Halloween CIDUs

… and some non-CIDUs



The joke is clear, if hackneyed by now, but what would the kids tip? A 20% trick?

This execution of the same joke is a bit clearer, since it’s the kid asking for money.


Not so much a CIDU as “way too much work”. Post individual clue solutions in the comments. FYI, complete solution is here.


This one tripped me up, because I assumed a Pumpkin Spice Latte only had the spices used in pumpkin pie. This used to be true: introduced in 2003, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte contained only the spices, and no pumpkin. That made sense. Who thinks steak sauce has steak in it? or shrimp sauce has shrimp in it? Or awlspice has an awl in it? But, in response to complaints, in 2015 they reformulated to add some pumpkin puree. That was really unnecessary, because a bit of pumpkin puree adds little taste. But this does mean Blazek’s joke actually works.


Not a CIDU, but definitely an Ewww.


Not a CIDU, either, but cute.


And one last nod to Peanuts:




And, finally, an OY


There’s this synchronicity, sent in by Nebulous:


Independence Day

It’s interesting that the white character in this comic from 1976 is named Nate. Much later, Nate Bargatze will have a similar theme in this now well-known SNL skit:







On a serious note, it is always worth pondering the end of Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Speech:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”


Sunday Funnies – LOLs – June 29, 2025

Again, Again!


JMcAndrew notes: “He’s pretending to be having a medical emergency? A seizure? Allergic Reaction? As a way to entertain his grandchild on video chat? Why?”

Parisi is 64, about the age to have young grandchildren. I’ve done this with my grandchildren, who are always amused, and usually want me to do it again.



JMcAndrew sends this in: “I have to agree with Ditto. It’s ridiculous that they only have 3 birthday candles and her plan was to just hope her 6-year-old wasn’t perceptive enough to notice. Is the family in such financial hardship that they can’t afford some new birthday candles? This is sad more than funny but I like how mad Lois looks here as she cuts the candles in half.”



In honor of the past week’s heat dome:


What’s in a Shirt?

As these first two strips show, Charlie Brown’s shirt had already become an icon just six months after Peanuts began syndication, and Schulz created a number of gags on the topic.


There is danger in innovation:


Nevertheless, the rewards can be satisfying:


Do clothes make the man?


Mark Parisi frequently uses Peanuts characters in “Off the Mark“, and has produced a number of gags based on Charlie Brown’s shirt.


This one is directly from Parisi’s OtM website, because it predates the archive at GoComics:


Reworking the coloration produces an alternative gag:


As this screenshot from one of the TV specials shows, Schulz was well aware of Charlie Brown’s selection dilemma: