Friday, July 16, 2010

The Far Side of the Wreck

Friday, July 16, 2010

I grew up reading The Far Side. My folks owned several of the books, and I can remember many happy nights curled up with the dry wit and bizarre observations of Mr. Gary Larson. I have no doubt this affected my own somewhat twisted sense of humor, because sometimes - usually after seeing something just a bit off - I'll hear an unmistakably Larson-esque narration start in my head.

You know, kind of like this:


Alone and outnumbered, C3pO did his best to blend in.



After a spritz of soda and a quick scrubbing, no one would ever guess at the dark events that transpired that fateful, frosting-filled night.


"So I says to him, 'Hey, Rabbit, it's my house and I'll hang a singing fish if I want to. And if you don't like his politics, find yourself another honey pot!'"



Bob surveyed his handiwork with pride. If only the Society of Delicate Penmanship and Context-Appropriate Color Coordination could see him now!


Buck couldn't help it: he laughed.

Unfortunately, the hunter's hearing turned out to be much better than his eyesight.


Thanks, Leah W., Julie B., Jaclyn B., Deborah F., & Matt W. You guys are far out.
Rebecca F. said...

The hunter cake is by far my favorite ever.

Anne said...

Oh, I love The Far Side, too! This post makes me want to curl up with both the Cake Wrecks book and the humongous Far Side collector's set during this afternoon's thunderstorm. :)

Anonymous said...

"The moistest cake you've ever tasted!" - just add water.

Poor Chewbaca's head is upside down.

Em said...

The word "moistest" is probably the funniest thing I've read all week. Oh my god.

Anonymous said...

Love the Far Side. You nailed it!

chris said...

Your comments today are simply FANTABULOUS!!

jenn said...

Gary Larson FTW! You did well. He should be proud! :D

bassgirl said...

You've captured the essence of Gary Larson perfectly. Great narratives! Seems like Larson used deer a lot in his comics, so the hunter cake is especially appropriate!

And that sweet Eeyone is such a good listener!

Karen said...

I think that it is Darth Vader who is alone and trying to blend. At least C3PO has a duplicate to keep him company.

Tricia L said...

Oh, Jen, you poor sick woman. Anyway, your commentary was perfect. I think a CW/Far Side book is in order.

Do right-click the first cake to see all the wrecky details. I thought those were Darth Vader picks until I enlarged it. One is Darth, the rest are gorillas and two of them are upside down. Third-shift strikes again.

Sylph said...

oh my.. are those Orcs? why are two of them upside down? why is one of them Darth Vader?

Carol said...

Your best blog post yet! Love the Larson-esque humor. You nailed it!!

Fanboy Wife said...

I love the captions.

By the way, is C3PO in the midst of gorilla cupcake rings?

Little Lucy said...

Wow....you did Larson pretty spot on. Well done!

Anonymous said...

Genius!! I loved the Far Side!

Anonymous said...

Gary Larsen rocks! Great comment choices.

Andrea L. Cole said...

Excellent post! I love the far side myself, and was very excited when I found out I shared a birthday with Gary Larson. This was a lovely homage.

jo said...

OMG Far Side inspired captions! those were great! Encore! maybe that should be a regular feature.

meanwhile, what IS Pooh doing with a pink fish?

the one with the hunter just cracks me up. even the dog is pointing the wrong way. The deer herd looks like it's sneaking off (in plain sight!)

too funny. cracked icing is a bonus.

Anonymous said...

What in God's name are those creatures with poor C3PO? Chewie was brown, not black....not to mention the upside down ones with the gargoyle looking teeth! Hide C3PO! Hide!

Sandy / Boynton Beach said...

Your commentaries are sooo right-on! I love the far side and have a couple of books as well as daily calendars collected over the years.

I don't know which I like better, the Pooh or the Dear Hunter.. both are great.

Thank you so much. This is perfect for my Fri am break...

Jade said...

spot on with your captions. I have many fond memories of the far side. :)

Anonymous said...

wait, how do we know that's not a clueless fisherman? with a very unconventional way of fishing (and the wrong equipment). And he's still screwing it up by being so far from the lake but still! maybe he's hunting some underwater creature that may jump out at any moment! maybe this is a horror film inspired wreck, er, cake.

Anonymous said...

This post is amazing - you nailed it!

Bearess said...

That birthday cake for Stacey looks like it was scrawled either by a really ticked off employee or a registered sex offender stalker who got a job at the bakery knowing that Stacey would get her 27th birthday cake from them and then killed off the other employees on duty that day so that he could write in the creepiest script with the most gruesome color he could find and scare the pants off of Stacey on what should've been the happiest day of her year.

There's a cakey thriller in here somewhere.

Anonymous said...

C3PO gave a sigh of relief after he read on the label that there were no picks or rings. He knew then that Chewbacca would not make this moment even more awkward with a proposal.

Sharon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diana Laurence said...

It figures, something else we have in common: love of Gary Larson. This post killed me. Hey, back in the early 80s I worked at a law firm and recruited a couple dozen people to draw cows, so we could have a gallery display of them and then mail them all to Gary Larson. The firm was rife with Far Side fans. Those were the days!

Sharon said...

C3PO is not alone, there are two, however 2 Chewies (or gorillas) are upside down! Did you notice the label states "12 chocolate cupcakes WITHOUT picks or rings $5". Well, these obviously HAVE picks/rings in them, so what is the REAL price?

LOVE the deer hunting cake with comment!

Sharon's Edible Art

Indi said...

I don't know what those "dark events" are, but I really hope they don't have to do with why it's the "moistest cake ever tasted."

Anonymous said...

@ Bearess...interesting theory. Maybe he was aiming to deliver the cake to her as well, as well as a big sharp knife to cut it....

Lisa said...

Best captions in a long time. This is why I love cake wrecks!

Tiffany in Topeka said...

So perfect!!

Anonymous said...

Loving the Far Side posts. Could have done without the thought of me being old enough to be clustered with "parents who used to read the Far Side books". :/

Anonymous said...

*snort* OH, you'd think I'd learn never to have a cuppa in hand when opening Cakewrecks. *hate that back up the nose thing*

But I do love Larsen's Far Side, even if I did spend countless times trying to 'splain' to dh.

Wonderful, wonderful tie in and spot on observations.

~~Di

WV - tsingei -- I got all tsingei as I read your captions, and remembererd years of Far Side happiness.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant!

Kristen said...

I have never commented before, but I also grew up reading Far Side and I think this is one of the funniest posts you have ever written.

Kristen said...

The hunter cake brought back memories of my bestest ever wreck.

I ordered a hunter cake for my husband at the local grocery store bakery, but asked that one of the deer be lying down dead in the frosting. The wreckerator was befuddled, but agreed to my request.

One hour later, I picked up the fantastic cake, replete with a garish air-brushed mountainscape. At one end of the cake was momma deer, at the other end, daddy buck. In the middle, lying in a smear of red frosting was Bambi! OMG, I laughed so hard I cried.

Instead of "Happy Birthday" I put on the Sex Pistol's "Who Shot Bambi." A good time was had by all.

Crystal said...

I hope that hunter cake has a good inside story to it!

Anonymous said...

Nice job. I love the Far Side.

Anonymous said...

"The moistest cake you've ever tasted!"

I guess that's why it's leaking?

Angela said...

I love how the tag on the C3P0 cupcakes label them as "12 Ct. Choc Cupcakes Buttercream Icing WITHOUT picks or rings" and then they all have one! DUH!

Stella said...

LOVE it.

Jenny said...

Oh my crap! Really, if you pursue this vein my Far Side fix will be forever satiated. I may have shed a tear when I needed to sell my complete collection of Larson...I may now shed a tear because I love this so much.
You need a third blog.

Lori said...

I think it is funny that some of the things (not quite sure what they are) are upside down in that first pic!!! lol

Anonymous said...

On that last cake they are hunting the most deadliest prey of all...

Lakes...

Lucky Larson's said...

I also love Gary Larson--I laughed SO MUCH while reading this one!!

Thanks for always brightening my day!

Janelle said...

This may be my all-time favorite post ever. Awesome job channeling Gary Larson!

Sylph said...

Ah, got it! Those are "officially" King Kong Rings available from babykakes.com

http://www.babykakes.com/licensed%20charaters.htm

no "rings" indeed. :)

Peg said...

Looks like the "hunter" might have hit the tree, maybe he's a tree hugger-hunter!

Anonymous said...

I also loved The Far Side!! I agree, it's affected my sense of humor probably more than it should...

The closest I've been able to find to that sort of humor, these days, is the website http://unhappyhipsters.com/ .

Unknown said...

Perfect Far Side parody. LOVED IT!!

Unknown said...

LOL! These were all great but for some reason I really liked the Winnie the Pooh and the singing fish. I see those for sale all the time at the drugstore and wonder who in the world would buy one! (I guess we know now, silly old bear.)

Tammy said...

"without picks/rings"

translates:

"These are not the picks/rings you are looking for"

Anonymous said...

Anyone unfamiliar with The Far Side, rush to your library/bookseller and read the Gary Larson classic, "There's a Hair in My Dirt." You'll love it! Thanks for the laughs today!

Carolyn said...

I just love all the captions you come up with Jen but I think you really outdid yourself today. I'm still laughing to myself after reading them, making my husband think I've gone off the deep end...

Jules AF said...

This is probably my favorite post ever.

Turner Photography said...

I love Far Side and I love Cake Wrecks...my day is made :)

Anonymous said...

I laughed too hard at this not to comment - very well done! I even forwarded this post to my parents!

Maggie said...

I love how you refer ti Eeyore as a rabbit ^-^

Alison said...

Love the hunter cake. I'm hoping it was done on purpose, as a comment on the recipient's skills.

I'll bet the dog's laughing, too.

Jessica Olin said...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has the occasional Gary Larsen voice over inside his/her head.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

The stacey cake was nice and clean-lined until the ugly red came out. Looks like a horror movie... a threat written in blood.

The last one just looks like a whole lotta poop.

Check out my blog: nikkiscakery.blogspot.com

Jamie said...

I love The Far Side! My parents always had the tear-away calendar and I looked forward to reading the new one every morning growing up. Your humor also reminds me of Jack Handey, which I am sure you are familiar with:

http://www.deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com/

I love the narrator/inner monologue humor you share with Mr. Larson and Mr. Handey. I burst out laughing every morning in my office when I read CW. Thank you!

Unknown said...

I too am a fan of The Far side! The hunter cake made me almost fall out of my chair laughing, since that is the exact deco pack that was suppose to be on my husbands cake this year. By "suppose" I mean we received a Hannah Montana cake instead! I submitted it to you last month. I am glad to see the ever elusive hunter's deco pack though....Wreck ON!!

Laura P. said...

i love this style of commentary. simply hilarious! and jen, the fact that you enjoy far side just makes you even cooler.

Toni Ware said...

I love you. You give me giggles. And that's very needed lately! Thank you.

ksaldria said...

Gary Larson win! :D

Little Lovables said...

Oh my gosh, most hilarious post ever!

This is so funny b/c we were all sitting around last night reminiscing about the Night of the Crash Test Dummies and our Far Side desk calendars!

M M said...

Now I want to know what those dark events were!

AJ said...

hahahaa Well done!

Anonymous said...

Those captions really do remind me of Gary Larson. Well done! "Society of Delicate Penmanship and Context-Appropriate Color Coordination"... snort! And I have to say, I am stunned that the hunter cake is a professional cake. Can't they even frost a flat top without cracks? Seriously?

MelindaB said...

thebubblegumchild: This may have been said already, but Pooh was telling Eeyore that Rabbit had criticized his decorating skills, so Pooh told Rabbit to leave. On another note, that cake must be awfully moist as well, since the frosting/fondant is sliding off of the front.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for that - Before I started working from home I always had a Far Side desk calendar -no better way to break up the monotony of the cubicle life! I really want to understand the random fish with the Pooh characters though...can't quite get my head around it. : )

Mrs. Martinez said...

I think this is one of my favorite wreck posts! Very witty. :D

Justinian said...

Far Side is my absolute favorite!!!!!! You just married two of the funniest things ever: Cake Wrecks and Far Side.

love it.

Sariah said...

LOVE IT. You never cease to amaze me.

Sharon said...

To Tammy:
"These aren't the picks/rings you're looking for"....wonderful comeback quote!

If those are King Kong rings, then the wreckerator has no idea what characters are in Star Wars movies, which makes this even MORE of a wreck.

Sharon's Edible Art

Aliza said...

I never got The Far Side's humour, but I really like today's post!

I am flummoxed about the Pooh, Eeyore and fish cake (as is the icing, since it's sliding off). The background's presents, so the link is... where?

Perhaps that icing on Stacey's cake is blood-red because the person who decorated the white cake slaughtered the person who attempted to write? (going with the horror movie theme of some posts, here)

But that hunter cake is the perfect wreck. Cracks (earthquake?), strange texture to some of the icing, a tree that's falling (it got shot?), and the deer delicately slinking away (with Buck, the lead deer, shooting the hunter a "look")

Anonymous said...

When I saw the C3PO comment I couldn't stop laughing. I would have totally said the same thing if I had seen that cake somewhere! I also spent a lot of time reading Far Side as a child. I guess now I remember why I think like that. This is why I never miss your blog.

Anonymous said...

Doesnt even look like Chewbaca... it looks like a gorilla.

Candace said...

This was absolutely hilarious and totally made my day!! Gorillas as Chewbacca.... now that's sad.

But VERY clever use of the Far Side. LOVED IT!

Mike said...

A fair number of people hate the word moist, so the "moistest" cake ever with extra liquid on top must be truly terrifying for them.

Anners said...

Best. Post. Ever. Hahahahaha!

Anonymous said...

"Happy Birthday Clari- ... errr...Stacey" *fitfitfitfitfitfitfit*

Tricia L said...

After reading all the comments, I believe I have the answer to the birthday cake.


After being bludgeoned by her co-worker for making one too many comments about her lack of decorating skills, the senior decorator, with her last ounce of life, provided a clue to her murderer's identity -- Stacey ... register code 27 -- and then collapsed into a bucket of fondant.

The Beaver Bunch said...

I LOVE THE FAR SIDE. It was, by far, my favorite comic strip ever.

Infact, I still love it.

toorpat said...

Was the last one a "Call of the Wild" reference?? lmao

Anonymous said...

obviously that girl deserves crappy red frosting since "2 > stacey" lmfao.

Amanda said...

That was the best laugh I had all day. Thank you!

Vanessa Paris Photography said...

Best post ever!! Gary Larson would be proud:)

Little Luxuries said...

That second one… I'd never seen a cake with hyperhidrosis before. Do they even make antiperspirants for baked goods?

Unknown said...

Now I've got to dig out my Far side books!!!!

Anonymous said...

LOL Re: "THE MOISTEST CAKE YOU'VE EVER TASTED!"

But that cake with the Pooh and fish figurines is confusing me badly. It says "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" yet is plastered with a Christmas-themed icing applique. And what look like pine trees for a model train set.

But haha--"Find yourself another 'honey jar.'"

Amber said...

This was a great post! I laughed a lot!!! I love the one line jokes vs the wordy story ones, keep up the good humor!

Anonymous said...

lololol

jillb-ilslp said...

Rabbit never did appreciate Pooh's eye for art - even when his own bum was the canvas.

Jen, you have made my day with this Cake Wrecks/Far side marriage. Thank you, Your Most Cleverness!

Heidi said...

What's funny to me is if you enlarge that last cake, you can see paper towel indentations all over it where someone made a sad, sad attempt at smoothing the frosting. Like that was going to make all the difference.

"Guppy" Honaker said...

I LOVE the Winnie the Pooh cake. The creator of this cake is a pastry genius!

- David

Aloe Vera 101
Holistic Health Info.

Lord Fawful said...

I HAVE CHORTLES!!!

Great post of excellentness!

ania said...

Ooooh, fantastic wit my girl!! I'll bet you like "Deep Thoughts" with Jack Handy as well.

Thanks for keeping us amused in so many surprisingly delightful ways.

ratbert said...

you channeled the far side !!!
Do you have any DILBERT or DOGBERT CAKES?

Melinda said...

That was amazing! My favorite was Bob gloating about his penmanship and color coordination.

Can you do one with captions inspired by Bloom County?

And then one with Calvin and Hobbes captions?

Anonymous said...

This has to be some of the best commentary EVER.

Fluffy Cow said...

Bravo. Gary would be proud.

Ramona said...

LOVE The Far Side! Could you do this kind of post every week? It'd be like the opposite of Sundays! Please, please, please, please, please?!

Sandy said...

Sandymg said (after she managed to get back up on the chair) Baha ha ha ha hahaaa. Hee hee hee hee. Snort! Hee hee hee, ahee hee. ..... BAHA ha aha, titter snicker. Very enjoyable. Thanks for the laugh. Silly deer, hope they learned their lesson.

Erin said...

Funniest post you've done in a long time! Fantastic Far Side captions!

Terri said...

I have been reading your posts every since I laughed myself stupid in the middle of Borders with your book, but this has got to be my Favorite. Post. EVER.
You nailed Gary Larson and The Far Side!! ♥ it, ♥ it ♥ IT!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh! The Last one! Great caption, Jen!! Hahahahahahahaha

Janet said...

that last cake kinda looked like it was a water skiier.

Sylph said...

Upon further inspection, I'm quite sure the hunter has just shot & killed (felled) the tilted pine tree.

Unknown said...

For people looking for Far Side-like cartoons...check out Happy Simpleton.

http://happysimpleton.com/

And @ Tammy: "These are not the picks/rings you are looking for."

Brilliant!!!

MissNay said...

I have this thing with certain words- like loaf, or milk- that just bug me to say hear or read. Moist is one of those words.

That Stacey cake is outfrigginstanding.

Craig said...

#5 "Be vewwy quiet -- I'm hunting fish! Hahahahaha!"

wv: dizatilb. A potent common-sense suppressant used by wreckerators everywhere.

MissRon said...

LOL! Love how some of the Wookie heads are upside down! That makes it even more wreckie!

Eliza. A. said...

You really captured the spirit of "The Far Side".

XD

Betty said...

I laughed out loud when I saw the hunter cake, and my dog gave me a look that clearly said, "Mom! The hunter is just doing a head fake on the dog like you do every other time you throw the tennis ball. It's not funny." And then he went back to looking for his lost ball(s).

Anonymous said...

Love love love love love the Far Side! They're my favorite comics! It's nice to some people who appreciate Gary Larson's humor...

{Meghan} said...

help, i'm choking on my lunch and I can't stop laughing.

Sarah said...

i also grew up reading the farside. my mom said she was scared when her 6yr old actually got the jokes.

Lisa Somerville said...

OMG, LOVE the upside down chewy...

Sara said...

You've got a good ear for how Far Sides sound.

Whitney C said...

I love the 2 upsidedown heads! lolol

Anonymous said...

I don't know about those first cupcakes--they look a bit chewy.


:)

(did you notice that two of the chewy's are upside down?)

Jaime P said...

I also grew up on the Far Side. Gary Larson would be proud :)

Melanie Suzanne said...

Wow! I grew up reading the far side too ... and your captions are just perfect! Great job on this post!

JennyF said...

I know it's been a while since you posted this one, but I landed on it again today and it made me chuckle. You captured Gary Larson well with your commentary! Thanks for making me laugh, I needed it.

Que Interesante said...

what on earth is a fish doing on a cake with Pooh? amazing...

Unknown said...

Are you seriously telling me that the hunter cake was done by a professional???? This is probably the worst wreck ever. Bad frosting technique; incredibly horrible composition/layout; and, as you pointed out...the hunter isn't even facing the hunted!!!

WV "dicat" This plastic hunter is a real dicat hunting.

***profanity...couldn't resist!***

Molly said...

...That chocolate sheet cake says "moistest." Worst discriptive word ever.

Anonymous said...

Marta's Hot.

Anonymous said...

the wet one has a sticker on it that says 'the moistest cake youve ever tasted!'

Anonymous said...

one of the chewbaca heads is upside down...

Haiku Joy said...

Need something dampened?
Or made soggy? Your hero
cake has arrived: Moist!