Royal wedding? You're having a laugh
April 27, 2011 in Comment
Bloghorn has noted that there is not as much overt anti- monarchist feeling in the UK as we might have expected in the run-up to the royal wedding. Instead, the attitude seems to be a particularly British one: let them get on with it but we reserve our right to take the royal pee out of the whole thing.
This “official engagement portrait”, above, by David O’Connell, is a perfect example. He has also produced a wickedly non-reverent comic called Kate Middleton: In Her Own Words, which in less-enlightened times may have seen him locked up in the Tower .
What has been particularly notable is that unlike the 1980s, when Chas and Di got hitched, people now have access to all kinds of digital media production. As a result, rather than accepting the chintzy tea towels and mugs thrown at them in the past, they are able to create their own alternative wedding merchandise and market it via the web.
The most prominent and successful item has probably been Lydia Leith’s royal wedding sick bags, but there are many others. There’s the commemorative plate that declares “Thanks for the free day off” and describes the occasion as a “4 day bender”. Those of a sartorial bent can don a “Celebrate, peasants!” T-shirt. There are some cartoon coasters, above, available at Scary Go Round, to stick your royal wedding mug on, and for those who are, er, overcome by the whole occasion, you can buy a pack of Crown Jewels condoms.
Some bigger names have jumped on the bandwagon. Foulmouthed satirists Modern Toss have produced a commemorative mug which admits that it will probably end up “dumped in the shed filled up with old screws ‘n’ s***” . And the Guardian’s Steve Bell talks about creating his own mug in this video.
If you do make it to London to see the royal nuptials, you could pop to the South Bank where you will see Kate and Wills rendered by the graffiti artist Rich Simmons as Sid and Nancy. Respect.
If you have seen any other amusing examples of disrespectful royal wedding tat, let us know in the comments below.
by Matthew Buck
The other big event
April 28, 2011 in Comment, News
While parts of the country are reeling under the weight of Royal Wedding merchandise (see here) the UK is also having its traditional May elections.
Cartoonist and new Bloghorn contributor Rob Murray, writes:
Candidate Dafydd Trystan Davies is campaigning with something a bit different from the traditional manifesto, instead commissioning a cartoon strip that outlines his ambitions for the constituency he hopes to represent.
Image © Dai Owen
The strip, by artist Dai Owen, shows Davies travelling through Cynon Valley in South Wales and touches on his goals for public transport, employment, housing and the local health service.
Image © Dai Owen
Davies, the Plaid Cymru candidate for the seat, told the Western Mail that the cartoon has already gone down well with the public. “They’ve laughed and they’ve read it – two important things,” he said, adding: “It’s a fun way to get a message across to people who are by and large disengaged with politics.”
Bloghorn would like to see more cartoons being used in publicity campaigns, be they political, commercial or charitable.
Tags: Bloghorn, cartoon portfolios, cartoonist portfolios, Dai Owen, elections, PCO, professional cartoonists, Professional Cartoonists Organisation, Rob Murray, UK 1 Comment »