Kick Me

This week’s cartoon was inspired by the “kick me” sign trope heavily used by Gary Larson. I found two of them recently thumbing through the Far Side Gallery 3. The interweb says he did five in total these:

· Bears — “Shoot Me!” sign
Caption: Practical Jokes of the Wild.
A group of bears stands chatting in the forest. One bear slyly attaches a “SHOOT ME!” sign to the back of another unsuspecting bear. (The hunter in the distance makes the stakes darkly funny.) This is the “wild animal” version of the trope.

· Flowers — “Weed me”
Caption: Flora practical jokes.
Anthropomorphic daisies with faces line up against a fence. One has a literal “weed me” sign hanging from its stem; the others smirk mischievously. The lone plain flower on the right is the oblivious victim. Exactly as shown in your attachment.

· Cowboy — “Trample Me” sign
Caption: Cattle Humor.
A cowboy is in the middle of a cattle drive/herd. Someone (or something) has taped/pinned a “TRAMPLE ME” sign to his back. The cattle around him set up the imminent punchline.

· Painters — “I carry cash”
Two painters are working (often on scaffolding or a building). One secretly paints “I CARRY CASH” across the back of his buddy’s jacket/shirt while the victim remains unaware. A perfect “urban tradesman” twist on the prank.

· Mathematicians/Scientists — complex equation/formula sign

In a math department or lab, a researcher works at a blackboard covered in equations. His colleagues have sneakily taped a sheet of paper with another dense, incomprehensible mathematical formula to his back. They snicker while he remains oblivious.