS front page?

my favorites were death & infomercials, the shrink with tassels, and the his and her gps'

Glad these all saw the light of day, as they are brilliant. Each time I want to say one is my favorite, I think of another two or three!

Funny!! Rated

liked them all!

Can't believe the cops and trees and the GPS ones didn't sell -- they're much funnier than most cartoons I see published.

It is a pleasure to be able to watch someone who is good at what he does doing what he does.....

Rated....

I love the GPS one. Brilliant as always!

Great!!!. I LOVE your stuff. Thanks!

The tree in the forest is an instant classic. The New Yorker should have run it. You should resubmit it.

"The beauty, and problem, with this cartoon is that any other caption would do. What does that say about it?"
This made me laugh. I think that's extremely clever. It'd be fun to use that image for caption contest and see what people come up with.
I enjoyed seeing your work.