The Truth About Jellybeans

Happy Saturday, Jazz Pickles. We've been hard at work here at Bizarro Studios North, and are pleased to share the most recent output from our staff.

It's not clear how the inmate can smoke while sucking on a pacifier, but you never know what you're capable of if you're in the joint long enough.

Tuesday's gag was partly inspired by my good pal and bandmate Tom. He loves to share music from his collection of early jazz 78s, and he does wear a nineteenth-century derby from time to time. Tom doesn't smoke cigarettes, but the cell phone he carries is the closest modern equivalent to a vintage candlestick model.
 

The technology depicted in the cartoon is similar to a real business that existed in Pittsburgh for more than sixty years. Many bars and restaurants around town had a large wooden speaker cabinet tucked away in a corner. On top of the speaker sat a black telephone with a coin slot, but no dial or buttons. When a customer dropped a quarter in the slot, a kindly lady would answer and ask what song the patron wanted to hear. She'd almost always find the requested number in their giant library of records. The Telephone Music Service is long gone, but Pittsburghers "of a certain age" remember it with affection. 

Even if you never studied Greek mythology, you probably recognize Sisyphus. Like the Grim Reaper, Mister Peanut, Satan, and Saint Peter, good old Sisyphus is one of those characters cartoonists love to play with. His punishment of perpetually pushing a boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down is an apt metaphor for a multitude of human activities.

In my first sketch, the character looked more like a teenager, and he was pushing a giant wiffle ball.

While we know that dogs and wolves evolved from a common ancestor, toy breeds such as chihuahuas make it a little hard to believe.

Our Friday cartoon is a cautionary tale, reminding kids to beware when Easter falls on April Fools' Day.

We generally avoid basing a cartoon on a pun, unless it's unique and surprising. This one was suggested to Dan by a reader, and we worked for a while to come up with an image for it. On its own, that wasn't quite enough, but the caption adds some commentary on the dearth of new ideas in popular culture.

Speaking of reboots, Dan Piraro's site, bizarro.com, has undergone a snazzy transformation thanks to the super-big-brained-genius team who redesigned it. You're strongly encouraged to check it out, and read Dan's recap of the week's funnies.

Thanks for following, reading, sharing, and commenting on Bizarro. We appreciate every reader.

Have a great week, and think twice before dipping into a child's Easter basket.