Oatmeal
The Oatmeal is a sole-proprietor digital publishing platform founded by Matthew Inman in 2009, operating theoatmeal.com to publish original web comics, animations, books, and card games for a global consumer audience of webcomic and humor fans.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Oatmeal does
The Oatmeal is a digital publishing platform and creator-led entertainment business founded in 2009 by cartoonist Matthew Inman and operated from Seattle, USA. The company runs theoatmeal.com, a web-native property that publishes original comics, animated short films, interactive quizzes, and blog posts on topics including science, cats, social media, and humor. All content is copyrighted personally by Matthew Inman, and the business is structured as a sole proprietorship with 1-10 employees rather than a separately incorporated entity.
The product portfolio extends the core web comic IP across multiple formats. Comics are periodically compiled into printed and digital books (e.g., 'How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you'), the brand has been extended into card games including Exploding Kittens and Horrible Therapist (operated through Exploding Kittens LLC), and original animation has been produced including a Netflix streaming series (title 81459282) and short films such as 'My Dog: The Paradox' and 'Demodex'. The technology stack is a web-based publishing and e-commerce platform hosted on Amazon S3, with no proprietary AI components or app distribution.
Revenue is generated through a mix of streams: book sales via the owned storefront, card game licensing and royalties, Netflix licensing for animated content, and a website subscription offering. Distribution is omnichannel across direct-to-consumer web (theoatmeal.com), retail for physical products, and Netflix for video. The business is bootstrapped aside from a single $1,000,000 funding round in 2012, with no disclosed institutional investors or subsequent capital raises.
Oatmeal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Oatmeal
- Legal name
- Matthew Inman
- Website
- https://theoatmeal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Oatmeal is a sole-proprietor digital publishing platform founded by Matthew Inman in 2009, operating theoatmeal.com to publish original web comics, animations, books, and card games for a global consumer audience of webcomic and humor fans.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Oatmeal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Webcomics & Digital Content
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Webtoon & Digital Comics Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA), Western Comic Books Publishing (Superhero, Indie) (MPAJAGAB)
Keywords
Where Oatmeal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Oatmeal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Book Publishing: Comics are compiled into books every few years, such as 'How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you'. Physical and digital book sales provide recurring revenue.
- Card Games: Creation and licensing of card games including Exploding Kittens and Horrible Therapist. Exploding Kittens became a massively successful product.
- Streaming/TV Rights: Original animated content licensed to Netflix for streaming distribution, including 'My Dog: The Paradox' short film.
- Subscription/Membership: Website features a Subscribe page suggesting a membership or subscription offering for dedicated fans.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Oatmeal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Oatmeal is a digital content publishing platform operated by cartoonist Matthew Inman, producing original webcomics, animations, card games, and compiled books on topics including science, cats, social media, and humor. The comics are published continuously since 2009 on theoatmeal.com, compiled into books every few years, extended into physical card games such as Exploding Kittens and Horrible Therapist, and adapted into a Netflix animated series.
Product overview
The Oatmeal is a single-cartoonist digital publishing platform operated by Matthew Inman. The core offering consists of web comics published since 2009 covering science, cats, social media, and occasionally goats. These comics are compiled into printed books and expanded into animations (including a Netflix series), card games (Exploding Kittens, Horrible Therapist), and interactive quizzes. The product portfolio forms an integrated creator economy around the cartoonist's intellectual property across print, digital, animated, and gaming formats.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Webcomics Original web comics published by cartoonist Matthew Inman covering topics such as science, cats, social media, and humor, published continuously since 2009 on theoatmeal.com for general readers and webcomic fans.
- Animations Original animated short films and animations created by Matthew Inman, including 'My Dog: The Paradox' and 'Demodex,' distributed through theoatmeal.com and the Netflix series for general streaming audiences.
- Exploding Kittens card game A card game created by Matthew Inman, Elan Lee, and The Oatmeal team, distributed via explodingkittens.com and retail channels, for tabletop gaming fans seeking social entertainment.
- Compiled Comic Books Printed and digital books that compile The Oatmeal comics into collected volumes, such as 'How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you,' sold to book readers and collectors through theoatmeal.com and retail distribution.
- Netflix Animated Series Original animated series and short films by Matthew Inman licensed to and streamed on Netflix, including 'My Dog: The Paradox,' targeting mainstream video streaming audiences.
Companies that use Oatmeal
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Oatmeal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Oatmeal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Exploding Kittens LLCcoreMatthew Inman co-created the card game Exploding Kittens and the game Horrible Therapist. Exploding Kittens became a highly successful card game, demonstrating the brand's extension into physical products.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Oatmeal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- XKCD: Long-running single-creator webcomic by Randall Munroe covering science, math, and humor with a distinctive illustration style. Highly comparable to The Oatmeal as a solo cartoonist brand that has also extended into books and merchandise.
- Penny Arcade: Pioneer webcomic that expanded into gaming expos, video content, and consumer products. Provides the closest analog to The Oatmeal's trajectory of converting a webcomic into a diversified media and goods business.
- Exploding Kittens: Card-game company co-created by Matthew Inman, Elan Lee, and The Oatmeal team. Direct extension of The Oatmeal IP and the most commercially successful product line from the brand.
- Cyanide & Happiness: Webcomic and short-form animation brand built on irreverent black-comedy humor with a multi-creator team. Directly comparable tone, audience, and product-extension strategy to The Oatmeal.
- Cards Against Humanity: Irreverent party card game brand built around adult humor and internet-native audience. Overlaps with Exploding Kittens on category, channel (mass-market retail), and tone.
- Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC): Webcomic by Zach Weinersmith featuring science, philosophy, and absurdist humor in a single-creator format. Closely mirrors The Oatmeal's voice and audience overlap on science-themed comedic illustration.
Broad incumbents
- GoComics: Webcomic aggregation platform owned by Andrews McMeel Universal that distributes hundreds of syndicated comics. Operates in the same webcomic-discovery space as theoatmeal.com but as a broad portfolio rather than a single creator brand.
- WEBTOON: Major mobile-first digital comics publishing platform owned by LINE. The closest scaled analog to The Oatmeal's webcomic publishing model, but operates as a multi-creator marketplace rather than a single-author brand.
- Dropout (CollegeHumor): Comedy brand originating from CollegeHumor that has expanded into subscription video, live shows, and consumer products. Comparable as an internet-native humor brand monetizing across multiple content and merchandise verticals.
Emerging players
- Tapas Media: Digital comics and webnovel publishing platform with mobile-first distribution and a creator monetization program. Comparable to The Oatmeal in digital-first comic publishing, with a more fragmented creator base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Oatmeal social profiles
Digital presenceOatmeal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Oatmeal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Oatmeal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Oatmeal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Oatmeal
What does Oatmeal do?
The Oatmeal is a digital content publishing platform operated by cartoonist Matthew Inman, producing original webcomics, animations, card games, and compiled books on topics including science, cats, social media, and humor. The comics are published continuously since 2009 on theoatmeal.com, compiled into books every few years, extended into physical card games such as Exploding Kittens and Horrible Therapist, and adapted into a Netflix animated series.
Is Oatmeal a public or private company?
Oatmeal is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Oatmeal founded?
Oatmeal was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Oatmeal based?
Oatmeal is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Oatmeal make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Publishing is the primary driver. The others are card Games, streaming/TV Rights and subscription/Membership.
Who are Oatmeal's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are XKCD, Penny Arcade, Exploding Kittens, Cyanide & Happiness, Cards Against Humanity and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC). Broad incumbents are GoComics, WEBTOON and Dropout (CollegeHumor). Tapas Media is listed as an emerging player.
Does Oatmeal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Oatmeal.
What industry is Oatmeal in?
Oatmeal's product category is Webcomics & Digital Content. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAK, Webtoon & Digital Comics Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of CRALALAA, Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2731.