October 24 is RK Laxman’s 94th birth anniversary. Here’s a quiz on cartoons and cartoon strips

1 R K Laxman’s cartoons appeared in a hit film of the ’50s, where the hero was an impoverished cartoonist named Preetam who falls in love with a wealthy heiress named Anita. Name the film, and the actor who played Preetam.

2 The corrupt Tammany Hall leader, Boss Tweed, was one of the most feared politicians in 19th century American politics. One of the US’s most celebrated cartoonists started a campaign against him, which resulted in his downfall. When Tweed finally fled to Spain, he was recognised from one of the cartoons. Who was this eminent cartoonist?

3 October 1950, Carmel, California. Fill in the blank with a single word, a historic moment in cartoon history. “Your son is a _____,” shouted the cartoonist’s wife, rushing in to the room after their four-year-old son had wrecked his bedroom.

4 Which popular cartoon character has his annual bath on July 14?

5 Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes has quite a few alter egos. While Spaceman Spiff is his astronaut avatar and Stupendous Man his superhero form, what name does he take when he becomes a hard-boiled private detective? Completely irrelevant hint — Ravi Shastri.

6 A best-selling book of the ’90s expounds a principle which says companies tend to systematically promote their least-competent employees to senior management posts to limit the damage they can do. After which cartoon character is this principle named?

7 Which Indian cartoonist created the intrepid detective Moochwala and his dog Pooch, who used gadgetry in solving crime?

8 Which comic character runs a psychiatric booth, charging five cents for her services. She always has a sign in front of the booth indicating whether the Doctor is ‘In’ or ‘Out’?

9 This single panel comic, which ran from January 1980 to January 1995, is regarded as one of the most influential strips ever. The cartoons have been collected into a series of books, each with a foreword by a celebrity fan. The foreword writers include Stephen Jay Gould, Robin Williams, Jane Goodall and Stephen King. Identify the cartoonist and the strip?

10 Mario Miranda’s cartoon strips in the ’70s and ’80s were a staple in the Illustrated Weekly of India . If Rajni Nimbupani was the name of his slightly dim but charming Hindi film heroine, what was the name of the fat and corrupt politician who regularly appeared in his strip and who was always trying to figure out a way to make more money?

Answers

1.Mr &Mrs ’55 . Guru Dutt starred opposite Madhubala

2. Thomas Nast. Tweed offered him a $100,000 bribe at the time. Nast also created the Republican elephant and the Democrat donkey symbols

3. Menace, Hank and Alice Ketcham’s four-year-old son Dennis was the inspiration for the Dennis the Menace cartoon strip, which, within a couple of years, reached more than 30 million readers

4. Hagar the Horrible, created by Dik Browne. It is a time for rejoicing and celebration in the entire Viking community

5. Tracer Bullet

6. Dilbert, the Dilbert Principle by cartoonist Scott Adams

7. Ajit Ninan. The strip would appear in the children’s magazine Target

8. Lucy Van Pelt, from the Peanuts cartoon strip. She is Charlie Brown’s friend Linus’s elder sister. She was named after a neighbour and probably modelled on Schulz’s wife

9. Gary Larson, The Far Side

10. Bundaldass

Joy Bhattacharjyais a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup

Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj

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