--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think funny is just the foundation. I…" description: "\"I think funny is just the foundation. I don't really think, to some extent, funny is the absolute most important thing. It should also communicate some..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/robert-mankoff-12259_absolute_i-think-funny-is-just-the-foundation-i-d_1333761.jpg" --- # I think funny is just the foundation. I don't really… ![“I think funny is just the foundation. I don't really think, to some extent, funny is the absolute most important thing. It should also communicate some idea through the medium of cartooning. Just to be funny is... You know what, the things that you laugh hardest at aren't cartoons.” quote by Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/robert-mankoff-12259_absolute_i-think-funny-is-just-the-foundation-i-d_1333761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/robert-mankoff-12259_absolute_i-think-funny-is-just-the-foundation-i-d_1333761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/robert-mankoff-12259_absolute_i-think-funny-is-just-the-foundation-i-d_1333761.jpg) > “I think funny is just the foundation. I don't really think, to some extent, funny is the absolute most important thing. It should also communicate some idea through the medium of cartooning. Just to be funny is... You know what, the things that you laugh hardest at aren't cartoons.” [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor is essential but should serve a deeper purpose, not just laughter. **In simple terms:** Funny is a base, but ideas matter too. Key Takeaway Blend humor with meaningful content. Themes humor cartooning communication Mood playful thoughtful Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - comic strips - advertising - political cartoons Key Concepts creative expression social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How can you embed a message without losing humor? - What topics benefit from a funny approach? A Different Perspective Humor alone may not convey complex ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cartooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cartooning/) [Cartoons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cartoons/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) ## Related quotes > [The cartooning was always just an abstraction. It was an income. It was making me famous. 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Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [What's great about having an audience is they can let you know what they don't think is funny, and you can just cut that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-carey/what-s-great-about-having-an-audience-is-they-can-let-you-know-what/) [Maggie Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-carey/) > [“If you want to be a cartoonist, live the life of a cartoonist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-gaspirtz/if-you-want-to-be-a-cartoonist-live-the-life-of-a-cartoonist/) [Oliver Gaspirtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-gaspirtz/) > [Cartoonists create so many cartoons on any given topic that we can follow the life cycle of a comic idea and how it evolves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/cartoonists-create-so-many-cartoons-on-any-given-topic-that-we-can/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [There are no cartoons about happy marriages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/there-are-no-cartoons-about-happy-marriages/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [I'm very fond of the strictly visual cartoons I did when I was breaking in in the 1970's. 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You just set out to play the scenes real, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-jones/i-can-only-speak-for-myself-but-you-never-set-out-to-be-funny-you/) [Jason Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-jones/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) ## More by Robert Mankoff > [I will pick a raft of cartoons. And then later, it'll come time to run this cartoon. And I'll look at it, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/i-will-pick-a-raft-of-cartoons-and-then-later-it-ll-come-time-to-run/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [Humor of all types is notoriously subjective. That's true not only between different people but even within an individual at different times. This subjectivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/humor-of-all-types-is-notoriously-subjective-that-s-true-not-only/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > ['The New Yorker' didn't invent the magazine cartoon, but it did really establish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/the-new-yorker-didn-t-invent-the-magazine-cartoon-but-it-did-really/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [I have been married three times and it just keeps better and better, but I'm going to stop here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/i-have-been-married-three-times-and-it-just-keeps-better-and-better/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [The line between humor and bad taste is your audience, in which some people will find everything offensive, and some people will find nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/the-line-between-humor-and-bad-taste-is-your-audience-in-which-some/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [The generations that were exposed to sitcom have the people actually saying the line, saying the joke, whereas sort of before that you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/the-generations-that-were-exposed-to-sitcom-have-the-people-actually/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [When you look back at the older cartoons, they're very much more observational cartoons. 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