An old but true story
Once upon a time, when dogs ruled the earth, a gala dog ball was organised and all the dogs in the world were invited.
When the dogs arrived at the ball they checked their tails in at the cloak room, as was the custom in those happy, far-off days.
It was a wonderful, glittering occasion and all the dogs, regardless of breed or background, danced the night away and were thoroughly enjoying themselves until suddenly the fire alarm sounded.
The ballroom was alight and an uproarious panic broke out. The vast yelping pack stampeded to the cloak room and in the confusion the tails were mixed up.
To this day you will see them sniffing each other's tails as they go about their forlorn search for their proper tails. This is the eternal aftermath of the night that THE DOG BALL CAUGHT FIRE...
This is the text begins this collection of
Michael Leunig's cartoons, after a '
self portrait' from 1972 (which is a cartoon of a man
urinating into the
wind off the
bow of a
ship). Those who are familiar with Leunig will know what to expect; the big-nosed characters, presence of animals, and critiques and observations of social life pretty much make up this book.
Sex,
love, and human interaction are the themes Leunig explores in this collection (not that he has deviated much from those themes in his forty-year career), and like most of his other work it aims to please by presenting
emotions and
situations with his instantly recognizable figures. Some cartoons are
single cell, while some are elaborate stories (such as 'Why Dogs sniff each other's Tails', which is included in the collection). Some have his characters conversing in recognisable enviroments (the
bedroom, a
park, the
beach), while others are quite
surreal. Most of the work in this collection is quite refined in both
humour and draftsmanship compared to the material in
The Penguin Leunig, even the early drawings. In short if you like Leunig's work you will like this, if you dislike his cartoons this is not going to sway your opinions. For someone who has not been introduced or is unfamiliar with his 'folk art', I can recommend this as a good
introduction.
Some matetial from other books is included in this collection, namely 'The Penguin Leunig', '
The Second Leunig', '
The Bedtime Leunig', and
A Bag of Roosters' The book was first published in 1998 by
Penguin Books Australia Limited. The first
hardcover edition was printed in a delightful red jacketed book measuring just 18.5
cm x 13cm with the illustration '
Isn't it a funny name for a dance ... the "Foxtrot"?' on the front.
He awoke to find his underpants
were missing.
He went searching and met the milkman,
who told him that he had seen
a pair of underpants moving like a ghost
along the foggy street in the direction
of the paddock...