Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for March 07, 2012

Oh, boy, confused again…

I mulled this over (pun unintended) for several minutes, googled “plonk” and “hi bob” for alternative meanings, and came up empty. I started forming a theory that Janis was initiating a roleplaying scenario which casts Arlo as a wine connoisseur, but Arlo preferred the one where Janis greets him as “Bob,” whoever that is.

Then I changed my search terms and found the drinking game “Hi, Bob,” where the players watch reruns of the Bob Newhart Show (1972-78) and take a drink every time somebody says that. It was apparently popular when A&J would have been in college.

This makes more sense, I suppose, especially since I can’t imagine Janis fantasizing about Bob Newhart.

We’re kinda partial to the ‘Two-Buck Chuck’ at Trader Joe’s (no affiliation, just occasional fans).

Thank you, Tony! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And TBC is the perfect thing to keep handy when cooking.

By amazing coincidence, last night I was surprised to see there are reruns of the Bob Newhart Show on TV. Oh, how I miss the wonderful Suzanne Pleshette! (And I add my thx to @Tony.)

I hear it’s Three Buck Chuck now.

“Hi Bob” was a drinking game in the 70s, done while watching “The Bob Newhart” shot. Goal was to chug a beer every time someone in the show said “Hi, Bob!” (which was A LOT). Fun memories.

@Scott Todhunter – Good point. Comic art only looks simple.

I’m only 43, and my folks were never partial to watching Bob Newhart, for some reason. So this ‘under the radar’ joke went way over my head. Thanks for the explanation!

The drinking game of “Hi, Bob” lasted well into the 80’s, as episodes of “The Bob Newhart Show” continued to be aired in syndication. It also provided devotees of the game the opportunity to play more than one half-hour per week. Not that any of them remember…

A New Yorker cartoon once showed a big tank truck with CHEAP WHITE WINE on it side.

Jimmy Johnson does the strip in black and white. When we see them in color it means that someone else has colored it. http://arloandjanis.com/

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Thanks Toni. As an old Aussie living in London, but who lived in the US in the 70’s, I was struggling with this one but remember the Bob Newhart shows fondly.

As a devoted long-time fan of the Bob Newhart show, I picked up on “Hi Bob” right off but was puzzled by the connection to drinking cheap wine. So thanks to those of you who knew about it for clearing that up for me. Presumably, Jimmy Johnson was also a big fan.

pshearer, I’ll second that! Bring to mind the ending of the other Newhart show. THE best ending of all time…

Talking about unusual names for wines, there’s always “Smoking Loon” and for the real in joke, try reading the cork!!!

From her smile, she’s remembering how the Hi Bob game must have ended. And she’s wondering if there are Newhart reruns on cable.

shouldn’t have to do a search online to be able to understand a comic strip.

Now that tony refreshed my memory I remember the game “Hi Bob”, but the version in my circle involved something that was inhaled rather than imbibed. It was the 70’s, after all!

The house plonk seems to me to be a reference to Rumpole, but I never heard of a drinking game associated with it.

In my mind she’s his Suzanne Pleshette. Didn’t she often tell him to relax and have a glass of wine after working w/all those crazy people and came home?!A different take on the Hi Bob idea…..