Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern
Encyclopedia
The Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern (also known as the Jacko) is a college humor magazine
, founded at Dartmouth College
in 1908.
The Jacko publishes print issues approximately four times a year, as well as regularly updated online content and occasional video productions. The magazine devotes one publication cycle each year to a parody of the campus newspaper, The Dartmouth
.
One of the magazine's oldest traditions is "Stockman's Dogs." In the October 1934 issue, F.C. Stockman (class of 1935) drew a single-panel cartoon of two dogs talking to each other. That same cartoon has appeared in virtually every issue published since then, always with a different caption.
The magazine is alluded to in the opening lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald
's short story "The Lost Decade," which was first published in Esquire
in 1939.
Jack-O-Lantern writers Nic Duquette '04 and Chris Plehal '04 invented the unofficial Dartmouth mascot Keggy the Keg
in the fall of 2003.
A 2006 video prank by the Jack-O-Lantern on a Dartmouth College tour group entitled "Drinkin' Time" was featured in an article by the Chronicle of Higher Education, posted by AOL
on the Online Video Blog, and was mentioned by The Volokh Conspiracy
. , the video has garnered over 445,000 views on YouTube
.
College humor magazines
Many colleges and universities publish satirical journals conventionally referred to as "humor magazines." Among the most famous: the Harvard Lampoon, which gave rise to the National Lampoon in 1970, The Yale Record, the nation's oldest college humor magazine , Princeton Tiger Magazine, the...
, founded at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1908.
The Jacko publishes print issues approximately four times a year, as well as regularly updated online content and occasional video productions. The magazine devotes one publication cycle each year to a parody of the campus newspaper, The Dartmouth
The Dartmouth
The Dartmouth is the daily student newspaper at Dartmouth College. Founded in 1799, it is America's oldest college newspaper. It is published by The Dartmouth, Inc., an independent, nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire.-History:...
.
One of the magazine's oldest traditions is "Stockman's Dogs." In the October 1934 issue, F.C. Stockman (class of 1935) drew a single-panel cartoon of two dogs talking to each other. That same cartoon has appeared in virtually every issue published since then, always with a different caption.
The magazine is alluded to in the opening lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
's short story "The Lost Decade," which was first published in Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
in 1939.
Jack-O-Lantern writers Nic Duquette '04 and Chris Plehal '04 invented the unofficial Dartmouth mascot Keggy the Keg
Keggy the Keg
Keggy the Keg is the unofficial mascot of Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Keggy is an anthropomorphic beer keg, invented in 2003 by members of the college humor magazine the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, to fill the mascot void that followed the...
in the fall of 2003.
A 2006 video prank by the Jack-O-Lantern on a Dartmouth College tour group entitled "Drinkin' Time" was featured in an article by the Chronicle of Higher Education, posted by AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
on the Online Video Blog, and was mentioned by The Volokh Conspiracy
The Volokh Conspiracy
The Volokh Conspiracy is a blog which mostly covers United States legal and political issues, generally from a libertarian or conservative perspective. One of the most widely read legal blogs in the United States, The Volokh Conspiracy has more than one million page views each month. This group...
. , the video has garnered over 445,000 views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Notable alumni
Many celebrated writers, artists, comedians and politicians began their careers at the Jacko, including:- Norman MacLeanNorman MacleanNorman Fitzroy Maclean was an American author and scholar noted for his books A River Runs Through It and Other Stories and Young Men and Fire .-Biography:...
, whose novel A River Runs Through It, awarded a Pulitzer Prize, was made into the Robert Redford film of the same name. - Theodor Seuss Geisel (also known as Dr. Seuss)Dr. SeussTheodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
. Geisel began signing his work with his middle name so that he could continue to work on the Jack-O-Lantern after he was banned from participating in college activities for having violated ProhibitionProhibitionProhibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. - Budd SchulbergBudd SchulbergBudd Schulberg was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his 1941 novel, What Makes Sammy Run?, his 1947 novel The Harder They Fall, his 1954 Academy-award-winning screenplay for On the Waterfront, and his 1957 screenplay for A Face in the...
, subsequently known for his 1941 novel, What Makes Sammy Run, his 1947 novel The Harder They Fall, his 1954 Academy-award-winning screenplay for On the Waterfront, and his 1957 screenplay A Face in the Crowd. - A.J. Liebling, author of The Sweet Science, Between Meals, The Earl of Louisiana, and other classics of "New Yorker journalism."
- Bruce DuckerBruce DuckerBruce Ducker is an American novelist, short story writer, and poet.Ducker has written eight novels and a volume of short stories. His poetry and short fiction appear in such journals as The New Republic, The Yale Review, Poetry, Commonwealth, The Southern Review and The Hudson Review...
, author and poet, whose novels include Lead Us not into Penn Station, Mooney in Flight, and Home Pool. - John S. MonaganJohn S. MonaganJohn S. Monagan was a Connecticut politician and author.Monagan graduated from Dartmouth College in 1933, where he majored in French literature and was the editor of the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern...
, remembered, in addition to his service in the U.S. House of Representatives, for his biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. - Buck HenryBuck HenryHenry Zuckerman, better known as Buck Henry , is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director.-Early life:...
, founder and frequent host on NBC's Saturday Night Live. - Chris MillerChris Miller (writer)John Christian "Chris" Miller was born in Brooklyn in 1942 and grew up in Roslyn, NY on Long Island. Miller is an American author and screenwriter, most notable for his work on National Lampoon magazine and the movie Animal House...
, who based his short stories in National Lampoon on his undergraduate experiences at Dartmouth, and subsequently turned them into the movie Animal House. - Stephen GellerStephen GellerStephen Geller is an American screenwriter and novelist. Most famous for writing the screenplay for the film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Geller has worked in the film industry in Hollywood and Europe, and recently directed his own independent feature, Mother's Little...
, awarded a Cannes Film Festive prize for his screenplay for the film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-FiveSlaughterhouse-FiveSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a satirical novel by Kurt Vonnegut about World War II experiences and journeys through time of a soldier called Billy Pilgrim...
. - William C. DowlingWilliam C. DowlingWilliam C. Dowling is University Distinguished Professor of English and American Literature at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, specializing in 18th-century English literature, literature of the early American Republic, and Literary Theory.-Biography:Born in Warner, New Hampshire,...
, editor of Jack-O-Lantern during the period when its cartoon staff included Kirk Ditzler, James Fosso, and Robert ReichRobert ReichRobert Bernard Reich is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997....
. Dowling subsequently wrote about his Jack-O-Lantern days in his memoir Confessions of a Spoilsporthttp://www.psupress.psu.edu/books/titles/978-0-271-03293-1.html. - Robert ReichRobert ReichRobert Bernard Reich is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997....
, whose Locked in the Cabinet, a memoir of his time as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, has been described as a classic of political humor. - William HjortsbergWilliam HjortsbergWilliam "Gatz" Hjortsberg is a novelist and screenwriter best known for writing the screenplays of the movies Legend and Angel Heart....
, known as "Gatz", author of fiction and biography; part of the Livingston (Mont.) writing group. - Mindy KalingMindy KalingVera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
, writer and actress for The Office where she portrays the character Kelly KapoorKelly KapoorKelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....