Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

The psychology of special offers – cartoon

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cartoon - a misleading special offer in a supermarket

A joke showing people being deceived by a special offer in a shop.

The customers see a sign with the special offer of “Two for the price of Three’ and they automatically think that this is a good deal due to the way that the offer is framed (interpreting it in the same way as “Two for the price of three”).
A cartoon about marketing, persuasion, selling, manipulation, misleading offers.

Drawn: 2009

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How to ignore inconvenient truths.

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cartoon - television programme about tv manufacturing

A TV viewer wanting to ignore the evidence in a television programme as it would make him uncomfortable.

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A cartoon depicting a person ignoring an inconvenient truth. (The cartoon doesn’t actually imply that all televisions are manufactured in exploitative sweatshop conditions – the use of a tv in the cartoon is because the tv in the image is, ironically, the conduit for the information to be made available).

Original version drawn: 2009

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Climate change cartoon – impact on developing world and compensation

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Developed world's effect on the developing world - cartoon

The adverse effects of anthropogenic climate change on the developing world.
The need for the West to compensate developing countries for the damage caused by climate change.

Subsistence farmers in the developing world, who’s crops are falling due to global warming.

A cartoon about crop failure, famine, starvation, drought.
The West being implicated in the suffering of the developing world.
One of the farmers is saying “Do you know any good lawyers”, to highlight the farmers’ lack of access to power.

Original version created: 2004

Cartoon reference number: a691
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Profiting from climate change – cartoon

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profiteering from global warming cartoon

Climate change cartoon.
A businessman making his business diversify into boats due to increased flood risk.

As global warming results in more floods there will be a greater demand for boats.
The cartoon shows a businessman suggesting that his manufacturing company diversify into ship and boat building.

A cartoon showing manufacturing companies and businesses adapting to changing demands, and about the adaptability of capitalism.

Drawn: 2017

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Environment-friendly holidays and eco-tourism

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Eco holidays cartoon

Cartoon caption suggesting that the most environment-friendly holidays are holidays spent at home (or at least not jetting off to an exotic location).

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A cartoon about choice of holiday destinations

Eco-holidays, eco-tourism, tourism

Original version drawn: 2009

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Save the dolphins

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dolphins aren't vegetarian cartoon

Cartoon showing a campaigner for protecting dolphins being disappointed to discover that dolphins aren’t vegetarian.

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A cartoon about the concept that some animal lovers prefer animals that are thought of as nice, cute, gentle etc (which interestingly extends to pet cats, which I frequently see tormenting and killing wildlife)..

The idea refers to some extent to the ‘natural fallacy’, which states that nature is inherently good.

Original version drawn: 1990

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Why there were no unicorns on Noah’s ark – cartoon

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Why there were no unicorns on Noah's ark - cartoon

A cartoon showing Noah’s ark full of consumer goods (cars, shipping containers etc). Noah is telling the two unicorns that are wanting to enter the ark that there is no room for them.

The cartoon about the human race’s impact on wildlife (particularly as a result of our consumption of the earth’s resources, but also as a result of anthropogenic floods).

A cartoon about endangered species, extinction, wildlife in danger.

Original version. drawn: 1990

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We are depleting the earth’s mineral resources at our peril

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depleting the earth's resources cartoon

A cartoon showing people mining the earth’s mineral resources to an irresponsible extent.

The cartoon about the depletion of the earth’s resources – and the possible dire consequences.

The image shows the earth represented by a boat, with the people in the boat digging out so much of the earth’s minerals that they have made a hole in the bottom of the boat, meaning that it will sink. A cautionary image.

Original version created: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a465
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The world being destroyed by consumerism cartoon

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traffic destroying environment cartoon

A cartoon showing a lorry crossing a traffic roundabout and destroying the playing arrangement on the roundabout.

The cartoon is a metaphor for the way that our consumer society and consumerism (represented by the lorryload of goods) is devastating the earth (represented by the flower planting in the form of a map of the world).

Original version created: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a454
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Genetically modified pigs will fly.

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pigs will fly gmo cartoon

A cartoon showing a genetically modified pig flying.

A cartoon about gmo food and genetics.
The cartoon strip shows people talking about ‘scare stories’ about ‘Frankenstein food’, with the final frame of the strip showing a flying pig.

A cartoon about gmo, genetically modified organisms, pigs will fly.

Original version created: 2008

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Will increased gmo food yields cause human population increase?

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gmo food cartoon

A cartoon dealing with the issue of genetically modified crops increasing crop yield to feed more people

The cartoon shows scientists considering the consequences of increasing food yields and the possible resulting population increase.

A cartoon about gmo, genetically modified organisms, human population increase.

Original version created: 2012

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The Ethics of Coffee – illustration

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Coffee cash crop cartoon

An illustration showing coffee beans with currency symbols on them as a symbol of the profit-motivated production

This illustration was created to depict coffee grown by multinational companies primarily for the profit.

The image is to draw attention to fair trade crops and ethically produced food products

Drawn: 2015

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Atmospheric pollution cartoon. Breathing clean air in a polluted atmosphere

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Oxygen cylinder tree cartoon

An environmental cartoon about air pollution

A cartoon showing a man using an oxygen cylinder to breathe fresh air in a polluted atmosphere. The oxygen cylinder contains a tree that is generating oxygen

Part of the idea behind the illustration is to convey the concept that trees are the lungs of the world.
A cartoon about atmospheric pollution, clear air and toxic chemicals in the atmosphere, smog

Original version created: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env071a
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Carbon footprint cartoon

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carbon footprint cartoon

A carbon footprint cartoon from my selection of environment cartoons.

The illustration shows a climate change conference, with the US delegate (Uncle Sam) wearing gigantic clown shoes. He is thinking ‘No one will take me seriously in these shoes’

A cartoon about the fact that (at the moment) the western world uses most of the world’s resources and thus is in no position to lecture about the impact of consumerism to the developing world

Created: 2016

Cartoon reference number: env001

The ship of fools

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globe - Ship of Fools cartoon

Ship of Fools environment illustration

Is the earth, and the human race, heading for disaster (because people seem to be only capable of short term planning)?

An environmental cartoon showing the earth as a ship, represented by half a globe, with people on the deck enjoying themselves, oblivious of the fact that they are steering the world towards catastophe

The illustration shows the world’s population as the passengers and crew of the Ship of Fools (or the fools on the ship)

Original version created: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a449

Climate crisis cartoon (and desertification cartoon)

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climate change denial cartoon

From my selection of environmental cartoons

Climate change denial

A cartoon of a person with his head buried in the sand, hiding from the fact that global warming is affecting the environment. The cartoon shows parts of the world turning to desert as a result of climate change and unsustainable development.

Original version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env008

Self-driving cars cartoon or driverless cars cartoon

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Self-driving or driverless car cartoon

A cartoon about driverless cars.
How driverless cars may affect society

Driverless cars are also known as driver-free cars, self driving cars, autonomous cars or robot cars.

This is a futurology cartoon, predicting the future when self-driving cars are ubiquitous.
My view is that people will drive round whether they need to or not, simply because they can – a bit like the way people currently spend large amounts of their time glued to mobile phones even though they don’t necessarily have anything pressing to say. You can read an article of mine on the subject of driverless cars here.

Drawn: 2017

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Environment cartoons – polar bear and penguins marching to save the ice caps

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penguins and polar bear environment cartoons

Environment cartoons – penguins marching to stop global warming

An illustration showing an environmental protest march of penguins and a polar bear

The penguins in this image are inspired by natural history documentaries about penguins that show the penguins marching in line from their nest site to their feeding ground many miles away.
This cartoon is meant to be a motivational and inspirational image, motivating people to get up and do something for the benefit of the environment (specifically in the areas of climate change and global warming).
Original version drawn: 2011
Cartoon reference number: a664
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Environment cartoon – the impact of road traffic on the environment.

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environmental transport roadkill cartoon

The environmental impact of road traffic

Roadkill cartoon
A cartoon about the effect of cars and roads on the environment

The image shows a globe of the earth squashed flat on a road by a car, signifying the global impact of cars and transport in general on the environment – a sort of global roadkill
Original version created: 2004
Cartoon reference number: a478

Businesses profiting from climate change

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business opportunities created by climate change

Environment cartoon about profit from climate change

Showing business opportunities created by global warming.

The joke is based on the saying “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good” (meaning that someone always benefits from any situation, including bad ones).
The cartoon is meant as a criticism of cynical profiteering from climate change – it’s not a criticism of pragmatic approaches to job creation as a result of climate change.

Ref: a648

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