Fredric Wertham, Cartoon Villain
Wertham convinced 1950s America that comic books led to depravity. He also used his extremist views to raise money for an anti-racist clinic in Harlem.
The Pre-Captain Planet Eco-Heroes of Animation
Environmentally oriented films from the classical era of Hollywood animation delivered powerful messages about the negative consequences of technological progress.
Bugs Bunny Scholarship Is a Wascally Wesearch Wabbit Hole
In this edition of Research Rabbit Hole, we dig up scholarship about what one academic calls "the signifying rabbit."
Five of the Best R. Cobb Drawings in the Underground Press
The artist turned a critical eye toward American society, but he didn't want to be called a political cartoonist.
There’s a Mascot for That? Cute COVID-19 Education
How to get people to stay healthy during a quarantine? Some countries have taken to a new communications strategy, and it's super cute.
The Great Animation Strike
Animation workers took to the streets, carrying signs with bleakly humorous slogans. One read: “I make millions laugh but the real joke is our salaries.”
Remaking Betty Boop in the Image of a Housewife
Betty Boop was literally designed to be a bombshell, but around 1935, her creators decided to change her appearance.
The Enduring Humor of New Yorker Cartoons
With 90 years of New Yorker cartoons, readers learn much about changing trends in political and social history, all while celebrating through laughter.
“The Simpsons”: More Than Just a Cartoon
"The Simpsons" is the longest-running scripted series in television history, full of canny satire and the occasional prophecy.