The Onion: 20 Years Later

@onion20

A weekly review by @jamesdasilva.bsky.social of The Onion from 20 years ago (print and web). Sign up for the newsletter . Love The Onion but not affiliated.

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The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· 21d

Congratulations to @kartoonistkelly.bsky.social on 20 years as @TheOnion's cartoonist. Here's the cartoon from the print edition dated July 27, 2006. Tomorrow's newsletter will dive into more of the Stan Kelly legend and how he came to be The Onion's in-house comic strip.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· 23d

“Smirking Skip Bayless Knows Full Well He’s Wrong” is an @theonion.com joke that lived for only a few days in 2006, but rarely have they ever said anything so true. That and much more in my latest newsletter about The Onion's past. onion20.substack.com/p/the-onion-...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· 27d

4 eras of @TheOnion.com's newspaper: 1. 1994 (black and white, coupons on the front page) 2. 1996 (color, USA Today-style) 3. 2000 (slight changes, the version you probably remember) 4. July 19, 2006 (a new era begins) I dug into the 2006 redesign today: onion20.substack.com/p/in-july-20...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· 29d

In July 2006, The Onion redesigned the newspaper with a letter about the change. In part, it reads: "All of this appears in a beautiful new design, which will be pleasing to the eye and draw more attention to the advertising. Enjoy it as much as it pleases you to, and god-damn the lot of you."

[Image shows a message from the corporate office, signed by H. Cuthbert Zweibel, Vice-President of Client Relations, The Onion]; A MESSAGE FROM THE CORPORATE OFFICE; To Our Readers,; As always, The Onion tolerates your readership, for without it, we could not continue to please our advertisers with war-mongering editorial content, articles about hygiene and good buying habits, and publication of school lunch menus. It is with great sadness that I offer the following concessions to you miserable lot in order to enhance readership and revenue streams.; We will now have a dining section that will keep you proles buzzing about eateries for weeks, ensuring you never think to enter our private dining clubs. The Hater will distract you with the procreation habits of celebrities, as well as other populist-culture monkey dance shows. Our new Sports Section proffers the illusion that we share the concerns with the everyday man. And, for the marginally literate, there will be more comic-strips, n

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· 29d

24 years ago, The Onion came back from vacation with a newly redesigned website. Plus, jokes about spam mail, Cheney, stoners, Kiss, Puddle of Mudd and Rolling Stone.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 15

This weekend, I’m reviewing @TheOnion.com print redesign of summer 2006. One negative reaction was from Michael Miner of The Chicago Reader, who interviewed art director Rick Martin. chicagoreader.com/news/is-ugli... I'm sharing the new look from July 19, 2006, and the previous look.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 14

22 years ago today, @TheOnion.com mocked Bill Maher, discussed obesity, the serial killer serial killer, ringtones and random references to James Comey and Neil Gaiman. Plus, an incredible column by The Hulk that's one of my favorites. onion20.substack.com/p/20-years-a...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 12

Also, here's the cover of The A.V. Club section from that week.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 12

20 years ago today, @theonion.com was on vacation, so the print newspaper was a collection of old jokes. Here are a few pages from that print edition.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 11

Everything I covered in this issue is no longer on The Onion's website, including the Onion Radio News. open.substack.com/pub/onion20/...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 8

Remember when publications weren’t forced to produce “content” 24/7? Today, we’re looking at how @TheOnion.com used its website’s 10th anniversary in 2006 as a cover for … taking two weeks’ vacation! onion20.substack.com/p/july-2006-...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 4

20 years ago in The Onion, President George W. Bush delivered an important Independence Day message about burning apple pies and overgrilling hot dogs.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jul 1

Coming this Sunday, this Onion print rarity that has never appeared online till now, AFAIK.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jun 29

21 years ago, The Onion turned Us Weekly into Harper's magazine, plus jokes about the Catholic Church, John Bolton, iPods and NASCAR — and a Hollywood column by Jackie Harvey! It's The Onion from June 29, 2005. onion20.substack.com/p/20-years-a...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jun 26

Here is a July 2006 advertisement in @TheOnion.com's print newspaper ... starring The Onion, as they sought unpaid interns. The softball line is an inside joke, as they were notoriously terrible at softball but played in a NYC media league.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jun 25

From @TheOnion.com radio archives: A 12-year-old seeing-eye dog who gets a seeing-eye squirrel to assist him. The dog is quoted. More of this sort of thing here: onion20.substack.com/p/june-21-to...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jun 20

Happy Father’s Day weekend. 20 years ago, @TheOnion.com shared a very special presidential radio address featuring Bush 43, Bush 41, Bill Clinton, and Dick Cheney.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Jun 8

Was tracking down an old Onion magazine cover via Google, and the braindead AI overview gave me this message.

A screenshot of a Google AI overview that confuses a search for an Onion headline with someone having a heart attack.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· May 21

20 years ago, @TheOnion.com reported on Elmo being attacked! This radio clip isn't online anymore, but I've rescued it thanks to Internet Archive. Enjoy! More of this every week in my newsletter, The Onion: 20 Years Later!

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· May 15

24 years ago today, @theonion.com imagined Americans helplessly displaced by a massive 18-lane highway connecting Mexico and Canada directly over U.S. territory. They also wrote about the MacArthur Foundation, top murder weapons, and much more. onion20.substack.com/p/20-years-a...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· May 3

The Onion put them back online recently (theonion.com/front-page-a...). That headline is here: theonion.com/wp-content/u...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Apr 30

20 years ago this week, The Onion wrote about LeBron James in the playoffs while comparing him to MJ. We're still in this era.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Apr 27

21 years ago in @TheOnion.com, the great Herbert Kornfeld gave a "Motivation Seminizar." A good starting point for this insane character. RIP H-Dog. Also, jokes about Katie Couric, Tom DeLay, Chris Kattan, "Family Feud," the food pyramid, beavers and more. onion20.substack.com/p/20-years-a...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Apr 26

What do George W. Bush, Pedro Martinez and Mel Kiper have in common? They were all mocked by @theonion.com website 20 years ago this week. So much to talk about, including Bush's famous "I'm the decider" quote. onion20.substack.com/p/the-onion-...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Apr 20

@TheOnion.com has a new deal to acquire InfoWars, but like the previous deal rejected by the courts, this one also requires court approval. We’ll see. As I said in 2024 (below and linked), I’m skeptical of this gambit. I hope I'm wrong! substack.com/@jamescooper...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Apr 12

20 years ago, @TheOnion.com exposed robot hazing at MIT. Plus, jokes about Tiffani Thiessen, using a slipped disc as an excuse, getting a great parking spot, befriending the homeless and putting a hit out on your wife. It's The Onion from April 12, 2006! onion20.substack.com/p/the-onion-...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Apr 5

Happy Easter! On April 19, 2000, @TheOnion.com put these cutout Easter Bunny images into the print edition.

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Apr 2

Remember when Tiger Woods' biggest problem was being too good at golf? Lots of web-only Onion content from 20 years ago this week, including this lengthy infographic. I also really like that magazine cover of an old shed lol onion20.substack.com/p/the-onion-...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Mar 29

Hipsters, WWE's stance on immigration, Dove Beauty's 2008 presidential campaign, dangerous raccoons, the inner thoughts of novelists and sitcom writers — so much in this recap of @TheOnion.com from March 29, 2006. open.substack.com/pub/onion20/...

The Onion: 20 Years Later@onion20· Mar 25

22 years ago in @TheOnion.com, Coke's Mars Rover found Dasani. Plus, the Negro Leagues return, Martha Stewart's sentencing, mechanical bulls, "The Apprentice," "Tuesdays With Morrie" and much more. onion20.substack.com/p/20-years-a...