Kurtzman had "The Grasshopper and the Ant" printed in "Esquire" magazine in 1960. The strip was a social allegory of a hipster grasshopper and a hard-working ant with opposing worldviews, both of whom lose out in the end. It was a rarity for Kurtzman in that he created it in full color, rather in black-and-white lineart with color added afterward. Kurtzman once more proposed "Marley's Ghost" to a number of publishers in 1962, including "The Saturday Evening Post", but again it was rejected.