P.S. He looks fairly fat: perhaps he ate all the good parts?
It looks as though there is only one example of each shoe type and colour (except for the shoe on the blue-jeans leglet; there’s a similar shoe next to it), and each leg is unique – three left and one right. ZIG and ZAG presumably refer to the direction each victim was going. Our gatorkeeper is keeping records… from each trespasser he has got one leg or foot (or just shoe) and is noting them down.
Does this represent how alligators really chase people, zigging and zagging and then clamping onto and eventually tearing off one limb?
As to why not arms and heads and so on in the pile, presumably alligators stick low to the ground and don’t rear up and rip off higher-up protruding parts.
Crocs? Alligator skin shoes? I got nuthin’.
I don’t think this is really relevant, but “gaiters” or “gaitors,” usually as part of the phrase “congress gaiters,” were a kind of footwear.
For whatever reasons, I became aware of “gaiter” as a kind of neckwear before the ankle/foot use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neck_gaiter . They seemed somewhat related to dickeys.
@Narmitaj
I believe the “zig” and “zag” boxes are a reference to a relatively popular myth that the best way to escape a charging alligator on land is to run away in a zig zag pattern as alligators allegedly are bad at changing direction and will get confused or tired. In reality, this will only slow you down as you run, and though they don’t look built for running, alligators are capable of outrunning most humans (though only over short distances) and are not likely to find a short zigging and zagging to be confusing. This myth was popular enough to be widely known and disseminated among folks when I was growing up in and around rivers and bayous that had their fair share of alligators.
@Kilby: Good reference; here’s a larger version.
(My old eyes couldn’t really read the one you posted)
@ Phil – Thanks for the enhancement. I didn’t like the one I posted either (especially because I prefer to avoid anything sourced by Pinterest), but the search term that I tried didn’t produce anything better.
Maybe he keeps ‘records’ (feet/shoes) of the people he catches, and some zig and some zag?
I read that you aren’t supposed to do that because it slows you down and makes you easier to catch.
Tineye/Google Images are your friends for finding better versions of a cartoon.
@billytheskink: “Serpentine! Serpentine!” (The In-Laws)
Long ago, just after that movie came out, a buddy and I were at some software sales awards ceremony and had to go up to the dais and pick up awards for our company (to tell you how long ago this was: one of the awards was called “Million in One”, referring to a software product selling $1M in its first year). We almost talked each other into yelling “Serpentine! Serpentine!” and doing it among the tables as we went up. Didn’t quite make it; one more drink and I bet we would have. And yes, we both still regret it.
I thought it might simply be that a ‘gator would start eating at the head and then be full by the time they got to the legs/feet.
I don’t think so. The head isn’t the tastiest part. Or so I hear…yeah, that’s it, that’s what I’ve heard…
How about this: The alligator provides security for businesses, and stops trespassers by biting off their leg. Hard to run away after that. And the legs are there to show his efficiency at doing the job.
@ Mark H. – I like that solution. Too bad that Baldwin didn’t bother drawing a little more of the surroundings, to show the entrances that need protection. It’s not even clear whether the corner on the left side of the desk is an open hallway or not.
Also I wonder if the company name is a take on “Gate Security”.
Gators worn around ankles in 18th century over men’s stockings and shoes.
I like it. But what are those critters supposed to be?
Sloths.
For comparison of the facial markings, here is the sloth named “Flash” from the Disney movie “Zootopia” (or “Zoomania” or “Zootropolis”, depending on your location):
They weren’t really good depictions of sloths, but good enough for me.
@ Brian (25) – I thought the scene with the sloths was incredibly frustrating and annoying, but unfortunately it was also featured prominently in the trailer, which is (partly†) why I made the mistake of not going to see the movie in a theater. Later, when I bought the DVD, I discovered that the rest of the movie is absolutely fantastic.
P.S. † – The other part of the reason being my requirement to find a theater showing the movie in English. This is frequently possible in Berlin, but there’s no guarantee, since the Sony Center closed its “Original Version” multiplex several years ago.
Comics I Don't Understand 
Even Baldwin’s alligators wear glasses.
P.S. He looks fairly fat: perhaps he ate all the good parts?
It looks as though there is only one example of each shoe type and colour (except for the shoe on the blue-jeans leglet; there’s a similar shoe next to it), and each leg is unique – three left and one right. ZIG and ZAG presumably refer to the direction each victim was going. Our gatorkeeper is keeping records… from each trespasser he has got one leg or foot (or just shoe) and is noting them down.
Does this represent how alligators really chase people, zigging and zagging and then clamping onto and eventually tearing off one limb?
There is a real company called Gator Security in Florida – https://www.gatorsecurity.com/
As to why not arms and heads and so on in the pile, presumably alligators stick low to the ground and don’t rear up and rip off higher-up protruding parts.
Crocs? Alligator skin shoes? I got nuthin’.
I don’t think this is really relevant, but “gaiters” or “gaitors,” usually as part of the phrase “congress gaiters,” were a kind of footwear.
For whatever reasons, I became aware of “gaiter” as a kind of neckwear before the ankle/foot use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neck_gaiter . They seemed somewhat related to dickeys.
@Narmitaj
I believe the “zig” and “zag” boxes are a reference to a relatively popular myth that the best way to escape a charging alligator on land is to run away in a zig zag pattern as alligators allegedly are bad at changing direction and will get confused or tired. In reality, this will only slow you down as you run, and though they don’t look built for running, alligators are capable of outrunning most humans (though only over short distances) and are not likely to find a short zigging and zagging to be confusing. This myth was popular enough to be widely known and disseminated among folks when I was growing up in and around rivers and bayous that had their fair share of alligators.
@Kilby: Good reference; here’s a larger version.
(My old eyes couldn’t really read the one you posted)
@ Phil – Thanks for the enhancement. I didn’t like the one I posted either (especially because I prefer to avoid anything sourced by Pinterest), but the search term that I tried didn’t produce anything better.
From “The In-laws”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079336/quotes?item=qt0136887
Vince Ricardo (Peter Falk): Serpentine, Shelly. Serpentine!
(I.e zig-zag, to escape attack)
Maybe he keeps ‘records’ (feet/shoes) of the people he catches, and some zig and some zag?
I read that you aren’t supposed to do that because it slows you down and makes you easier to catch.
https://www.sporcle.com/blog/2020/02/why-do-people-zig-zag-when-running-from-crocodiles/
Tineye/Google Images are your friends for finding better versions of a cartoon.
@billytheskink: “Serpentine! Serpentine!” (The In-Laws)
Long ago, just after that movie came out, a buddy and I were at some software sales awards ceremony and had to go up to the dais and pick up awards for our company (to tell you how long ago this was: one of the awards was called “Million in One”, referring to a software product selling $1M in its first year). We almost talked each other into yelling “Serpentine! Serpentine!” and doing it among the tables as we went up. Didn’t quite make it; one more drink and I bet we would have. And yes, we both still regret it.
I thought it might simply be that a ‘gator would start eating at the head and then be full by the time they got to the legs/feet.
I don’t think so. The head isn’t the tastiest part. Or so I hear…yeah, that’s it, that’s what I’ve heard…
How about this: The alligator provides security for businesses, and stops trespassers by biting off their leg. Hard to run away after that. And the legs are there to show his efficiency at doing the job.
@ Mark H. – I like that solution. Too bad that Baldwin didn’t bother drawing a little more of the surroundings, to show the entrances that need protection. It’s not even clear whether the corner on the left side of the desk is an open hallway or not.
Also I wonder if the company name is a take on “Gate Security”.
Gators worn around ankles in 18th century over men’s stockings and shoes.
I like it. But what are those critters supposed to be?
Sloths.
For comparison of the facial markings, here is the sloth named “Flash” from the Disney movie “Zootopia” (or “Zoomania” or “Zootropolis”, depending on your location):
They weren’t really good depictions of sloths, but good enough for me.
@ Brian (25) – I thought the scene with the sloths was incredibly frustrating and annoying, but unfortunately it was also featured prominently in the trailer, which is (partly†) why I made the mistake of not going to see the movie in a theater. Later, when I bought the DVD, I discovered that the rest of the movie is absolutely fantastic.
P.S. † – The other part of the reason being my requirement to find a theater showing the movie in English. This is frequently possible in Berlin, but there’s no guarantee, since the Sony Center closed its “Original Version” multiplex several years ago.