Teaching is one of those professions that attracts a lot of well-meaning gifts and not enough good ones. The mug with an apple on it. The “World’s Best Teacher” plaque. The candle. Teachers tend to receive these things graciously and then quietly redistribute them. A cartoon gift works differently — not because it’s clever or ironic, but because it’s specific. The right cartoon captures something true about the job: the endless marking, the parent emails, the particular exhaustion of a Friday afternoon in term time.
CartoonStock has been licensing editorial and humour cartoons for over 25 years, with a catalogue of 750,000+ originals from more than 1,000 artists worldwide — including regular contributors to The New Yorker, Private Eye, and publications across the US and UK. Within that archive is a substantial body of work about schools, classrooms, teaching, and the daily reality of education. The cartoons here aren’t generic; they’re observational in the way good editorial cartooning always is.
This guide covers wall art, mugs, puzzles, and tote bags — all printed on demand and available through CartoonStock’s print partner. Whether it’s an end-of-term thank you, a leaving gift, or something for a colleague who’s just survived another academic year, the options below are chosen to work as actual gifts rather than gestures.
Jigsaw Puzzles
A puzzle is an unusual choice for a teacher gift, which is precisely what makes it work. It's something to do rather than something to display — a decent option for the end of term when the idea of sitting down and doing something with no educational outcome whatsoever has real appeal. The cartoon on the lid does some work too: it signals that whoever chose this actually thought about it.
Printed on premium paper stock with a semi-gloss finish; comes with a storage box with the artwork printed on the lid.
Browse more →Mugs
A mug is the default teacher gift for a reason — they drink a lot of tea and coffee, and they drink it at a desk. The difference here is the cartoon. A well-chosen image turns a functional object into something that earns a second look, gets commented on in the staffroom, and actually stays on the desk rather than migrating to the back of a cupboard.
Available in 11oz and 15oz, ceramic, dishwasher and microwave safe.
Browse more →Wall Art
Wall art is the gift that keeps making an impression — in a classroom, a home office, or a staffroom, a well-chosen print becomes part of the furniture in the best possible way. CartoonStock's catalogue includes decades of editorial cartooning about education, which means there's range here: dry observation, gentle absurdism, and cartoons that will resonate with anyone who has spent time on either side of a classroom desk.
Available in a range of sizes and formats to suit most spaces.
Browse more →Tote Bags
Teachers carry a lot. Books to mark, books they're reading, the kind of bag that suggests they have their life together even when term suggests otherwise. A tote with a cartoon on it is the sort of thing that gets used — it's practical enough to be taken seriously and specific enough to feel considered. Printed on both sides, so the cartoon goes with them wherever the bag does.
Poly-poplin with double-stitched handles and a 1" black strap; machine washable cold.
Browse more →Browse the full collection
We have thousands of teaching cartoons available on the merchandise of your choice. Browse the full collection below
Show me more →Frequently asked questions
What makes a good gift for a teacher?
The best teacher gifts tend to be specific rather than symbolic. Generic "teacher" branding — apples, chalkboards, stock phrases — tends to signal effort without really landing. What works better is something that reflects the job honestly: the humour, the absurdity, the particular texture of a working week in a school. CartoonStock's teaching cartoon range draws on decades of editorial and humour cartooning about education, giving it a range and specificity that generic gift ranges rarely match. You can browse the full selection at cartoonstockart.com.
What cartoon gifts for teachers are available?
Quite a few. Through CartoonStock's print partner, teaching cartoons are available as wall art prints, puzzles, tote bags, and mugs — all printed on demand. Wall art works well for a classroom or home office; a puzzle is a good end-of-term gift; a tote is practical enough to get daily use. The full range is available at cartoonstockart.com.
Are cartoon gifts for teachers appropriate for end-of-term or leaving gifts?
Yes — and they tend to work particularly well in those contexts. End-of-term gifts benefit from something that feels considered rather than last-minute, and a leaving gift especially calls for something that acknowledges the job rather than just the occasion. A print or framed cartoon that captures something true about teaching is the kind of thing that gets taken home and kept, rather than thanked for once and forgotten.
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