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Joel Kauffmann
Given who Joel Kauffmann was and how he approached life, it’s not at all surprising that one of his communication ventures – perhaps his most beloved – took the form of a cartoon strip featuring a frog. Pontius’ Puddle first appeared in 1982, but it was not Joel’s first strip. It was preceded by Sisters and Brothers, a strip Joel created in the late 1970s primarily for Mennonite publications. Author Ann Hostetler best explains the transition:
“[Sisters and Brothers] featured such Anabaptist values as stewardship, simplicity, and peace, which also inform Pontius’ Puddle, but Kauffmann grew increasingly frustrated with the narrow range of a Mennonite-only audience. Although he abandoned the cartoon after three years, he reused the name for a film company he started with several others. Collaboration was the hallmark of many of his ventures.
“When Kauffmann began to experiment with non-human characters, he stumbled upon the frog and the puddle as fertile symbols for earth-bound humans and the small worlds they tend to populate and protect. He felt that the frog and the puddle gave him greater possibilities for crossing sectarian boundaries and relating his favorite themes to an ecumenical audience. Humor, Kauffmann believed, helped people to cross boundaries and lower tensions over serious issues. As a twenty-something, I was delighted to discover Kauffmann’s cartoons in the Mennonite publications in my parents’ home. I took them as a sign of growth and inclusiveness in the denomination, and appreciated them as a non-threatening way to spread its critique of the dominant culture.” (from CMW Journal, Vol. 8, No. 3)
The Pontius’ Puddle strip was produced for over 30 years and appeared in 155 publications in seven
countries.
Pontius Puddle is copyrighted material. Users of this website are granted rights for ONE-TIME USE of any of the strips included here for a usage fee of $50 payable to the Joel Kauffmann Scholarship Fund at Goshen College. PAY HERE or for more information contact NancyKauff@aol.com
Pontius Puddle is copyrighted material. Users of this website are granted rights for ONE-TIME USE of any of the strips included here for a usage fee of $50 payable to the Joel Kauffmann Scholarship Fund at Goshen College. PAY HERE or for more information contact NancyKauff@aol.com.
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