In an article for the Times, legendary Beano cartoonist Leo Baxendale recalls how in the space of seven months he created the classic strips Little Plum, Minnie the Minx and, most famously, the Bash Street Kids – and that a lot of the inspiration for the strips came from a regular game of office keepie-uppie.

A larger version of the artwork and article can be seen here – thanks to the Forbidden Planet International blog. Previous coverage of the Beano in Bloghorn can be found here.

MPs are back in the news again with the release of their heavily blacked-out expense reports, so Bloghorn has a special round-up of the best of the redacted, censored and otherwise obscured cartoons for the week ending the 19th June 2009.

One: Matt in the Daily Telegraph gives us a historical perspective on the story.

Two: Mac in the Daily Mail shows us a sneak preview of the upcoming Iraq enquiry testimony from Gordon Brown.

Three: There’s a brand-spanking new ceremonial role in the Houses of Parliament in Peter Brookes cartoon for The Times…

Four: …whilst Dave Brown lets it all hang out in the open for the Independent

Five: Steve Bell in The Guardian goes with Tony Blair’s knowledge of torture in interrogations.

Six: It’s all done in the best possible taste for Andy Davey in the Sun

Seven and Eight: …and finally, Paul Thomas in the Daily Express and Tim Sanders in the Independent just can’t find the words…

Note: in the spirit of openness, and unlike the Goverment, Bloghorn believes that you should know all about this. Simply highlight the text above to reveal the redacted sections.

The PCO: Great British cartoon talent

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Bloghorn spotted this great work during this week ending the 15th May 2009.

One: Morten Mørland in The Times on following orders

Two: Len Hawkins in Prospect on getting your kids into the right school

Three: and Paul Noth in The New Yorker in a dark alley…

The PCO: Great British cartoon talent
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Bloghorn spotted this great work during this week ending the 27th February 2009.

One: Peter Brookes in The Times on Mandelson’s delusions of grandeur

Two: Kipper Williams in The Guardian on more plunging shares

Three: P.C. Vey in Readers Digest (US) on troubled time for bankers, one of 10 Ways to Laugh at the Recession

The PCO: Great British cartoon talent
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Bloghorn can report London’s Political Cartoon Gallery is not going to be closing, contrary to reports in the capital’s Metro newspaper.

According to the Metro, the cartoon gallery, which is the only display space in the world dedicated to the art of the editorial cartoon, is facing closure because of soaring rents and collapsing demand.

But, talking to Bloghorn, gallery owner Tim Benson said the Metro story was confused about a simple renegotiation of the business lease on the premises.

The gallery opened five years ago, and is currently hosting the exhibition Browned Off, featuring cartoons on Gordon Brown’s first 18 months as Prime Minister.

Cartoon courtesy of The Political Cartoon Gallery and Copyright of Peter Brookes of The Times.

Cartoon by Mel Calman

Crisis? What Crisis?, an exhibition of original cartoon artwork relating to various financial and political crises over the past 100 years, is part of the Watercolours and Drawings Fair at London’s Covent Garden.

The fair runs from today (February 4) until February 8 and is held at the Flower Cellars, 4-6 Russell Street, Covent Garden.

Exhibitor Jonathan Pugh of The Times offered this thought:

It’s the only place in the whole of London you’re likely to hear any laughter.

The cartoon show includes works by dozens of cartoonists, past and present, including, Giles, Gerald Scarfe, John Jensen, Heath Robinson, Ken Pyne, Mac, Martin Rowson, Matt, Mike Williams, Peter Brookes, Steve Bell and Tony Husband.

For more information, visit the Watercolours and Drawings Fair website

Look here and here (scroll down for the button) then read all about it here via Morten Morland of The Times.

We spotted this great work this week …

One: Jonathan Pugh in The Times on trouble at M&S

Two: Peter Brookes in The Times on the last days of Bush

Three: Harry Venning in the Guardian: Clare in the Community

The PCO: Great British cartoon talent
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The festive season is upon us, so this week Bloghorn has a bulging sack full of Christmas themed cartoons…

One: Simon Bond in Private Eye: ‘City Christmas Tree 2008′

Two: From Tony Holland in the Spectator, the credit crunch hits the Twelve Days of Christmas

Three: Christmas tree dressing at Number 10 for Peter Brookes in the Times

Four: Martin Rowson in Tribune shows the Three Wise Men investing poorly

Five: The Guardian asked artists, singers and comedians to “reinvent” Santa Claus, including Gerald Scarfe

Six: Royston Robertson in Reader’s Digest on good health at Christmas

Seven: Patrick Blower has a Livedraw animation on media-savvy shepherds

Eight: Will “Wilbur” Dawbarn in Reader’s Digest on the season of goodwill in a bad neighbourhood

Nine: Matt “Hack” Buck in Tribune on the non-jingling tills

The PCO: Great British cartoon talent
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PCOer Andy Davey writes:

One thing that all cartoonists are very aware of is that the face of publishing has changed. Much of it has been a little scary for established old-media cartoonists, but one of the undoubted benefits of the new trends has been on-demand printing.

While there’s still a need for hard copy (books for fireside, on train, lining impressive bookshelves, in tent up mountain etc), self-publishing sites provide the bridge between the mature and the new by converting digital files into comforting, heart-warming, cuddly books to be held and cherished.

An example, I hear you ask? Oh, if you insist. You could, for example, check out a short cartoon booklet called Bush Combat by UK cartoonist Andy Davey (see it here). This was published, like fellow PCO cartoonist Ger Whyman’s book on the self-publishing site, Lulu.

The book covers the pugilistic adventures of the boy George Dubya, from early spats with the UN, through the horrors of Iraq, right up to his search for a legacy in the Middle East. The time seemed right; it is meant as a last post to his disastrous tenure in the White house. The editorial cartoons all have brief explanations for those with medium-term memory loss; they were mostly published in The Guardian, The Times and The Independent over the last six years. Some are previously unpublished. It’s long on pictures and short on text, so even Dubya himself could order one and understand it … possibly.

The PCO: Great British cartoon talent
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