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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

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158 one star motel color.jpg
002 just testing.jpg
045 sunday fights.jpg
003 what can one do.jpg
011 hopeless kids.jpg
034 liturgical dance.jpg
039 no nukes.jpg
042 white whine.jpg
051 revenge.jpg
010 crazy world.jpg
028 church library.jpg
025 great debates.jpg
049 wow a quarter.jpg
070 Color rainbow.jpg
069 dealing with poor.jpg
054 peaceable kingdom.jpg
076 walk on water.jpg
C087 life before death.jpg
090 inherit what earth.jpg
101power of scripture.jpg
056 drive enemies nuts.jpg
112 renouncing wealth.jpg
119 thanksgiving story.jpg
128 amazing method.jpg
116 creation concepts.jpg
151 almost regular.jpg
167 space alien color.jpg
217 no leap of faith.jpg
223 exterior decorator - color.jpg
227 bat signal.jpg
C142 mulligan.jpg

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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