In E.S. Glenn’s cartoon, a panini press is saying something to a toaster. Judging from the swinging door, they appear to be in a commercial kitchen. The panini-press looks friendly and encouraging, so I first imagined he was trying to build up the smaller appliance’s self-esteem: “Are you kidding? I’d give anything to make bread…
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“Black Gold” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
In Maddie Dai’s drawing, a couple is sitting together having tea while surrounded by barrels of oil. The man is checking his phone and saying something to his wife. I first assumed this was a reference to the reduced demand for oil (a consequence of the pandemic) that has forced companies like Exxon and Mobil…
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“Bald Superhero” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
Evan Lian has drawn a bald Superman putting his toupee on (or taking it off) a wig stand. Next to him is a woman—Lois, I assume—who’s wearing a bathrobe and holding a cup of coffee. Superman is speaking to her. I immediately thought of Lex Luthor, Superman’s bald adversary, and imagined Superman admiring his archrival’s…
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Climate Centre Case Study: Using cartoons to communicate serious issues
On September 25th, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a massive 1170 page report delving into the alarming severity of global warming. More than 104 scientists from 36 countries worked together over the past 3 years looking at the disastrous impact of climate change on the Earth’s oceans and the ice formations. Sound amusing?…
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Cartoonathon Case Study: Atlantic Council Heatwave Coalition
Heatwaves are an increasingly common and deadly climate event. According to the WHO, from 1998-2017, over 166,000 people died due to heatwaves, 70,000 of those lost their lives due to a single heatwave in Europe in 2003.1 As the number of heatwaves and the related death toll continue to rise, it begs the question: why…
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Cartoonathons: How to Use Humor to Drive Insights
Lately, problems and risks feel unavoidable; yet, they must be faced, whether within your community or in your business. So how do you get people excited about discussing tough issues and encourage teams to lean into solving them versus becoming overwhelmed and disengaged? How do you build trust and inspire communication when everything feels fraught?…
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