Cartoon Movement
Cartoon Movement is a Netherlands-based online platform that aggregates editorial cartoons from 500+ cartoonists across 80+ countries, licensing them to media outlets, educators, NGOs, and readers, with additional revenue from a Substack newsletter and project work for institutions such as UNICEF and Oxfam.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersThe Hague, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Cartoon Movement does
Cartoon Movement is a Netherlands-based community and publishing platform for professional editorial cartoonists, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Amsterdam (with the city of operation listed as The Hague). The platform aggregates editorial cartoons from more than 500 cartoonists across 80+ countries, providing a searchable online library where media outlets, educational institutions, NGOs, and general readers can browse and license content. Its core product is the Cartoon Movement website, built on standard web technology with a digital licensing and delivery system that supports multiple license tiers ranging from €25 limited digital use to €400 large print/book covers. Additional products include a daily cartoon newsletter distributed via Substack, curated thematic Collections on current events (Iran, World Cup 2026, climate, freedom of expression), and collaborative Projects with institutional partners.
The business model combines three revenue streams: transactional per-cartoon licensing sold through the direct-to-consumer website (pay-as-you-go, tiered €25-€400), recurring newsletter subscriptions via Substack, and project-based fees from institutional partnerships with organizations including UNICEF/Education Cannot Wait, the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the UN, Oxfam International, and EU-funded research consortia. Go-to-market is hybrid B2C/B2B: the platform sells directly to end-users (educators, small publishers, individuals) and also executes project work with NGOs, museums, and multilateral bodies.
Operationally, Cartoon Movement runs with a small team of 1-10 employees and has expanded internationally through the May 2023 takeover of US syndicate CartoonArts International, which provides content for the GoComics platform and established US-market reach. Leadership disclosed includes Tjeerd Royaards as editorial cartoonist and cartoon editor. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent entity.
Cartoon Movement firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cartoon Movement
- Legal name
- Cartoon Movement
- Website
- https://cartoonmovement.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cartoon Movement is a Netherlands-based online platform that aggregates editorial cartoons from 500+ cartoonists across 80+ countries, licensing them to media outlets, educators, NGOs, and readers, with additional revenue from a Substack newsletter and project work for institutions such as UNICEF and Oxfam.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cartoon Movement industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Editorial Cartoon Content and Licensing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Comic Strips & Syndication Publishing (Newspaper/Online) (MPAJAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Cartoon Movement is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- The Hague
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cartoon Movement business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Cartoon Licensing: Revenue is generated through licensing cartoons to customers. Multiple license tiers exist ranging from limited digital use (€25) to large print/book licenses (up to €300). Customers purchase rights to use cartoons in various formats including digital, print (newspapers, magazines, books), business presentations, and classrooms.
- Newsletter Subscriptions: Daily cartoon newsletter subscription through Substack platform, providing regular editorial cartoon content to subscribers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Limited digital license for basic digital use |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard digital license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Non-profit print license for magazines/newspapers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Small print license for magazines/newspapers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Medium print license for magazines/newspapers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Large print license for magazines/newspapers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Print license for book/other cover use |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Small book print license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Medium book print license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Large book print license |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cartoon Movement product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cartoon Movement is a community and publishing platform for comic journalists and editorial cartoonists that aggregates political cartoons from over 500 cartoonists across 80+ countries and licenses them to media outlets, NGOs, educators, and individual consumers. The platform sells tiered digital and print usage rights for individual cartoons (€25–€400 per license) and distributes a daily cartoon newsletter via Substack, while also producing collaborative editorial projects with institutional partners such as the UN, Oxfam, and universities.
Product overview
Cartoon Movement is a global platform for professional editorial cartoons featuring over 500 cartoonists in more than 80 countries. The core product is the Cartoon Movement platform, which offers a searchable database of political cartoons available for licensing. Additional offerings include the Daily Cartoon Newsletter subscription, themed Collections of cartoons organized by current topics, and collaborative Projects with institutions such as the UN, universities, and NGOs. The platform also provides a cartoon licensing system with various tiers for digital and print usage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cartoon Movement Platform A global online platform for editorial cartoons that connects professional cartoonists from over 80 countries with audiences. Features a searchable database of daily political cartoons available for digital and print licensing.
- Daily Cartoon Newsletter A subscription-based daily cartoon newsletter delivered through Substack (cmdailycartoon.substack.com) that provides curated political cartoons to individual subscribers each day.
- Cartoon Licensing Service Licensing service offering tiered usage rights for individual cartoons including digital, non-profit print, and commercial print licenses at different price points ranging from €25 (limited digital) to €400 (large book/cover print license). All licenses include social media publication rights and volume discounts are available for 4+ cartoon purchases.
- Collaborative Editorial Projects Custom collaborative editorial projects with international media, universities, museums, NGOs, and United Nations organizations producing cartoons on topics ranging from climate change and human rights to inequality and press freedom. Examples include the 'Not by chance, but choice' project with Oxfam (2023) and the cartoon booklet on Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the Netherlands' UN Human Rights Council membership (2024).
Companies that use Cartoon Movement
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cartoon Movement technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cartoon Movement partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Cartoons in Court Project (NETIAS)coreCollaboration on the 'Designed to Provoke: Visual Humor in Court, 1749-2025' exhibition featuring legal cases from the 18th century to present. Project was part of NETIAS Constructive Advanced Thinking Grant (2020-2025).
- DELIAH: Democratic Literacy and HumourcoreResearch project examining the multifaceted role of humour in artistic forms, cultural spaces, and online/offline fora, identifying how humour can support or undermine democratic participation in Europe.
- Education Cannot Wait (UNICEF)majorUNICEF-hosted global fund supporting quality inclusive education for children in humanitarian crises. Cartoon Movement artists created cartoons for #AfghanGirlsVoices campaign to raise awareness about Afghan girls denied education.
- Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UNmajorRe-issue of cartoon booklet about Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Netherlands' three-year Human Rights Council membership, with updated cartoons reflecting more diversity.
- Western Balkans Cartoon CompetitionminorMedia freedom cartoon competition and exhibition for Western Balkans region, supporting press freedom and investigative journalism.
- Oxfam Internationalmajor'Not by chance, but choice' project on inequality and extreme wealth. Cartoons illustrating how billionaire wealth affects ordinary people during global crises, inflation, and poverty.
- GoComics (CartoonArts International)coreIn May 2023, Cartoon Movement took over CartoonArts International operations, expanding to US market and providing political cartoon content for GoComics platform.
- University of East AngliaminorPartnership to create cartoons promoting an upcoming book about humanitarian journalists, illustrating key themes and issues.
- Sound and Vision Media Museum The HaguemajorExhibition 'Framing the War' chronicling first 100 days of Ukraine invasion, combining international press photos and editorial cartoons with Dutch press agency ANP.
- Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, LSEminorComics journalism project 'Hustling day in Silicon Savannah' about Kenya's digital ecosystem, fintech firms, and digital platforms.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cartoon Movement competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Shutterstock Editorial: Major stock media marketplace with an editorial image and video licensing business serving news and publishing buyers. Adjacent competitor for editorial visual licensing budgets, though it does not specialize in editorial cartooning.
- Getty Images Editorial: Global leader in editorial imagery licensing to newspapers, magazines, and broadcasters. Comparable as a destination for editorial visual licensing budgets, but a much broader incumbent rather than a cartoon-specialist.
- Politico Cartoon Gallery: Major political media outlet that runs an editorial cartoon gallery and syndication feature. Comparable as a destination that surfaces political cartoons to readers and licenses content, though integrated into a much larger news business.
Others
- GoComics: Largest US comics and editorial cartoon syndication platform operated by Andrews McMeel Universal. Cartoon Movement is now a content supplier to GoComics via the CartoonArts International takeover, making it a channel partner rather than a competitor.
- Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC): Professional association for US editorial cartoonists that promotes the profession and organizes competitions and events. Thematically adjacent to Cartoon Movement's community-building role for cartoonists but operates as a non-profit rather than a commercial platform.
Emerging players
- The Nib: Independent magazine and platform for comics journalism and nonfiction comics, covering politics and social issues. Comparable as a digital editorial-cartooning and comics-journalism destination, though more focused on long-form narrative work.
- The Cartoonist Group: Smaller editorial and gag cartoon licensing agency offering cartoon syndication to media outlets. Comparable to Cartoon Movement as a licensing intermediary for editorial cartoonists, though with a more limited global footprint.
Direct peers
- Cartoonstock: Subscription-based cartoon licensing library spanning editorial, gag, and stock cartoons used by publishers, editors, and agencies. Direct competitor in the cartoon licensing business with comparable tiered digital and print licensing.
- Cartooning for Peace: International press cartoon network co-founded with the UN and Reporters Without Borders, championing freedom of expression through editorial cartoons. Closely mirrors Cartoon Movement's mission, global cartoonist community, and institutional (UN/NGO) partnerships.
- Cagle Cartoons: Long-established US political cartoon syndication service run by Daryl Cagle, distributing editorial cartoons to newspapers and digital outlets. Directly comparable to Cartoon Movement as a cartoonist-aggregation and licensing platform serving media buyers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cartoon Movement social profiles
Digital presenceCartoon Movement financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cartoon Movement leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cartoon Movement funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cartoon Movement 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 Cartoon Movement
What does Cartoon Movement do?
Cartoon Movement is a community and publishing platform for comic journalists and editorial cartoonists that aggregates political cartoons from over 500 cartoonists across 80+ countries and licenses them to media outlets, NGOs, educators, and individual consumers. The platform sells tiered digital and print usage rights for individual cartoons (€25–€400 per license) and distributes a daily cartoon newsletter via Substack, while also producing collaborative editorial projects with institutional partners such as the UN, Oxfam, and universities.
Is Cartoon Movement a public or private company?
Cartoon Movement is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cartoon Movement founded?
Cartoon Movement was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cartoon Movement based?
Cartoon Movement is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Cartoon Movement make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Cartoon Licensing is the primary driver. The others are newsletter Subscriptions.
Who are Cartoon Movement's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Shutterstock Editorial, Getty Images Editorial and Politico Cartoon Gallery. Others are GoComics and Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC). Emerging players are The Nib and The Cartoonist Group. Direct peers are Cartoonstock, Cartooning for Peace and Cagle Cartoons.
Does Cartoon Movement have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cartoon Movement.
What industry is Cartoon Movement in?
Cartoon Movement's product category is Editorial Cartoon Content and Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAGAG, Comic Strips & Syndication Publishing (Newspaper/Online), with a secondary code of BPAMAJAJ, Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.