Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

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 sculpture cartoon

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modern sculpture cartoon

Flat pack art.

The cartoon shows a person constructing a piece of sculptural artwork from a flat-pack kit.
The sculpture is in the flatpack form of furniture and fittings available in stores such as Ikea.
The sculpture is labelled as an Ikea Skulptr, in homage to the unusual spelling (to English speakers at least) of Ikea products.

Part of the joke in the cartoon is the contrast between what is often seen as the elitist and high-brow (and expensive) world of contemporary art and the mass market (and cheap) consumerism of shops such as Ikea.
Cartoon drawn: 2019
Cartoon reference number: art050
This cartoon features in my book of cartoons about art.
See the book here.
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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

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

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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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.

Cartoon – a man who will clean his garden fork but not kitchen forks

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Cartoon - cleaning garden fork

Gardening cartoon – a man lovingly cleaning his garden fork

A cartoon about gardens and gardening, with a bit of gender politics thrown in.

A cartoon showing a man carefully cleaning his garden fork, while his wife looks on and complains that he spends so long cleaning his garden tools but won’t do any cleaning in the house (He’ll clean the garden forks but not the kitchen forks).
A cartoon about domestic gender roles in household work, sexual stereotypes, gender equality.
Drawn: Nov 2011

Cartoon reference number: a169


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Life coach guru cartoon. Only watch the news once a day

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Wise sayings cartoon. Only watch the news once a day

Cartoon about advice on how to live your life.
Life coach advice – only watch the news once a day.
The news as noise and the illusion of engagement

The cartoon shows a ‘lifestyle guru’ telling someone to only watch the news once a day.
Some people (myself included) watch the news far too often. One of the problems with the broadcast news on tv is that it is extremely superficial, especially when broadcast on a 24 hour rolling news channel. Watching the news sometimes gives the illusion that you are actively engaged in the news, however, we should really be doing other things instead, such as reading books and magazines that analyse and explain in greater depth the implications of the news events of the day. The news is ‘noise’.
This analysis of the news is similar to that put forward in the book by Alain de Botton, The News. The cartoon predates the book.

This cartoon is from a series about the phenomenon of gurus, personal counsellors, lifestyle coaches (a recent and rather ludicrous twist on the phenomenon of personal fulfilment), motivational speakers and suchlike. In the series the guru, counsellor or what-have-you is a very ordinary middle aged woman rather than someone who is removed from the humdrum of everyday life, and is meant to represent a parody of lifestyle advisers and self improvement gurus.

Cartoon about truth, knowledge, opinions, prejudice, bias, philosophy, lifestyle, lifestyle coaching, gurus, motivational speakers, therapy, counselling, current affairs, engagement in society.
Cartoon reference number: a127
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Therapy cartoon. If you’re too happy perhaps you need therapy

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Cartoon - you're too contented - you need therapy

Psychotherapy (or just plain therapy) Cartoon. Happiness cartoon.

Therapy cartoon – showing a woman saying to her partner “I’m worried about how contented you seem – I think you need therapy”
She is over analysing people’s moods and even diagnosing happiness or being happy as a mental condition that requires treatment.

Happiness cartoon. A cartoon about the potential over use of therapy, analysis, counselling, psychology, psychiatry, psychotic states.
Cartoon reference number: a086

Cartoon. Brain function in the elderly slower than in the young

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old people slow thinkers cartoon

A cartoon about the fact that older people are slower thinkers than young people. However, they are also deeper thinkers.

Cartoon. Old people are often dismissed as slower thinkers than the young (especially by the young). However, due to their maturity they are also deeper thinkers than the young. This depth of thought is often overlooked and ignored by the young (because younger people have more superficial thoughts).
In this cartoon the thoughts of older people are likened to the flowing of a great river as it nears the sea – slow and deep – with the thought processes of younger people being compared (by implication) to the rapid, shallow, tumultuous flow of streams nearer the river’s source.

Slower brian function is often equated with loss of brain function, however this doesn’t necessarily imply a simple correlation with inferior brain function.
Of course degenerative brian diseases are another matter.
A cartoon about diminishing brain function in the elderly, brain degeneration, mental skills, IQ tests, intelligence, brian function, wisdom, cognition, cognitive impairment.
Cartoon reference number: a060
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Cartoon – the difficulty for older people to understand modern technology

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Difficulty for older people using modern technology

Cartoon – the difficulty for older people to understand modern technology.

A woman having trouble programming a modern digital television tuner (or similar electronic device).
TYounger people adapt to using modern technology naturally (as they know nothing else).
The joke here is that the child who understands the new technology is a baby (who understands very little indeed in general).

A cartoon about child development, generational differences, generation gap, early learning, knowledge acquisition, technological illiteracy.
Cartoon reference number: a058

Parenting skills cartoon. Naughty step cartoon

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Naughty step cartoon

Naughty step cartoon. A cartoon about parenting and parenting skills.

Child psychology cartoon.
The naughty step is a child discipline technique of the ‘Supernanny’ school of child development.
The joke in this cartoon is that the technique has been applied by the mother to her husband as well as to her child.

A cartoon about child development, discipline, hen-pecked husbands, domineering wife.
Cartoon reference number: a057

Cookery cartoon. Cook losing her temper while cooking a Gordon Ramsay recipe

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Cookery cartoon. Gordon Ramsay recipe

Cookery cartoon. Cook losing her temper while cooking a Gordon Ramsay recipe.

A cartoon about Gordon Ramsey and his bad language and temper.

The cartoon is funny because Gordon Ramsey is famous for swearing a lot, for using bad language and for having a bad temper. The humour lies in the fact that the cook seems to be taking on Gordon Ramsey’s personality traits as part of the cooking process. The cook is channelling Gordon Ramsey.
Cartoon reference number: a055

Football cartoon – football themed bedroom cartoon

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Football themed bedroom cartoon

Cartoon showing a person who has a football themed bedroom.

A cartoon based on the saying ‘Eat football, breathe football’ and its variations (such as ‘Eat football, breathe football, life football’)
The joke is that because the person in the cartoon has had a football themed make over in his bedroom, with all of the decor and decorations being football related, be can now ‘Eat football, breathe football and sleep football!’ .

A cartoon about sports fans, football fans, obsession with football, following football.
Cartoon reference number: a054

Nigerian email scam cartoon

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nigerian email scam cartoon

Nigerian email scam cartoon.

A cartoon showing a person who has answered Nigerian email scams that he has received – and has found that they are genuine.

The humour in the cartoon is due to the fact that the scam emails from Nigeria and elsewhere, often pretending to come from a bank employee or the wife of a recently deceased finance minister or similar wealthy person ar so obviously fraudulent that no one with any sense would take them seriously or assume that they were genuine.
A cartoon about internet fraud, scam emails, con men, con man, confidence tricksters, gullibility, credulousness.
Cartoon reference number: a053
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Computer cartoon. Are computers intuitive to use?

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computer use intuitive cartoon

Learning how to use a computer – cartoon. A man saying to a woman that computers are totally intuitive to use.

A cartoon showing a person using a computer and another person teaching computing skills.

A cartoon showing the difference in approach to knowledge and technology by men and women. The woman is unsure of her ability while the man is arrogant and sure.
A cartoon about computers and gender differences.
Cartoon reference number: a034
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Internet dependence cartoon

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internet weather cartoon

Internet dependence cartoon. Using the internet unnecessarily to find out something you can find in easier ways.

A cartoon showing a person using the internet to research information that doesn’t need the internet for the research.

A cartoon about the way that people are becoming over reliant on computers and the internet.
The fact that the person is looking at the weather on the internet is meant to point out that people are staying indoors in front of their computers rather than going outside.
An unhealthy aspect of computer use.
This version drawn: Oct 2011
Cartoon reference number: a033
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Computer cartoons. “Printer not found”

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computer printer not found cartoon

Computer cartoon. Printer not found message on computer screen

A cartoon showing a woman getting annoyed with her computer. A message on the computer screen says “Printer not found”. The printer is alongside the computer.

A cartoon about the frustration of using computers and their seemingly nonsensical, inexplicable or unfathomable messages.
This cartoon was drawn as a greetings card published by Paperlink.
Cartoon reference number: a031
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Man doing housework cartoons. Product design designed to appeal to men

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men with vacuum cleaner cartoon

Men doing housework cartoons. A vacuum cleaner designed to appeal to men.

A cartoon showing a man looking at a vacuum cleaner and being interested in its design and specifications.
Some household devices such as the Dyson vacuum cleaner are very muscular and macho, and are probably designed to be targeted to appeal to male sensibilities.

A cartoon about gender differences, feminism, gender roles, masculinity, male traits, household chores, product design.
Cartoon reference number: a029
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Man doing housework to impress woman cartoons

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man doing housework to impress woman cartoon

Men doing housework cartoons. Men act differently in the company of attractive women.

A cartoon showing a man modifying his behaviour in order to impress an attractive woman (possibly subconsciously).

A cartoon about gender differences, feminism, gender roles, sexual attraction strategies, deception, sexual display, gender interaction.
Cartoon reference number: a028
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Men doing housework cartoon. Men never know which washing programme to use

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men washing machine cartoon

Men doing housework cartoon. Men never know which washing programme to use

A cartoon showing a woman complaining to her husband/partner that he’s put the washing machine on the wrong wash cycle, ruining her clothes by making it shrink in the wash because it was too hot.

The cartoon shows the different talents/interests/preoccupations of men and women.
The man is good at fixing the plumbing, but he’s useless at using the washing machine itself.

A cartoon about gender differences, feminism, gender roles, male incompetence at housework.
Cartoon reference number: a027
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Cartoon. Change the clocks – double summertime. Daylight robbery?

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Cartoon. clocks change to double summertime

A cartoon about the proposal to put the clocks in Britain forward by another hour all year round.

This would change GMT to BST and the current BST to double summertime.
This system is opposed in parts of Britain, especially Scotland (where it is argued that the mornings would be too dark). The proposed change would generally be an improvement, allowing greater use of the limited daylight in winter.
It occurs to me that any campaign against changing the clocks could use the slogan “Daylight Robbery”.

A cartoon about GMT, BST, British Summer Time, Greenwich Mean Time.
Cartoon reference number: a008
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Cartoon. Yesterday’s news – the transitory nature of current affairs

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The transitory nature of news

Cartoon. Yesterday’s news. The transitory nature of news.

A cartoon showing someone watching the news on television, saying that he’d forgotten that a major news event had happened only a short time earlier (the revolution in Egypt as part of the so called Arab Spring).Cartoon about the fleeting attention span that any news story can command in a world saturated with news events.

A cartoon about the speed with which news stories fall into the dustbin of history as the world’s news media move from one story to the next, often giving a story saturation coverage and then moving on. Today’s earth shattering news is tomorrow’s chip paper, as the saying goes.

Cartoon drawn: 2011
Cartoon reference number: news22
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Flat pack furniture cartoon

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Flat pack furniture cartoon

Flat pack furniture cartoon

A person who has bought so much self-assembly flatpack furniture that there isn’t enough space to assemble it.
Self assembly furniture cartoon, with the furniture still packed away in its boxes, piled up in the room because there’s no room to put it up. The packs are being used as furniture in their own right.
Flat-pack furniture is synonymous with the Ikea brand.

A cartoon about interior design, ikea, modern furnishing.
Original version drawn: 2000
Cartoon reference number: fla808

Lazy cat cartoon. Cat owner asking cat to do some housework

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Lazy cat cartoon. Cat on sofa - not contributing to housework

Lazy cat cartoon
Sharing housework cartoon

A cat lying on a chair – with its owner telling it to pull its weight and get up and do some household chores.
A cat’s owner complaining that the cat is lazy and doesn’t earn its keep.
Notice the conspiratorial dog.

A cartoon about pets, cats, dogs, sponging, free riders, dog’s life, cat’s life, housework, chores, responsibility, sharing, domestic rotas, washing up, cleaning.
Drawn: Jan 2009
Cartoon reference number: cat710