Hi! My name is George, a Chicago-based cartoonist and creator. Since 2019, I've been making a comic strip loosely based on my experiences as a stay-at-home parent to a toddler. Since then, my comics have won several awards, been nominated for even more, self-published a book, and even ended up in newspapers. Either way, enjoy them! (Unless you can relate to some of these—in that case, I'm sorry.)
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From an early age, I knew I wanted to draw cartoons. I grew up reading comics such as Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes and watching cartoons like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I would spend hours drawing, even during class. As a teenager, I drew cartoons for my high school’s newspaper, and with the rise of webcomics in the mid-aughts, I made my first attempts at creating comic strips regularly.
I was talking to a neighbors 3 y.o yesterday and i told him santa was a friend of mine and i would be talking to him soon so maybe he would like to straighten up....kid looked me in my face and said"F$#K YOU". Speechless
After a few years (and many failed webcomics), I created Beware of Toddler nearly on a whim. My then nearly two-year-old daughter did something I thought was funny, so I drew it as a comic strip. As soon as I posted it online, it instantly gained attention. People gravitated to this simple comic strip about a dad hiding in the closet, so I drew another one. And another one. And now I’m approaching number 300. Since then, Beware of Toddler has won two awards, been nominated for several more (including a Ringo!), and is currently distributed by King Features Syndicate. There was also a printed book collection successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2022.
One of my favorite things about the comic is how inspired it is by real-life events. Seeing the main character, The Toddler, writing on the wall or throwing objects in the toilet was taken straight from real life, though exaggerated. These moments, in addition to the comics taken directly from The Toddler’s viewpoint, are some of my favorites.
When I began drawing these, people would always tell me how much the characters reminded them of their own lives. That’s why I haven’t revealed the characters’ names yet. Some of my favorite comments are things like, “You are in my house!” and “That’s exactly how it is in my house!” It’s interesting to know that many of our parenting-related experiences are similar to each other.
One of the things I’d like readers to take away from Beware of Toddler is that there isn’t a lot of media with a focus on dads–especially stay-at-home dads. This can be exacerbated when it comes to marginalized dads but ultimately, I think all fathers can relate. The fact of the matter is we exist, and I hope my comic is successful in bringing a bit of visibility to this fact.
Anyways, these comics are a small sample of the series. There are many more, and I hope you can read them all. Even more so, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them.
I had my son's day planned to a tee. It worked out pretty well. He's turning 23 soon. Nap time were a must. There were only the two of us in the household.
Forreal though. They literally watch and wait till you sit all the way down and are comfy
With afro hair, even the thought hurts. And I am not exaggerating!
Load More Replies...I love these! They're hilarious and sweet, and the art style is awesome!
They remind me of Rose Is Rose. The couple in that comic have a toddler, and the artist does the toddler talk.
Oh good grief. Get off your moral high-horse. I'm sure your children are perfect little angels and all these other "degenerate" children are ripping the fabric of society asunder.
Load More Replies...I love these! They're hilarious and sweet, and the art style is awesome!
They remind me of Rose Is Rose. The couple in that comic have a toddler, and the artist does the toddler talk.
Oh good grief. Get off your moral high-horse. I'm sure your children are perfect little angels and all these other "degenerate" children are ripping the fabric of society asunder.
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