I know, I know, every blogger, Pinterest pinner and Reddit member has posted their own selection of parodies of Rockwell’s Freedom From Want. But we’ve got the most and best spoofs of Norman Rockwell’s 1942 famous oil painting, commonly referred to as Thanksgiving Dinner. Here are the ones you’ve likely seen (The Simpsons and Superheroes) as well as some of the more interesting and unusual ones you may not have.
First, the original:
About the original, which is located at The Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts:
Freedom from Want, also known as The Thanksgiving Picture, Giving Thanks, Thanksgiving Dinner or I’ll Be Home for Christmas, is the third of the Four Freedoms series of four oil paintings by American artist Norman Rockwell. The works were inspired by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address, known as Four Freedoms. Until then, Freedom from Want was not a commonly understood or accepted universal freedom.
The painting was created in November 1942 and published in the March 6, 1943 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. All of the people in the picture were friends and family of Rockwell in Arlington, Vermont, who were photographed individually and painted into the scene. The work depicts a group of people gathered around a dinner table for a holiday meal. Having been partially created on Thanksgiving Day to depict the celebration, it has become an iconic representation of the Thanksgiving holiday and family holiday gatherings in general. The Post published Freedom from Want with a corresponding essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the Four Freedoms series. Despite many who endured sociopolitical hardships abroad, Bulosan’s essay spoke on behalf of those enduring the socioeconomic hardships domestically, and it thrust him into prominence. (source: Wikipedia)
Parodies of Rockwell’s Freedom from Want
Artistic Parodies:
Freedom From Want, Redneck style by illustrator Sam Spratt:
Freedom from Want, Lego Version by Greg 50 on Flickr:
Freedom from Want by artist Mark Bryan:
Freedom From Want, Bambi by artist Michael Thrush:
Freedom From Want, Peanuts version by Charles Schultz:
Freedom From Want, Stick Figure version by Matt Feazell:
Freedom From Want, 3D Anaglyph:
Freedom From Want, illustrated poster for Fred Armisen play by Patt Kelley:
Freedom From Want, Disney style by Disney artist and illustrator Charles Boyer:
Freedom From Want, Family Thanksgiving wood burning by artist Valentine Hooven:
Freedom From Want by American cartoonist Stephan Pastis:
Freedom From Want, Uniques 07 by Adam and Comfort:
Freedom from Want, CGI Turkeys version, Artist Unknown:
Freedom From Want, Hipster version by Tristan Elwell:
Pop Culture Parodies:
Freedom From Want, 8-Bit gaming version by Psyguy:
Freedom From Want, Pokemon version by Brian Altano:
Freedom From Want, Nickelodeons’ Fairly Oddparents:
Freedom From Want, Gotham version by Mark Dos Santos:
Freedom From Want, Muppets version:
Freedom From Want, Superhero version by Blaine (Staino on Deviant Art):
Freedom From Want, Star Wars version by Zach Jordan (Hero for Pain on Deviant Art):
Freedom From Want, Tony Bennet Christmas Album Cover:
Freedom From Want, ABC’s Modern Family:
Freedom From Want, Fox’s The Simpsons:
Freedom From Want, Family Guy Thanksgigving card from Seth MacFarlane
Comic Book and MAD Magazine Cover Parodies:
Freedom from Want, Archie Comics cover:
Freedom from Want, Evil Clown Comics cover:
Freedom from Want, DC Comics, Chase cover:
Freedom from Want, DC Comics, Justice League of America cover by Carlos Pacheco:
Freedom from Want, Marvel Comics, Fantastic Four cover:
Freedom from Want, Marvel Comics Barbie cover:
Freedom from Want, MAD Magazine cover by Hank McCoy:
Freedom from Want, MAD Kids Magazine cover by Tom Richmond:
Freedom from Want, TOPPS Comics, Jason (aka Leatherface) cover:
Editorial Parodies:
Freedom from Want, Eating Crow by Clay Bennet:
Freedom From Want, Thanksgetting for Vanity fair by Ross MacDonald:
Freedom From Want for the New Yorker cover by Art Speigelman (making a commentary on Anti-Muslim violence):
