The fascinating history behind cartoons

Cartoons have been an indispensable part of everyone’s childhood. They have the ability to keep children engaged in a distinct way, by stimulating their minds using colour, animation and dialogues. This ability of cartoons is consistent through other forms of media apart from just television. That is why children’s story books have so many illustrations. For children, cartoons do not merely function as a source of fleeting entertainment. They develop and refine many skills such as communication, comprehension and focus. They also instil value education in kids. This form of art has a fascinating story behind it. Here is the history and origin of cartoons. 

Origin of the word 
The word cartoon is related to caricature. The word caricature is derived from an Italian word, caricare, which means exaggerating. Caricature essentially emboldens the most prominent and visible physical traits and features of the subject. Although it is conceptually based on caricature, the word cartoon finds its origins in another Italian word, cartone, which translates to a large, full-sized drawing done on sturdy paper. 

First use of cartoons 
Earlier, cartoons were created for different purposes. When cartoons emerged in Italy after caricature, they were used to paint frescoes. Such a painting is painted on wet plaster or a ceiling- extremely ubiquitous in Italy. After this, as modern times approached, cartoons were used as a means of expression of humour, especially in politics. Cartoons started becoming more and more satirical in nature with time. Since they were laced with politics, cartoons naturally became a part of mass media culture. The very first satirical cartoon dates all the way back to the year 1843 in Punch Magazine. The cartoon was called Substance and Shadow, and was created by John Leech.  

Cartoons and comics 
As time progressed, print cartoons for younger readers started becoming more prevalent in the form of comic books. These became vastly popular across Great Britain in the early 1900s. Back then, cartoons followed a specific narrative and were longer than they used to be in the previous editorials. They emerged as competition to other traditional modes of entertainment such as novels and magazines. 

The emergence of animated toons 
Soon after, animated cartoons found their way into popular culture, and made a significant mark there. The first ever animated cartoon was called Fantasmagorie, and was released in the year 1908. Since then, the pace and popularity of animated cartoons fired up, and are still widely loved and popular today. It’s safe to say, cartoons are here to stay.