I was mowing the lawn one day and a woman was walking her collie past our house. I remember thinking about that old Lassie cliche “What’s that, boy? Timmy fell in the well?!”
So I started playing with other things that Lassie might tell her owners:
“What’s that boy? Timmy’s perfectly fine in every way?!”
“What’s that boy? You’re tired of constantly telling us about Timmy?!”
“What’s that boy? ‘Bark, bark, bark?!’?
A few days later I was reading the paper and the phrase “paradigm shift” popped out at me, I remembered the Lassie idea, and put the two together.
It’s kind of an odd cartoon, but it’s one of my favorites. (And probably the best dog I’ve ever drawn!)
* * * * *
About the Author: Mark Anderson’s cartoons appear in publications including The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. Anderson is the creator of the popular cartoon website, Andertoons.com, where he licenses his cartoons for presentations, newsletters and other projects. He blogs at Andertoons cartoon blog.
Chris
This is another that made me LOL as soon as I read it. I always use the “What’s that, boy?” line in my home with my own pup, so this made me smile. I like the way the guy in front is bending down to listen closely, too.
And I agree, very nice dog, Mark!
Cute. You’ve drawn the collie spot on. What makes it for me are the expressions on their faces.
Martin Lindeskog
Mark,
This one I don’t really get. Could you please explain or give me more clues? It could maybe be similar to a “kitchy” painting / sculpture with a boy who is saying something to the dog like this: “Only if you could talk…”
Maybe I have a hard time to get it due to the fact that I am a cat person! 😉
Anyway, Have a nice weekend! 🙂
TJ McCue
@Martin
Lassie is an American icon and hero from a television program. It no longer airs, but it is in the American psyche for a certain generation, including mine. Lassie and Timmy got into fixes, but Lassie almost always came to the rescue. Sometimes it was Lassie who got rescued, but usually Timmy.
And the owners of the dog could tell that Lassie was always trying to tell them something important.
Franchise Information
I remember that American TV Series that follows the adventures of a female rough collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. It was one of the longest running dramatic series on television.
Thanks for reminding me of this.
Martin Lindeskog
TJ: Thanks for the information. I have seen some episodes of the TV series, but I didn’t remember it so I couldn’t “fetch” the bone like a dog at the gekko! 😉