World Cartoonist Day: Honouring the 'Creative Ink-Stained Artists'

Observed on May 5th each year, National Cartoonists Society, headquartered in the United States, honours all those creative ink-stained artists, past and present, and the fascinating pieces they have created. Throughout the years, their talents bring humour, entertainment into our lives while provoking thought and debate, too.

Why is May 5 considered as Cartoonists Day?

On Sunday, May 5, 1895, the readers of the New York World discovered an exciting new addition in their morning paper. On the pages, they found American comic strip writer and artist Richard Outcault’s full-colour drawings featuring a big-eared, barefoot little boy with a mischievous grin. The comic strip was called ‘Hogan’s Alley,’ and later, it was renamed as ‘The Yellow Kid.’ This became the very first commercially successful cartoon, which went on to appear on postcards, billboards, cigarette packs and other advertisements.

The Yellow Kid series concluded in 1898, and by that time cartoons were a popular newspaper feature. Hence, with time, the demand for talented cartoonists and illustrators also increased. The series was inspired by the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) to observe National Cartoonists Day, which became World Cartoonist Day, celebrating the cartoonists and illustration artists all over the globe and their works.

Formation of The National Cartoonists Society

A group of cartoonists, namely Gus Edson, Otto Soglow, Clarence D Russell, Bob Dunn, and others, in 1943 used to hold small cartoon shows in hospitals to entertain the troops during the Second World War. Considering the positive response, the group expanded and performed across hospitals and various military bases.

Watching the show at one of the military bases, Clarence D Russell suggested the group form a club to keep continuing the same, even after World War II ended. This is how the NCS was born in 1946.

Here are some iconic cartoon characters of all time!

• Mickey Mouse: It's one of the most iconic characters of the 20th century, as Mickey represents everything that Walt Disney wanted to portray through his characters.
• Tom and Jerry: Tom and Jerry is a classic American series that has been entertaining audiences for generations together.
• Bugs Bunny: Bugs Bunny is a classic and famous cartoon character that Warner Brothers created for the Looney Tunes, an animated short film series.
• SpongeBob Square Pants: SpongeBob SquarePants is a lovable, quirky, and cute character that has become one of the most popular animated characters of all time.
• Donald Duck: Donald Duck is a classic Disney character. It has yellow-orange bills, legs and feet. It is well known for its distinctive voice, sailor outfit, and love for adventure.
• Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers: If there’s an ultimate combination of characters, it has to be Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rodgers. They are best friends and partners, who solve mysteries in the famous series, Scooby Doo.
• Pikachu:Pikachu is a legendary character from the evergreen video game series Pokemon. It's a cute and lovable yellow electric mouse and is well known for its iconic sound, “Pika Pika.” Without any doubt, Pikachu has captured millions of hearts all around the world.
• Winnie the Pooh: Winnie the Pooh, also known as Pooh Bear or Pooh, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear who has been a beloved children's character since his creation. He is known for his simple outlook on life and his love for honey.

How technology has changed cartoons:Years ago, the only way to make cartoons was handmade, frame by frame. Now there are a lot of cartoons made with Flash, After Effects or other software with interpolation features. That means you don't have to draw every frame to produce a movement illusion.

For many years, the use and growth of technology have facilitated cartoon development. From the early ages of the 2D to the invention of the zoetrope and current creations of graphic animation, technology has helped cartoon creation evolve from two to three-dimensional format and even to stereoscopic 3D. Animated movies are now being released worldwide and are often the top-grossing movies of the year. Without a doubt, huge improvements have been made in the successful making of cartoons and movies of today thanks to all the development that technology has given the film industry. In fact, back when the first cartoon was made, there wasn't even a single computer used in the production of it. If you compare the first-ever cartoons or comic films with the ones we have today, you can say that there will come a time when anything could be possible.

More than a century has passed and based on what we are seeing today, the world of animation technology has no plans of slowing down with their developments. In order to create the appearance of movement on a flat screen, flat images are rapidly being passed on to it one by one in order to create the whole illusion. But with the animation industry today, a lot of high-tech technology and advancements with fancy names in them have graced the film industry with its awesome effects and digital processes. Today everyone can watch their favourite cartoons online in high quality on their smartphones, iPad or laptop.

3D characters:The impact of 3D characters in animated films has transformed storytelling, setting new standards for visual realism, emotional depth, and audience engagement. These digital personas captivate with their lifelike movements and expressions and bridge cultural boundaries, resonating with global audiences.

As technology advances, the future promises even more immersive experiences where 3D characters evolve, interact, and shape narratives to captivate and connect with viewers on deeper emotional levels. It propels animated storytelling into thrilling new dimensions. Thanks to technology many new cartoon series and animated movies are born almost every day

The importance of cartoons in Newspaper:Cartoons are a unique form of journalism which contrasts with conventional forms of communication. The images can cast a powerful interpretation of the day’s news. They explain and explore stories in manners that articles cannot. More effective than writing or video, they capture the imitable human nature of their subjects in order to humanise the topic they depict.

Political cartoons are an integral component in the framework of political journalism. They offer a brightly coloured alternative to formal news reporting, providing light relief from the ever-increasingly gloomy political discourse. With the ability to distil news and opinion into a caricature, cartoons present accessible and instant commentary and analysis of current affairs.

Cartoons do not only act as news sources, but they can translate into a historical record of the political climate. In a time when journalism is constantly evolving, political cartoons have remained a timeless method of political commentary. Particularly in a time of tremendous volumes of media output, the ability of cartoons to communicate a compelling and comprehensive message has undisputedly stood the test of time.

Famous Indian cartoonists

Keshav Shankar Pillai, better known as just ‘Shankar’, was a pioneering figure in the world of cartoons. He began working as a cartoonist in 1933 and was an active illustrator well into the 1970s. Thus, Shankar lived through some of the most prominent events in Indian history including India’s independence, various wars as well as the Emergency.

RK Laxman,illustrated for his elder brother, R.K. Narayan’s stories in The Hindu during his college days and eventually joined his first full-time job as a political cartoonist at The Free Press Journal. He is mostly noted for his cartoon character called ‘The Common Man’ and for his comic strip called, You Said It. Laxman won several awards, including the Padma Bhushan in 1973; and the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. In 2005, he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan for his works.

Mario Miranda, famed for his fantastic illustrations in The Times of India and The Illustrated Weekly of India, Mario Miranda glorified his spot as one of the top-notch cartoonists of India. His cartoons can be found replete over the walls of one of South Mumbai’s most famous locations, Cafe Mondegar at Colaba. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988 and the Padma Bhushan in 2002.

Pran Kumar Sharma, popularly known as Pran, was one of the most well-known cartoonists of India. He was the force behind the creation of India’s favourite cartoon character, ‘Chacha Chaudhary’.

Vijay Narain Sethwas an Indian cartoonist, better known by his pen name, Vins. He considered veteran cartoonist Mario Miranda as his mentor and started as a political cartoonist. He worked with Himmat weekly and contributed to a cartoon named, Chalta hai. His works grace the Penguin Book of Indian Cartoons.

Bal Keshav Thackeray more popularly known as Balasaheb Thackery is famed to the masses as the founder of the Shiv Sena political party. But, he was a man of many talents, one of them being a cartoonist. He started his career with The Free Press Journal, but soon moved on to create his political weekly named Marmik. His cartoons served his campaigns against the rising number of non-Marathi people in Mumbai.

Ram Waeerkaris the brush master behind the famed Amar Chitra Katha, Ram Waeerkar was an integral part in the history of cartoons in India. He was the talent who churned out famous characters like Suppandi, Pyarelal, Choru and Joru and many more in the widely read monthly magazine, Tinkle.

Sudhir Tailang has been associated with the Illustrated Weekly of India and the Nav Bharat Times, Hindustan Times, The Times of India and The Indian Express. In 2009, he released a book titled ‘No, Prime Minister’ which had cartoons and illustrations depicting Manmohan Singh during his stretch of being the Prime Minister. He received the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2004 for his contributions to the art of cartooning.