My Pets Help me Write Animal Cartoons

How to Become a Slightly Warped Cartoonist: Part 8

Previously I said I rarely draw cartoons about things from my life. Drawing about my pets is an exception to that rule.

How can you look at a cat with its head in a toilet and not laugh,

Plumbing Cartoon 7038

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or wonder about your status in the world when you’re scooping doggy poop?

9005_dog_cartoon.gif

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In most of my animal cartoons, though, the humor revolves around animals acting like people. For example, what do dogs do when they want something? They beg. What do people do when they want something? They go to a bank.

Banking Cartoon 5258

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And if they don’t qualify for a loan, do they have other options?

The biggest cliché about cats is that they have nine lives. If cats are like average people, they probably have must-see TV.

Is there a downside to having nine lives?

Insurance Cartoon 7355

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The biggest cliché about elephants is that they never forget. What’s the opposite of that? Elephants never remember. What’s another cliché about forgetfulness? You never forget how to ride a bicycle. What’s the opposite of that? You never remember how to ride a bicycle. Combine the two, and Aha!

Bike Cartoon 6724: A bike racer saying to an elephant that's just fallen off a bicycle, "Sure elephants never forget. You can't even remember how to ride a bicycle."

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A cliché about bears is that they s**t in the woods? What else might they do in the woods? Previously I said that sticking a bureaucrat into almost any fairy tale should give you a few cartoon ideas. Actually, sticking a bureaucrat almost anywhere outside of a cubicle can produce funny situations.

And what if the bureaucrat is a bear? Who’s the best-known government bear? Smokey Bear.

And what if the bear is forgetful?

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Do chickens have free will? Is it their destiny to get to the other side? Do they even want to get to the other side?

Chicken Cartoon 7385: A chicken in front of a "Chicken Crossing? sign pushing another into the road saying, "It's your turn. I crossed the road yesterday."

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BTW, mchumor.com’s cartoons have been tested on lab animals, and 95% of them died laughing.

In tomorrow’s post I’ll talk about generating ideas while doing mundane stuff.

Came in the Middle of the Series? Go to Part 1

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