Pollux writes:

Robert Mankoff, cartoon editor of The New Yorker, talked about this upcoming feature at his class on cartooning during the New Yorker Festival—and now it’s here!

This is the Cartoon Kit! It’s an advanced form of the Caption Contest: for this contest you’ll be creating your own New Yorker cartoon with pre-drawn props and characters drawn by artist and writer Alex Gregory.

Caption your customized cartoon and submit your entry by November 22, 2009!

Fans of New Yorker cartoons will love the props they can play around with, which range from cats, cavemen, dogs, martini glasses to aliens, the Grim Reaper, a fishbowl, and a sad clown.

You can drag and drop from the gallery of more than forty images, and resize and duplicate them. Let your imagination run wild!

The Cartoon Kit will be releasing a new theme with new drawings each month.

This month the site is also running a sweepstakes, in which The New Yorker will be giving away a signed copy of On The Money: The Economy in Cartoons, 1925-2009, edited by Mankoff.

Grand prize is a trip for two to New York City. This trip will include a meeting with Mankoff and a tour of the New Yorker offices.