

It's obvious that you spin the thing a certain number of times. There are 16 variations for each facial component (head, nose, ears, etc.). There must be a booklet that tells you what each element is. (Is head #2 football-shaped? Are ears #16 big and floppy? Are eyes #8 cross-eyed? And what is EX. 1 and EX. 2 and so on? ) This booklet is, unfortunately, missing.
One of my favorite items is the 1937 Cartoonists' Exchange Laugh Finder. Here's my copy of it:
OK, as you know, a question cartoonists are often asked is, "Where do you get your ideas?" This fellow:
Esquire cartoonist Dan A. Runyan, figured out a way to answer that question and make a buck doing it. He developed the "Laugh Finder", a Depression-era "computer" for aspiring cartoonists I recently came across on eBay.
From the cover: "The Laugh Finder is a collection of the fundamental sources of humor that keep repeating themselves in cartoons.... With this comprehensive collection of cartoon fundamentals, the variety of combinations you can create from them is almost infinite. You simply spin for your combinations." Who needs to write gags? Who could resist?
It opens up like this ...
... revealing long lists of characters, places, accessories -- and the spinner that you use to put all the elements together:
So, by following the directions, I have all the elements I need! Hmm. I spin the dial to get my characters (dinosaur, party guest), an accessory (door) and a "basics of humor" situation (embarassment):
So much fun!

The Pocket Cartoon Course from Mike Lynch Cartoons

CARTOONING FOR PROFIT by David Rand, Section One, Lessons 1 thru 5 from the Supreme Being blog
CARTOONING FOR PROFIT by David Rand, Section Two, Lessons 6 thru 10 from the Supreme Being blog
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