Poynter Online Visual Journalism faculty member Sara Quinn asked Daryl Cagle, editorial cartoonist and editor of Slate.com, what sparked the idea for this cartoon, how the concept evolved, and why it worked.
Published August 8, 2003, Slate.com
What sparked the idea?
The scale cartoon was drawn at a time when the news of the day was about lawsuits filed against fast food and junk food companies. Oreo cookies were in the news at the time, along with McDonald’s.
How did the concept evolve?
Fatty foods can cause obesity — but the consumer is ultimately responsible for what he puts in his own mouth. Everyone likes to blame their problems on someone else, then sue. The cartoon was making fun of people who shirk personal responsibility and blame others for all of their problems.
I don’t apportion my time thinking about one particular cartoon. I have the back of my mind working on it all the time. When I come up with an idea that I like, I jot it down and the idea often doesn’t look as good an hour later. I usually have a list of ideas that I think are pretty good that I haven’t gotten to drawing yet because I was struck by better ideas that I drew up right away. Very often other cartoonists will draw the same ideas I had on my waiting list but just hadn’t gotten to drawing up, and I will throw the concept out. So there is no start and finish thinking time for me.
Why does it work?
Cartoonists like to think of simple, graphic metaphors — in this case, a scale is an obvious choice. I think the cartoon works because it is simple and it implies that it is time to sue because of personal weight reasons without regard to the actions of third parties.
Name: Daryl Cagle
Web site: Slate.com
Education: Santa Barbara City College, UCSB
Also published in: More than 600 newspapers
Something to know about him: Spent 10 years with Jim Henson’s Muppets
