For the latest installment of the collaborative Buddy System series, I created a patriotic template and asked my friends to draw their favorite president for Presidents Day. I received eleven incredibly diverse responses. Here they are in full glory:
The first submission is from Morit G, who found inspiration in Grover Cleveland's working-class taste buds. Cleveland thought the fancy food they served at the White House was gross.
Fun fact: At the age of 49, Cleveland married an opportunistic 21-year old, marking the only marriage of a sitting US President in history.
The next submission is my own. I drew the only five presidents in American history to sport beards. From upper left going clockwise, you have Benjamin Harrison (perhaps the longest beard); James Garfield (scraggliest); Rutherford B. Hayes (wispiest); Abraham Lincoln (neck beard); and Ulysses S. Grant (shortest). The era of bearded presidents started with Lincoln in 1861 and ended with Benjamin Harrison in 1893. Sadly, America has never had a bearded president since. (Although, Al Gore came close.)
The next submission comes from world-renowned blogger, "14", creator of Gallery of the Absurd and Resplendent Chaos. For this assignment, 14 reworked a sketch that was inspired by an article she read that included a claim by former president George W. Bush that he cried in the White House on a daily basis.Another Bush-inspired piece came from Angela B and her son Magnus who worked together on a Curious George coloring page. The purple and yellow squiggly lines represent the challenges faced by Bush during his eight years in office.
Fun Fact: All of America's current economic troubles are the result of policies put in place by Bill Clinton and Barney Frank, not Bush.
Jake C, a distant relative of President Calvin Coolidge, sent in a portrait of Barack Obama that he created on his iPhone.
Fun Fact: President Barack Obama is America's first president of Kenyan descent.
Seth L drew an ink portrait of Don Duff, President of the Northwest Allen County School Board.
Fun Fact: Before becoming school board president, Don Duff was also the president of a life insurance company and an international insurance marketing company.
Julia W drew a unique portrait that morphs together Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt.Fun Fact: Teddy Roosevelt came up with the idea for the Teddy Bear after he had visions of tiny bears in a polio-induced fever dream.
David S, a first time contributor, sent in a portrait of a president he would like to see. He explains:
Dreams are important, they inspire us and drive us onward in the face of a miserable unforgiving world full of casual cruelty. That's why I drew my dream president, former attorney general Janet Reno. Did you know that JRe (as we call her) was the FIRST female federal attorney general ever? That is why I know she would also be a great first lady President! I've drawn her in a tie because she is not concerned with conforming to societies' antiquated gender roles.
Fun Fact: Janet Reno originally wanted to call Ted Kaczynski the "Mailman of Death", but she was overruled by President Clinton who favored "Unabomber".
My sister, Anna U, drew a picture of a bat president.Fun Fact: Bats sleep while hanging upside down in caves.
Nico C was inspired by the Star Wars movies. He thought Boba Fett, the notorious outer space bounty hunter, would make a pretty cool president.
Fun Fact: Harrison Ford, the actor who played Han Solo, is the adopted son of former-President Gerald Ford.
And last, but certainly not least, is Carl W's thought-provoking Super Bowl-inspired take on patriotism and cosmetic surgery. Carl envisions an America ruled by the E*Trade baby.Fun Fact: Carl is an attorney who works for the Federal government, just like U.S. Presidents.
I hope you all learned some new things about presidents this Presidents Day, I know I did. Many thanks to all who participated and God Bless America!
I'll be thinking about Presidents on Presidents Day -- thanks to your blog!!!
;)
Posted by: Carl W | February 14, 2010 at 08:47 PM
The woman in the upper-right-hand corner represents Hillary Clinton.
Posted by: Carl W | February 14, 2010 at 08:51 PM
We should all stop and shake the hand of a president. Take a second and remember what they've given up for their country. Wait, this is Veteran's Day right?
Posted by: Nico C | February 15, 2010 at 10:00 AM
Here's a nice tribute to George Washington (and it has hippopotamus teeth, to boot!): http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/by-george/
Posted by: NohWoman | February 17, 2010 at 09:52 AM
Was that "Fun Fact" about Harrison Ford really a fact or was that inserted to see if people were really reading your excellent "Fun Facts?"
Fun Fact:
An anagram of 'president' is 'spider net'. This is the reason that Franklin Pierce refused to use the term 'spider web' during his 4 years in office, preferring instead, 'spider net'.
Posted by: ben | February 17, 2010 at 04:29 PM
Cousin Ben, sorry for the slow reply. No, Harrison Ford isn't Gerald Ford's adopted son. Most of the other Fun Facts are true. however.
The "spider net" information is incredible.
Posted by: John U | March 16, 2010 at 10:56 PM