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New York-based cartoonist John King is the cheeky mind behind "Fruit Gone Bad," a one-panel comic series where fruits, veggies, and household objects regularly find themselves in hilarious (and occasionally unhinged) situations. Armed with an old-school sense of humor and a trusty pencil, John draws each cartoon by hand before passing it over to his wife for digital coloring in Photoshop, though he's slowly learning the ropes himself.

His comics blend dad jokes with just enough bite, featuring everything from overripe bananas lamenting their fate to sassy spoons caught in kitchen drama. With ten features on Bored Panda under his belt, John has turned rogue produce into a cult favorite, and he’s not running out of spicy puns anytime soon.

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Cartoon pasta characters with punchlines, featuring humorous dialogue in the Fruit Gone Bad series with juicy laughs.

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“The most challenging aspect of making comics is trying to come up with a visual of what’s going on in the scene and then finding the perfect words to convey the joke,” John explains to Bored Panda. “The most enjoyable part of the process is when I get the wording perfect and the comic is colored and cleaned up.”

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    #2

    Two cartoon lettuce leaves in bed with a humorous salad pun, illustrating fruit gone bad with funny produce punchlines.

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    Two humorous fruit characters in bed with speech bubbles, illustrating fruit gone bad with punchlines and juicy laughs.

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    His characters—often bananas, apples, or spoons with way too much personality—aren’t just random picks. There’s a deeper logic behind it. “Fruits have always been around us, colorful and vibrant,” he says. “They're relatable in their simplicity. Giving them personalities, quirks, and dialogues, it's like breathing life into something we see every day but often overlook. And yes, they absolutely add a unique charm. They're nature's little comedians if you ask me.”

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    Cartoon chips and dips at a party, featuring pun-filled dialogue, illustrating humorous fruit and snack characters for fruit puns.

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    Cartoon waffle and breadstick characters having a funny conversation about disappointment in a bedroom, humor from Fruit Gone Bad.

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    Long before Fruit Gone Bad found a home on the internet, John was already filling up sketchbooks. “I used to draw comics when I was a kid,” he says. “Action comics, funny comics, and Dungeons and Dragons comics were my favorite to draw and write. Then as I got older, I started really sketching seriously and painting black light posters.”

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    #6

    Cartoon of canned lima beans, corn, peas, and chopped liver with faces and limbs in a humorous fruit gone bad comic strip.

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    Cartoon of bananas at a sports event with humorous dialogue, illustrating fruit humor from Fruit Gone Bad series.

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    But not every joke makes the cut. Sometimes, John says, the message doesn’t land the way he intended. “I’ve scrapped quite a few comics after finishing them,” he admits. “Usually, it’s because I didn’t feel it got the point across. If I felt that way, then the reader certainly would feel it too. I’ve put comics out and caught s**t for a few. Mainly because some people found that the comic came across as abusive. I have an old-school sense of humor. I don’t mean any intentional disrespect to anyone.”

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    Two potatoes dressed as detectives investigate a pizza-covered potato in a cartoon from Fruit Gone Bad series.

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    #9

    Cartoon pizza slices with faces in a dining room, one slice upset about someone showing up folded and dripping, fruit gone bad humor.

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    That old-school approach applies to his tools too. While many artists today use digital tablets, John still starts each cartoon with pencil and ink before passing it along to his wife, who colors it digitally. “I have to admit I’m a bit behind in using newer technology to make comics,” he says. “Most of them are drawn using the computer these days. I’m a bit old-fashioned in that sense. The coloring is done with colored pencils and then touched up using Photoshop.”

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    Cartoon featuring funny prunes using a dozer inside a large intestine in Fruit Gone Bad fruit humor series.

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    Cartoon of two beets in bed discussing a sleep mask, featuring humor in the Fruit Gone Bad series with fruit-themed punchlines.

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    As for the tone of his work, John keeps it light on purpose. “Staying up to date with current trends in everyday life is a bit tough also because, for the most part, I refuse to bring race, religion, and politics into my comics,” he says. “Politics is in everything lately, but won’t be in my comics. I want people to smile, not be miserable!”

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    #12

    Cartoon of peaches using telescopes with a pun about the moon and Uranus, showcasing fruit gone bad humor.

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    Two animated fruit pies with faces, one sitting on a bed, the other standing, sharing a humorous conversation.

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    Two lemons playing chess making a pun about meat while a steak walks by angrily in a Fruit Gone Bad cartoon.

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    Cartoon of spicy peppers with faces delivering punchlines in the Fruit Gone Bad series featuring produce humor and laughs.

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    Cartoon of peanut butter and jelly jars with smiling slices of bread, illustrating humor from Fruit Gone Bad punchlines.

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    Cartoon of a bar of soap and a soap bar with lipstick and purse, delivering fruit gone bad punchlines about shaving.

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    Two red apples walking past two Granny Smith apples at a bus stop making a joke about sour taste in fruit humor.

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    Cartoon of a bread loaf judging pizza slices with humorous punchlines, illustrating fruit gone bad comedy style.

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    #20

    Two potatoes dressed as detectives interrogate a tired Swiss cheese in a cartoon from Fruit Gone Bad humor series.

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    Cartoon of corn character popping out of husk in bed with caption showing fruit gone bad humor and punchlines.

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    Cartoon from Fruit Gone Bad showing anthropomorphic coriander characters and a frustrated insect with a humorous punchline.

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    Four animated cigarette butts under a night sky with one correcting a phrase in a humorous cartoon style.

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    #24

    Cartoon of fruit characters discussing a citrus juicer as a t*****e device in Fruit Gone Bad comic series.

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    Cartoon of two pickles wearing humorous t-shirts, part of Fruit Gone Bad series with punchlines about produce.

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    Cartoon of fruit and candy bars with punchlines at a bar, illustrating humor from Fruit Gone Bad with juicy laughs.

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    Cartoon of anthropomorphic fruits at office desks making punchlines, part of the Fruit Gone Bad comedic series.

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    #28

    Cartoon slice of pizza with eyes and mouth saying you're kidding me right inside a microwave.

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    Cartoon s***m inside a stomach with a speech bubble, humorously illustrating fruit gone bad comedy.

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    Cartoon showing fruit characters in a humorous scene, part of the Fruit Gone Bad collection of punchline jokes.

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    Cartoon of bananas with faces and drinks at a bar, humorously discussing spots, part of fruit gone bad punchlines series.

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