Happy Birthday to London’s Cartoon Museum! Today, Sunday 22nd February 2026, marks the 20th birthday of the museum. Congratulations to all those involved in its establishment, and a big thank you from us at downthetubes to all who keep it going, both past and present.
On this day back in 2006 Prince Philip, who became its patron, officially opened its Little Russell Street building, and hiccups aside, such as recent but now resolved issues that meant a broken front door meant it literally couldn’t open, the Cartoon Museum is still going strong!
(The late Prince Philip was fascinated by cartoons about the monarchy dating back 300 years at the museum, some of which, of course, were less than flattering about the royals).
Previously known as The Cartoon Art Trust Gallery, then The British Cartoon Centre, in 2006 new premises came a new name.
“It took a while for things to get going,” cartoonist Steve Marchant, also tutor and learning coordinator at The Cartoon Museum, recently noted. “Alongside the main gallery’s general cartoon selection the first temporary exhibition was a bit of a flop, as were the next couple. But Private Eye did very well, as did Heath Robinson.
“Other popular shows were Giles, Ronald Searle, VIZ, Beano, Spitting Image and 2000AD.
“We’ll be having a few birthday events later in the year.”
Meanwhile, don’t miss the smashing “The Future Was Then” exhibition running now; or, for comic creators, this year’s Cartoon Museum Conference taking place tomorrow; and a touring exhibition, “The Famous and Forgotten”, on at The Beacon, Whitehaven, until 15th March (reviewed here).
Stay tuned for details of those by bookmarking The Cartoon Museum website. You can also follow the Museum on social media, on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
Support the Museum
The Cartoon Museum is run by The Cartoon Art Trust, a small independent charity that receives no public funding. It’s dedicated to preserving the best of British cartoons, caricatures, comics and animation, and to establish a museum with gallery, archives and innovative exhibitions to make the creativity of cartoon art, past and present, accessible to all for the purposes of education, research and enjoyment.
You can support the work of the Museum by becoming a Friend or Patron, or make a donation to their work via Crowdfunder.
Among other things, your support helps subsidise its schools programme for thousands of children; make necessary repairs and upgrades; and expand and care for their historic collection of over 6000 pieces of comic and cartoon artwork.
Head downthetubes for…
• The Cartoon Museum Official website
• Follow the Cartoon Museum on social media, on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (the Museum no longer uses its “X” account)
This one’s for you, Alison Brown – gone too soon, taken by COVID, who was a cornerstone of the Museum since it opened
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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