Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

Oil painting portrait ‘cut-to-fit’

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cut-down oil painting cartoon

Cutting a painting to fit a space.

A cartoon showing a large oil painting that has been cut down in size to fit into a room.

The oil painting in the cartoon is a grand portrait, cut down so that only the head is mounted on the wall.
Cartoon drawn: 2016
Cartoon reference number: a928

Only watched the news once a day – cartoon

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Only watch the news once a day cartoon

Only watch the news once a day cartoon

A cartoon from a series featuring a life coach and lifestyle advisor called Mrs Walton.
In the cartoon she is advising someone that they shouldn’t follow the news all day long.

Limiting how much time you spend following the news can be seen as a good thing partly because obsessively keeping up with every change in events is ultimately a waste of time which stops you doing other things and partly because the news is so depressing.
Drawn: 2012
Cartoon reference number: a905

Environmental approaches to domestic heating cartoon

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environmental domestic heating cartoon

Environmental approaches to domestic heating cartoon.

A cartoon about two alternative ways to keep warm in the winter.
Either install (and run) an expensive central heating system or put on a few more clothes.
This cartoon has relevance for the fuel crisis of 2022, when fuel prices and the price of gas and electricity rose hugely.

Drawn: December 11th 2020
Cartoon reference number: a882

Contemporary baby name cartoon

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modern baby's names cartoon

A cartoon about modern baby names and old-fashioned baby names.

A cartoon about the trend for unusual and non-traditional names for babies.

The fashion for non-traditional names for babies may be a symptom of the current trend towards hyper individualism, which may mean that ‘ordinary’ names are viewed as being too conformist.
The trend may also be linked to the rise of celebrity culture where such names are more commonplace
Cartoon reference number: a732

Vinyl records – a fashionable music format for the 21st century.

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music formats - vinyl - hipsters

A hipster explaining to his father that modern young people listen to music on vinyl – as though it’s a new format that older people wouldn’t understand.

This cartoon is about the way that young people often feel superior to older people because older people aren’t necessarily up to date with technology.

The cartoon is about the psychology of youth – about the way that young people often fail to appreciate the fact that their modern world was created by people who went before them.
The fact that the music format being used is an old fashioned or retro format, while the young person in the cartoon still feels superior to the man who grew up with the technology, is part of the joke about youth setting itself up as superior to age.
The young person in the cartoon is a hipster – a youth sub-culture of the 2010s.
It’s a cartoon about the generation gap.
Cartoon reference number: a728

Men’s obsession with gadgets

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Cartoon - Men admiring a gadget in a workshop

Men admiring a workshop gadget and wondering what it does

A cartoon about some men’s obsession with gadgets.

Original version published in a greetings card range by Paperlink
Original version drawn: 1994
Cartoon reference number: a702

Family relationships cartoon

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cartoon - a youth waiting for his mother at an airport

Cartoon of a young man waiting for his mother at an airport arrivals gate.
He is holding a notice saying “Mum”.

A cartoon about child-parent relationships.

Cartoon drawn: 2001
Cartoon reference number: a696

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Cartoon about celebrities (and audiences) getting old.

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cartoon - celebrity looking old

Cartoon of an elderly man commenting that a celebrity is looking old.

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The man is remembering what the celebrity looked like when the man himself was younger, and is forgetting that he is the same age as the celebrity.

The celebrity in the cartoon is Harrison Ford.
A cartoon about aging, denial, youth.
Cartoon reference number: h695
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Garden cartoons – noisy neighbours cartoon

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Gardening cartoon - noisy neighbours cartoon

Noisy neighbours cartoon

Cartoon showing problem neighbours hanging a loudspeaker outdoors in a tree.
A gardener is hanging a bird nesting box in a tree. The loudspeaker looks very similar to the nesting box, which is part of the joke

A humorous observation about neihbors from hell, encouraging birds in the garden, inconsiderate neighbours
Cartoon reference number: a578

See my book of gardening cartoons here.
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Cookery cartoon

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Cookery cartoon - recipe book for beginners

Cookery cartoon – a recipe book for beginners

A cartoon showing a person reading a recipe book to find out how to prepare baked beans

A cartoon about how to cook convenience food and about how people don’t know how to cook
Cartoon reference number: a569

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Recycling cartoon. Woman putting man in recycling bin

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man in recycling bin cartoon

Recycling waste cartoon
Woman putting man in recycling bin

A cartoon showing a woman thinking of putting her partner or husband into the recycling waste. He is standing idly thinking of sport while she is busy doing the household chores (in this case doing the recycling by visiting the local recycling centre).

As well as being about recycling and sustainability the cartoon is about gender differences, couple incompatibility, partner resentment

Cartoon reference number: a456

Going viral – a cartoon about popular culture and YouTube videos

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youtube viewing cartoon

A cartoon about the most popular YouTube videos and the inanity of popular culture.
“Gangnam Style” tops YouTube viewing figures

A comic comment on popular culture in the internet age

This cartoon was inspired by the fact that the song and video “Gangnam Style” was the most popular YouTube video today.

I’ve got nothing against “Gangnam Style” (in fact I quite like it), but it’s a shame that the most popular areas of popular culture are usually the most inane/mildly amusing/superficial.
The man in this image is implying that he’d like to see something a bit more intelligent topping the internet viewing figures.
The cartoon is about internet trending, going viral, cultural inanity, popular culture.

Cartoon reference number: a428

How to stop a baby crying – give it the phone

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baby comforter phone cartoon

Cartoon showing how to stop a baby crying – give it the phone

A comment on the hypnotic fascination with phones of young people.
The cartoon is also about the way that children are socialised into dependence on technology and gadgets.
The baby is ignoring the soft toys that are dangling in the baby buggy and is focussing completely on a cell phone (mobile phone).

Cartoon reference number: a357

Garden vegetable glut – gardening and cookery cartoon

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Courgette glut - gardening and cookery cartoon

Vegetable gardening cartoon
Cookery cartoon

Cartoon of a gardener harvesting courgettes from his garden and bringing them into the kitchen

In the kitchen the gardener’s wife is looking at recipes for courgettes and is saying “It’s amazing how many recipes you can find with courgettes in them when you have to”

This is a joke about the problem of gluts of seasonal vegetables and fruit.
Home grown courgettes are a particularly good example of glut-prone vegetables.

Cartoon reference number: a259

See my book of gardening cartoons here.
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Garden design cartoon – down to earth vegetable garden or ostentatious designer garden?

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garden design and seed catalogue - cartoon

Gardening and garden design cartoon. Ordering garden seeds from a seed catalogue

Cartoon about garden design and planning

Cartoon showing a man trying to decide what type of garden to create – a vegetable garden or a garden in the form of a sub-tropical paradise retreat

Part of the humour in the cartoon is that the man who is contemplating designing or planning a new garden is a stereotypical old age pensioner – a type of person who probably wouldn’t be interested in creating an aspirational garden design such as a designer garden. He’d normally prefer a traditional vegetable garden or allotment garden in which he could potter round rather than a high status garden that would (hopefully) impress his friends.
The cartoon is meant to imply that an ostentatious high status garden design is more vulgar than an ‘honest’ vegetable plot.
This is a cartoon about cultural types, social class, cultural stereotypes.

Cartoon reference number: a236

See my book of gardening cartoons here.
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Children won’t go outside to play in the garden

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children watching tv in garden - cartoon

Gardening and gardens cartoon. The only way to get children to go outside into the garden is to put a television there

A joke about the problem of getting children away from the television and their computers.
The horror of the idea of ‘outdoor television’ – especially for kids

A comic illustration about child development, children’s games and activities, children won’t play outside anymore, physical exercise for children.
Cartoon reference number: a228

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Golf cartoon and garden cartoon. Using a golf bag to carry gardening tools

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golf bag full of garden tools - joke

A joke about gardening and golf. Using a golf bag to carry gardening tools.

Showing a man using a golf bag to carry his garden tools rather than to carry his golf clubs.

A cartoon about men’s hobbies and pass-times, golfing, golf caddies, golf carts, combining hobbies
Cartoon reference number: a205

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Using power tools in the garden – you may need ear protectors

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ear protectors in the garden - joke

Gardening and gardens cartoon. Using power tools in the garden – use ear protectors

Showing a gardener about to use some power tools in his garden.
He’s asking his partner (who’s relaxing on the lawn) is she’s seen his ear protectors.

The joke is that gardening is meant to be a relaxing hobby or pass-time, but the man is going to make a lot of noise, thus ruining the tranquility for others

A cartoon about insensitivity, lack of consideration for others, noise levels, noisy neighbours, noise abatement society, intrusive noise.
The joke is also about male status and prestige (the need to be seen using powerful tools rather than lower status implements such as sweeping brushes and brooms).

Cartoon reference number: a203

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Winter is the dormant season for plants – and people

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gardening cartoon - winter is dormant period

A cartoon about gardening and male behaviour.
Winter is the dormant period for plants – and for people

This could also be a joke about a stereotypical lazy man

A cartoon about laziness, seasonal activity, the seasons in the garden, the rhythms of nature, lethargy, stereotypical gender roles, cliches of masculine behaviour, seasonal behaviour.
Cartoon reference number: a193

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Water play isn’t only for children – cartoon

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Water play cartoon

Water play joke

A man in his garden watering plants with a hose pipe (or with a watering can).

His wife is commenting to a friend that it’s important for him to have at least 20 minutes of water play per day. The joke in the cartoon is that water play is normally associated with children and child development, and not with adults, although adults benefit from such activity too.
A cartoon about play, child development, leisure activities, watering gardens, irrigation, hobbies, male shed culture.

Drawn: July 2003

Cartoon reference number: a189

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Sundial cartoon

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cartoon - sundial with children too young to tell the time

A sundial with young children who are too young to tell the time

The reason why the children can’t tell the time is because they are too short to see the top of the sundial

A sundial in a garden as a decorative feature.
A cartoon about child development, learning to tell the time, clocks.

Drawn: Aug 2009

Cartoon reference number: a187

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Gardening or DIY cartoon – about the fascination of old newspapers

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joke about the fascination of old newspapers

DIY or gardening humour – about the way that old newspapers become interesting

A joke about the way that when you lay out pages of old newspaper as part of a diy project (such as to save the floor from paint splashes when decorating) or gardening project, the stories in the newspaper can become a distraction and become compulsively readable, distracting you from the job at hand

A humorous illustration about procrastination, displacement activity, displacement activities, yesterday’s news.

Drawn: Feb 2004

Cartoon reference number: a178

A gardener who is more interested in the tools than the garden – cartoon

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Gardener who is more interested in the tools than the garden - humour

Garden humour. A gardener who is more interested in the garden tools than in the garden

A cartoon about the way that it’s possible for the technology or tools relating to a hobby to become more important than the results of the hobby itself (Photography is another good example, where men become obsessed with their cameras rather than their photographs).

A joke about the psychology of hobbies, leisure activities, passtimes, pass-times, men’s interests.
It’s also about the way that some men will only use equipment that has a certain muscular masculinity – as here, a noisy power tool rather than a brush or rake.

Drawn: Nov 2011

Cartoon reference number: a177

Garden design cartoon. Using jigsaw shaped paving stones on the driveway to the garage

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jigsaw shaped paving stones on drive cartoon

Garden cartoon. Using jigsaw shaped paving stones on the drive to the garage

Cartoon showing a man constructing a drive in his garden, with flagstones shaped like interlocking pieces from a jigsaw.

The man has just finished constructing the driveway – to find that one of the pieces of the jigsaw is missing.
This is a joke about the cliche that there’s always one piece of a jigsaw that’s missing.

Drawn: Nov 2006

Cartoon reference number: a173
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