Timberland Tales

The best things in the long-defunct National Lampoon magazine were the “Timberland Tales” and “The Appletons” strips by B.K. Taylor. Slapstick isn’t easy to do well live, never mind in comics.

Edited July 2019 to add: B.K. Taylor is releasing a book of the collected “Timberland Tales” and “The Appletons” strips in March 2020. See this post: https://finleyquality.net/sakrafise/

Click any of these for a large version.

Timberland Tales April 1981

From April 1981

 

The Appletons January 1982

From January 1982

 

Timberland Tales March 1979

From March 1979

 

25 thoughts on “Timberland Tales

  1. Thanks for the cartoons; they bring back memories.

    Do you remember an episode of Timberland Tales that had something to do with a manhood ritual? As I recall, the last picture showed a silhouette of an Indian hanging from the ceiling of a tipi by his balls. He had a cord tied around his balls, tied in a bow tie.

    It was 2 funny!

  2. lalmon says:

    I do – and here it is, from June 1982:


    I believe it’s discontinued, but you can find on eBay and elsewhere copies of the Complete National Lampoon on a data DVD, from which I grabbed these pages. Looks like it now commands premium prices in its original form, but there’s at least one 3rd party seller on Amazon who will part with a copy for ten bucks.

  3. Rhys Talbot says:

    Sure would like to get a collection of Timberland Tales in book form.

    • lalmon says:

      You’ll be happy to know that in June 2015, Taylor wrote in an email to me: “I hope to have an anthology ready for next year.” Fingers crossed!

  4. Aaron Ververs says:

    The funniest Timberland Tales strip for me involved Maurice accidentally spotting Kathleen naked as she was about to step into a bath, and he instantly got wood – he couldn’t figure it out and started frantically swatting at the bump in his crotch, saying something like “Help! Some kin’ animal in Maurice’s pants!” Brought me to tears…

  5. lalmon says:

    It’s a sign of just how funny this strip was that people remember dialog pretty much verbatim across a chasm of decades. It’s not the best quality, but here it is, from the NL Complete DVD released years ago…

    Timberland Tales, July 1977

  6. Aaron Ververs says:

    THANK YOU for that! Just as funny as I remembered!

  7. Joe Heslin says:

    Hi, are you still maintaining this site?
    I’m trying to find the Timberland tales where Maurice and Tom build a model, and end up whacked out with airplane glue everywhere.

    Thanks

  8. mike says:

    awesome

    One of my favorites was the thanksgiving dinner maurice made with the rabbit eggs…

  9. Leonard says:

    In college, 1978 in Oregon, I first read the Timberland Tails. Loved them and couldn’t wait for the following month to arrive. Now I found my literature on it and still enjoy reading them. Love em.

  10. Hieronymous Schnreckensnatz-Obermeier III says:

    There was another initiation-with-the-shaman episode, in which the shaman, who is blind, mistakes Maurice for a girl because he has spilled something on his lap, and tells him that he has reached puberty, and it is time for his ritual clitorectomy. I haven’t seen it in forty years, but I remember nearly harming myself laughing.

  11. […] B.K. Taylor’s “Timberland Tales” and “The Appletons” strips from National Lampoon will be resurrected next spring […]

  12. Mark Passell says:

    I remember the one where Maurice is eating snails off the rocks in the river when a boy scout patrol shows up to camp. Maurice tries to join them but they insult him over and over. Then they start lighting farts, and since Maurice has been eating snails, he ends up burning the camp down and scattering the scouts.

  13. Eddy says:

    Does anyone have the Sweeeee Fraaaaap fart joke? I remember laughing my ass off at that one…!

  14. Craiger says:

    One of my favorite Appleton’s was where Norm was pranking the kids into thinking there was an actual nuclear attack happening. He then proceeded to lock them in the fallout shelter and beat on the door with a board and made terrible noises. When the kids came out they looked horrified!

  15. PaulCDN says:

    I recall the strip where Maurice starts beating the “bed snake” with a 2×4. That one had me choking on my duMaurier and spitting up my Molson’s Export!

  16. Nicholas Giganti says:

    My favourite was easily the ‘Snipe Hunt’….

  17. Kimball Hoover says:

    I loved Maurice’s dog “Foamy”. He stood up to pee.

  18. Henry Shader says:

    Any chance you can put up the one in which Maurice lights a fart, causing major devastation?

  19. John says:

    A friend of mine is the scout master for his son’s troop and it recalled an episode from the Appleton’s when Norm was asked to run a meeting.
    Those are some of the funniest comics I have ever read!

    I just ordered the collection. Thanks for posting!

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