Another cartoon that The Wall Street Journal bought and paid for . . . but apparently never published. This goes back to 1981. All I can figure is that someone had second thoughts about it and was worried that it might be offensive to Bulgarians. Or possibly to Turks?

This is another cartoon of mine that The Wall Street Journal bought and paid for, but mysteriously was never published. It was purchased  toward the end of the 1999 baseball season, and I figured it would show up for sure when the World Series began. But it was not to be, as far as I know, and I'm pretty certain that it has never been printed at any time since then. By the way, if anybody has seen any of my "Bought and Paid For . . . " cartoons anywhere in print, please let me know about it. I like to resolve mysteries like this.

One thing I could never understand is why a publication would buy and pay for a cartoon of mine and then, for no apparent reason, never publish it. That has happened to me several times in the more than 50 years that I've been in this business, and even The Wall Street Journal has been guilty of this minor transgression . . . not just once, but several times.

The above drawing, for example, was bought and paid for by The Wall Street Journal in 1992, but as far as I can tell, has never made it into print.

The original drawing was eventually returned to me (The Wall Street Journal has always been very efficient about returning original art). Just one of life's mysteries, I guess. More examples will follow, as I get around to posting them.

Another undated Wall Street Journal cartoon. This appeared in the book The Wall Street Journal Portfolio of Golf Cartoons, edited by Charles Preston and published by Dow Jones and Co. in 2001.

Another undated Wall Street Journal cartoon, taken from the book, The Wall Street Journal Portfolio of Golf Cartoons, edited by Charles Preston and published by Dow Jones and Co. in 2001.

Another undated Wall Street Journal cartoon, which appeared in the hardcover book collection "The Wall Street Journal Portfolio of Golf Cartoons". It was published in 2001 by Dow Jones & Company, and edited by Charles Preston. 

Another cartoon for which I don't have a Wall Street Journal publication date. The above image was taken from a hardcover book, "The Wall Street Journal Portfolio of Golf Cartoons", edited by Charles Preston and published in 2001 by Dow Jones & Company. 

Sorry to say, I don't have the exact date this cartoon was printed in The Wall Street Journal. The above image was taken from the book "Can Board Chairmen Get Measles? -- Thirty years of great cartoons from The Wall Street Journal" edited by Charles Preston and published in 1982 by Crown Publishers, Inc.

Five other cartoons of mine are included in that book, but the others have all been archived here by publication date.