The Cartoon
Encyclopedia
"The Cartoon" is the 169th episode of the NBC
sitcom Seinfeld
. This was the 13th episode for the 9th and final season. It aired on January 29, 1998.
The episode was inspired by comedienne Kathy Griffin
's ridiculing Jerry Seinfeld during a stand-up comedy
performance on HBO where she alleged that he was rude to her during her first appearance on the sitcom, in the episode "The Doll". Seinfeld was so amused by this that he wrote her a humorous letter congratulating her for it (reprinted in her memoir, Official Book Club Selection) added the clip of her routine as well as a clip of her being interviewed about the incident by Conan O'Brien
to a video shown to audiences at Seinfeld tapings and had it written into the series. Griffin said, given that this was one of the final ten episodes of Seinfeld, "I felt like it was part of history-making television". Griffin and Seinfeld have remained friendly in the years since.
This episode was also notable for his subtle criticism towards the cartoon
s published in The New Yorker
, which none of the characters seem to understand. The episode's writer, Bruce Eric Kaplan
, had himself contributed many cartoons to The New Yorker, and he drew upon some of his own experiences for this part of the plot. Elaine
tries to contribute to the magazine with a simpler and understandable cartoon, but ends up subconsciously lifting
a Ziggy joke. This part of the storyline was later remembered by the media when in 2008 Jessica Seinfeld
was falsely accused of plagiarizing a cookbook
.
again gets Jerry
into trouble, by revealing what he truly thinks of Susan Ross's old college roommate Sally Weaver (Kathy Griffin
).
Elaine
obsesses over the meaning of a cartoon that appears in The New Yorker
. Elaine and later Kramer comments that George's
new girlfriend (Tracy Nelson
) looks a lot like Jerry. In fact Kramer tells George, "Just because they look alike, that doesn't mean you're secretly in love with Jerry." Jerry confronts Kramer's frankness. Sally claims that Jerry has ruined her life and she's quitting the business. Jerry can't have that on his conscience; he talks her back into the business. Kramer makes an important life decision: the only way to keep his mouth shut is to stop talking. Before he finally stops talking, Kramer's constant references to the looks of George's girlfriend drive George out of Jerry's apartment.
Elaine goes to The New Yorker
offices to seek an explanation for the cartoon. She discovers that the editor (Paul Benedict
) didn't understand the cartoon either – he simply "liked the kitty". Sally opens her new one-woman show about "Jerry Seinfeld, the Devil". Elaine's complaint gets her the opportunity to do her own cartoon for the magazine. Jerry confronts Sally about the content of her show. Newman
is her biggest fan; finally, he can see a "show that is about something". Kramer discovers the disadvantages of not talking. George worries about why he really likes his girlfriend. A clip of Sally's show appears on Channel 9 news; it features Jerry's latest confrontation with her. Jerry calls Sally and the message he leaves on her answering machine appears in her show as well. Later the lawsuit he filed appears in her cable special. Jerry decides to cut off all communication with Sally. Elaine's first comic appears in The New Yorker. J. Peterman thinks it is a great cartoon until he realizes it is a Ziggy.
George and his girlfriend discuss their relationship, until she gets chewing gum in her hair. Sally starts talking to the silent Kramer, until he can't take it anymore. He tells her to shut up, then he apologizes and says that he hasn't spoken for days. Sally tells him to lay it on her. To remove the gum from her hair, George's girlfriend cuts her hair; her new hairstyle looks exactly like Jerry's. Sally's new cable show is about to come on and Jerry is convinced she'll have nothing to talk about, and is proven wrong because Kramer talked with Sally at Monk's Coffee Shop
. George decides to take a few days off from his "relationship" with Jerry.
.
Elaine: ...And he said I could submit some of my own cartoons.
Jerry: Wow! That's incredible...but you don't draw.
Elaine: I do too.
Jerry: What, your sad little horsies? The house with the little curl of smoke? The sunflower with the smiley face? The transparent cube...
Elaine: [as she leaves] It's better than your drawings of naked Lois Lane
.
Jerry: Where did you see that? Those are private!
Elaine [reading Kramer's note]: The pig says, "My wife is a slut"?!
Jerry: Now that's a complaint.
Sally (on TV): I have two words for you, Jerry Seinfeld—[bleep censor
] you.
.
wrote that the episode was "funny all the way, because of writing mostly true to the characters." Barbara Vancheri of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
gave the episode a "7.5" on a ten-point scale.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. This was the 13th episode for the 9th and final season. It aired on January 29, 1998.
The episode was inspired by comedienne Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
's ridiculing Jerry Seinfeld during a stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
performance on HBO where she alleged that he was rude to her during her first appearance on the sitcom, in the episode "The Doll". Seinfeld was so amused by this that he wrote her a humorous letter congratulating her for it (reprinted in her memoir, Official Book Club Selection) added the clip of her routine as well as a clip of her being interviewed about the incident by Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
to a video shown to audiences at Seinfeld tapings and had it written into the series. Griffin said, given that this was one of the final ten episodes of Seinfeld, "I felt like it was part of history-making television". Griffin and Seinfeld have remained friendly in the years since.
This episode was also notable for his subtle criticism towards the cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s published in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, which none of the characters seem to understand. The episode's writer, Bruce Eric Kaplan
Bruce Eric Kaplan
Bruce Eric Kaplan, known as BEK, is an American cartoonist whose single-panel cartoons frequently appear in The New Yorker. His cartoons are known for their signature simplistic style and often dark humor. Kaplan is also a screenwriter and has worked on Seinfeld and on Six Feet Under...
, had himself contributed many cartoons to The New Yorker, and he drew upon some of his own experiences for this part of the plot. Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
tries to contribute to the magazine with a simpler and understandable cartoon, but ends up subconsciously lifting
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
a Ziggy joke. This part of the storyline was later remembered by the media when in 2008 Jessica Seinfeld
Jessica Seinfeld
Jessica Seinfeld is the wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, author of two cookbooks about preparing food for children and the whole family, and founder of Baby Buggy, a New York City Charitable organization that provides essential gear, clothing and products for families in need throughout the five...
was falsely accused of plagiarizing a cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
.
Plot
KramerCosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
again gets Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
into trouble, by revealing what he truly thinks of Susan Ross's old college roommate Sally Weaver (Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
).
Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
obsesses over the meaning of a cartoon that appears in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. Elaine and later Kramer comments that George's
George Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
new girlfriend (Tracy Nelson
Tracy Nelson (actress)
Tracy Kristine Nelson is an American actress.-Early life:Tracy Nelson is a third generation performer; her parents were Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Nelson and actress/artist Kristin Nelson . She has three younger siblings: Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson of the '90s rock group Nelson,...
) looks a lot like Jerry. In fact Kramer tells George, "Just because they look alike, that doesn't mean you're secretly in love with Jerry." Jerry confronts Kramer's frankness. Sally claims that Jerry has ruined her life and she's quitting the business. Jerry can't have that on his conscience; he talks her back into the business. Kramer makes an important life decision: the only way to keep his mouth shut is to stop talking. Before he finally stops talking, Kramer's constant references to the looks of George's girlfriend drive George out of Jerry's apartment.
Elaine goes to The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
offices to seek an explanation for the cartoon. She discovers that the editor (Paul Benedict
Paul Benedict
Paul Benedict was an American actor who made numerous appearances in television and movies beginning in the 1960s...
) didn't understand the cartoon either – he simply "liked the kitty". Sally opens her new one-woman show about "Jerry Seinfeld, the Devil". Elaine's complaint gets her the opportunity to do her own cartoon for the magazine. Jerry confronts Sally about the content of her show. Newman
Newman (Seinfeld)
Newman is a recurring character on the television show Seinfeld, played by Wayne Knight from 1991 until the show's finale in 1998.-Background:...
is her biggest fan; finally, he can see a "show that is about something". Kramer discovers the disadvantages of not talking. George worries about why he really likes his girlfriend. A clip of Sally's show appears on Channel 9 news; it features Jerry's latest confrontation with her. Jerry calls Sally and the message he leaves on her answering machine appears in her show as well. Later the lawsuit he filed appears in her cable special. Jerry decides to cut off all communication with Sally. Elaine's first comic appears in The New Yorker. J. Peterman thinks it is a great cartoon until he realizes it is a Ziggy.
George and his girlfriend discuss their relationship, until she gets chewing gum in her hair. Sally starts talking to the silent Kramer, until he can't take it anymore. He tells her to shut up, then he apologizes and says that he hasn't spoken for days. Sally tells him to lay it on her. To remove the gum from her hair, George's girlfriend cuts her hair; her new hairstyle looks exactly like Jerry's. Sally's new cable show is about to come on and Jerry is convinced she'll have nothing to talk about, and is proven wrong because Kramer talked with Sally at Monk's Coffee Shop
Monk's Cafe
Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The exterior of Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University, is often shown on the show as the exterior of Monk's, though the interiors were shot on a sound stage. The coffee shop is...
. George decides to take a few days off from his "relationship" with Jerry.
Memorable quotes
Kramer: You know what woman I always thought you looked like? Lena HorneLena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
.
Elaine: ...And he said I could submit some of my own cartoons.
Jerry: Wow! That's incredible...but you don't draw.
Elaine: I do too.
Jerry: What, your sad little horsies? The house with the little curl of smoke? The sunflower with the smiley face? The transparent cube...
Elaine: [as she leaves] It's better than your drawings of naked Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
.
Jerry: Where did you see that? Those are private!
Elaine [reading Kramer's note]: The pig says, "My wife is a slut"?!
Jerry: Now that's a complaint.
Sally (on TV): I have two words for you, Jerry Seinfeld—[bleep censor
Bleep censor
A bleep censor is the replacement of profanity or classified information with a beep sound , in television or radio...
] you.
Superman Reference
While Jerry is teasing Elaine about her drawings, she mentions that she has seen his drawings of a naked Lois LaneLois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
.
Reception
Vance Durgin of The Orange County RegisterThe Orange County Register
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
wrote that the episode was "funny all the way, because of writing mostly true to the characters." Barbara Vancheri of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
gave the episode a "7.5" on a ten-point scale.