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The Ultimate DROODLES  Compendium

 
The Ultimate DROODLES 
Compendium

The absurdly complete collection of all the classic Droodles with dozens of almost-never-before-seen Droodles from newspapers, TV and the secret files of Roger Price.

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What are Droodles?

Droodles are small silly drawings in a square box that "you don't understand until you ask, and then it's too late to wish you hadn't.” Created by the brilliant and unpredictable writer and comedian Roger Price during the Eisenhower years, Droodles were one of the big fads of the 1950s. At the peak of their popularity, Droodles had their own TV show, daily newspaper column, bestselling books, and even cocktail napkins.

MAN IN A MAILBOX
SIGNALING FOR A LEFT TURN

SHIP ARRIVING TOO LATE
TO SAVE A DROWNING WITCH

CAMEL BALANCING BOOKS
TO IMPROVE POSTURE

Who’s Roger Price?

The creator of Mad Libs, Droodles and elephant jokes, Roger Price was an author, jokester, cultural critic and truly original voice in American comedy. He was born in West Virginia coal country, went to military school, and attended the American Academy of Art before he landed a job writing jokes for comedy superstar Bob Hope. That led to years as a supper-club entertainer then a comedian in the early days of TV, when he hosted the show "How To" and was a frequent panelist on shows like That Reminds Me, The Name's the Same and What's My Line? In 1953 he hit it big with his unique creation, Droodles. The funny drawings delighted the public, and soon there was a daily Droodles newspaper feature, a Droodles TV show and Droodles books that ultimately sold over a million copies. Price hit it big again in 1958 with Mad Libs, the popular word game he created with his friend and writing partner Leonard Stern. That led to the founding, with Larry Sloan, of the thriving West Coast publishing house Price, Stern, Sloan, publishers of titles like The World's Worst Elephant Jokes and How To Be a Jewish Mother. In his rambunctious and wide-ranging life, Price was married to four women from three continents, lived in a penthouse on Central Park West (where he kept an ill-tempered pet marmoset), and sold more copies of his works than famed authors like Ian Fleming and Tom Clancy. His books of humor and cultural commentary include In One Head and Out the Other, Droodles, The Rich Sardine, J.G. the Upright Ape and The Great Roob Revolution.

Roger Price

Guess the captions...

PICCOLO PLAYER AS SEEN
FROM INSIDE PICCOLO

SCREEN STAR

TWO CHIHUAHUAS
CARRYING A BONE

SCIS

STORK WEARING ARGYLE SOCKS

TWO TIMES FOUR

(Any child should know this.)

Droodles Frequently Asked Questions...

What was the very first Droodle?

Long before the official birth of Droodles and Mad Libs, Roger Price did standup at places like the Village Vanguard in NYC. He would set up an easel and unveil with much fanfare “a landscape drawing I recently completed.” The title: A SCENE IN TEXAS.

A SCENE IN TEXAS

How many Droodles books have there been?

More than a dozen, not including foreign language editions.

Is it true Frank Zappa named an album for a Droodle? 

Yes, Zappa’s album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch came out in 1992 and featured that Droodle on the cover. It also featured his top-40 hit Valley Girl which he recorded with his then 14-year old daughter Moon Zappa.

When was the Droodles TV show on?

It was broadcast in 1954. One of the regular panelists was comedy legend Carl Reiner.


Roger Price reveals how to create your own Droodles...

Now I think it's time that I made the supreme sacrifice and reveal to you the secret of how to make your own Droodles. Noted Educators and Sociologists have begged me not to do this, but I'm determined. Droodling is not for a limited, intellectual elite. It is for EVERYBODY. Here is my secret method of making Droodles. Below you will find the 14 basic shapes, and a number of psychologically tested forms that can be cut out and pushed around until they form a pattern or design that looks like a Droodle. Here are the basic shapes:

Got the shapes all cut out and pushed around until they form a Droodle? Good. Now all that's left for you to do is give it a title. You can approach the problem in exactly the same way. Following are all the letters you will need to write a brilliant and witty title. Cut them out and push them around until they form one.

Congratulations!

You are now a graduate Droodler. You will find that Droodling will help you to withstand the pressures of a troubled and complex world, develop your character and your motor ability and make you more self-reliant, as you will spend more time alone. Remember, a Droodle a Day keeps the Nut Doctor away.

And for our electronic Droodlers... 
Get the Droodles App

Now you can create and share your own Droodles on your
Apple IOS or Android device. Just click here...

Droodles App

Back cover quotes:

"I'm so pleased that Roger Price is being rediscovered by new generations
who haven't seen his work before.
It's brilliant!"
- Carl Reiner

"I gazed at the memorabilia on his wall, including a signed 8x10 photo from
Bob Hope, who wrote, “Dear Roger,
maybe someday I’ll be writing for you.”
- Leonard Maltin

"Finally, a book that honors the great Droodler, Roger Price!
One can never get enough Droodles, and this book proves my point."
- Carla Sinclair, co-founder of Boing Boing

"The amazing phenomenon known as Droodles has made a major impact on art, journalism and publishing. The Droodles primetime game show… helped pave the way for many other comedic audience participation programs that have endured for decades."
- Bob Boden, Television Executive and Game Show Historian

"Les Américains, non, ils ne sont pas drôles, mais Roger Price, si!" *
- Georges Perec

"Buy this book now!
It's later than you think!"
- Roger Price


* "Americans are not funny,
but Roger Price is!"