The exhibition Animal Crackers: A Cartoon and Comic Bestiary is at the Cartoon Museum in London from this Wednesday (July 25).
It looks at how animals have inspired all kinds of cartoonists across the ages, whether they are working in comics, political cartooning, magazine gag cartoons, newspaper strips or animation.
The show promises something for everyone with more than 140 cartoons, caricatures, comics and graphic novel pages by more than 60 artists. From political images, such as the Russian bear and the City fat cat, to Wallace and Gromit and The Bunny Suicides, all anthropomorphic animal life is here.
Some cartoons suggest how much animals are just like us, such as King Louie of The Jungle Book, or Fred Basset. Others, such as Simon Tofield’s Simon’s Cat and Norman Thelwell’s lovable ponies, highlight our pets’ irritating or endearing habits.
Animal Crackers includes works by major names from past and present, including Leo Baxendale, Simon Bond, Peter Brookes, Dave Brown, David Low, Mac, Matt, Chris Riddell, Ronald Searle, John Tenniel, Trog, Dudley D. Watkins and Gahan Wilson.
There’s a healthy showing of Procartoonists.org members, with Nathan Ariss, Ian Baker, Steve Bell, Andrew Birch, Andy Davey, Hunt Emerson, Jacky Fleming, Martin Honeysett, John Jensen, Nick Newman, right, Ken Pyne, Royston Robertson, above, Martin Rowson, Ralph Steadman, the Surreal McCoy, Colin Whittock, Kipper Williams and Mike Williams.
The exhibition runs until October 21. The Cartoon Museum is in Little Russell Street, near the British Museum. For further details, visit cartoonmuseum.org