Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

See What Happened When Classic Cartoonists Drew Blindfolded

This article is over 10 years old and may contain outdated information

I admit I wouldn’t be able to do remotely as well.

Here’s a thought experiment: can you do the one thing you do best in all the world, only with the sense needed to do it completely (and deliberately) muffled? I know I couldn’t. (Of course, the thing I do best in all the world is make incredibly stupid decisions, which fortunately for me you don’t need any senses to pull off.) Maybe you can, but I’m guessing probably not.

Proof? In 1947, Life magazine asked several popular cartoonists to draw their signature characters while blindfolded. Included in the experiment: Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould; Dixie Dugan‘s John Striebel; Blondie‘s Chic Young; Gasoline Alley artist Frank King; Zack Mosley, creator of Smilin’ Jack; Andy Gump artist Gus Edson; Bill Freyse, creator of Major Hoople; Johnny Hazard‘s Frank Robbins; Secret Agent X-9 creator Mel Graff; and Milton Caniff, creator of Steve Canyon.

The results were a frequently ridiculous and hilarious hodge-podge that looked about as clear as when someone drunkenly scrawls their name and number on a cocktail napkin. Well, better than that, since most people probably aren’t handed cocktail napkins by Chester Gould. But don’t take my word for it. Thanks to the blog A Hole In The Head, you can see them for yourself. Below, find all ten participants and, weirdly enough, occasional proof that some of them clearly drew the same thing again and again and again.
image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

Source: A hole in the Head, via Dangerous Minds.

image

Recommended Videos

The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.Ā Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author