Mark H. submitted this Frazz as an OY, admitting that it “Took me a minute…” (to get the joke). However, since at least one Editor still doesn’t understand it, a CIDU has been added to the tags. Perhaps Mark would be so kind…?
This Carpe Diem panel was submitted back in July by James Riendeau, who wrote, “Carpe Diem tends to be one I frequently do not get, but today’s was a real head-scratcher. It must be a cultural reference I’m not familiar with.”
Niklas Eriksson is Swedish; those “P”-Jackets might actually be worn there, but I sort of doubt it.
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Solution: The “P” stands for “parking”; the guy is a meter reader, and he’s writing a ticket for the “parked” whale.
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P.S. Claes Oldenberg was the only real mystery, the rest of them were fairly clear.
Early voting has started. The US election will soon be over … maybe.
Some of you likely came across this a few days ago, when Danny Boy in the comments, but it’s worth another chuckle.
This cartoon circulating around the internet probably qualifies as a CIDU, but the joke depends on a wordplay, so I’m posting it here.
I searched for the original source, but couldn’t find it in the many, many times it has been posted on the internet before I saw it this week.
Comics I Don't Understand 
OK, that makes two CIDUs for me in one OY post: the first one (“roly-poly”), and the second to last (“punch bowl”). It’s Saturday, and I’m too lazy to think, so I would be grateful for explanations.
Ben Franklin was a polymath, that is, someone who was well-versed in a variety of knowledge sectors.
(The lettering splitting the word between two lines within Caufield’s speech bubble is probably the primary source of confusion here.)
A rotund (one might say “well-rounded”) polymath could thus be described as a “roly-polymath”. Except that I believe the “poly-” prefix is pronounced differently from the rhyming couplet “roly-poly”.
Kilby, the joke in the punch one is that there is no punchline.
gol (groan out loud)
Powers has it–it’s a an attempt to use “polymath” in a punchline. The line break kind of ruins it, though.
I suspect Frazz’s line break is intentional. I’m not a big fan of puns that are visual but not auditory, particularly when the characters are shown engaging in a conversation. In “real life” how would Caulfield have pronounced it? In roly-poly both Os are long; in polymath, the O is short.
Claes’s works were generally oversized soft sculptures of everyday objects. So miniatures of that would just be everyday objects.
@Dvandom, I think you’re more correct than the comic itself…: Claes Oldenburg “miniatures” should be regular-sized everyday objects….right?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Oldenburg#Gallery
(My history with Claes Oldenburg’s work: My classical-music-loving recently-deceased mother would often take us children to performances of the Las Vegas Symphony… and outside the UNLV Performing Arts Center was Oldenburg’s “The Flashlight” … and as I got older and learned to play the cello, I actually performed in that concert hall once with the regional youth orchestra. The funny thing is that it took a few years of attending concerts there before I understand that the sculpture was supposed to be a flashlight.
https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/beacon-shining-night
@Xine Fury I let out an explosive laugh when I read the explanation. I think it was because of the wonderful timing in your sentence.
Today’s Bizarro is an OY!
Wouldn’t it be the patients who have the back issues?
*is* back issues, or *are* back issues?
I like the selections of back issue publications and the covers shown on the rack. And the very back newspaper on the chair.
El Cucui, thank you for sharing those memories.
This Sunday Bizarro is an OY plus Geezer Alert.
I do like the bizarre hipness of those characters!
MiB asks “Wouldn’t it be the patients who have the back issues?”
Good point. Also picked up I think by Bizarro senior partner Piraro when he comments “But…didn’t you come here for back issues?” while recapping Wayno’s cartoons for the week at his blog https://www.bizarro.com/blog/2024/10/27/the-groovy-seventies
Need another OY? Bizarro keeps ’em coming!
Relevant contributions are always welcome, but if you submit them (via the form), then they can be added to a future post that still has “slim” dimensions.