Kari Suomalainen

Kari Yrjänä Suomalainen (October 15, 1920, in Helsinki – August 10, 1999, in Valkeakoski) was Finland's most famous political cartoonist, known as Kari. His cartoons appeared daily in Helsingin Sanomat from 1951 to 1991 and they became popular throughout the nation. While most of them comment on current politics, some are based on everyday life. Suomalainen received many awards for his work, including the National Cartoonist Society (US) award in 1959, Puupäähattu in 1984 and Pro Finlandia in 1989. He was also appointed honorary professor in 1977.

Kari’s maternal grandfather was Finnish sculpturer Emil Wikström.

Before Helsingin Sanomat, Suomalainen drew illustrations for multiple magazines, particularly for Lukemista kaikille. During World War II, Suomalainen tried various tasks (unsuccessfully) but finally became an official war artist in a TK-company (propaganda company), and attained the rank of sergeant. After the war, he worked for Seura magazine, drawing the main illustration for various stories.

In 1950, he gave a proposal to the chief editor of Helsingin Sanomat that he would start drawing daily political cartoons, according to the example of foreign newspapers. Suomalainen's first cartoon appeared in the start of the year 1950, showing an infant boy (the symbol of the New Year) contemplating two toys: a tank and a dove carrying an olive branch. The boy is saying: "Tank... or dove? I want them both!" Suomalainen started drawing daily political cartoons in Helsingin Sanomat in the year 1951, during Juho Kusti Paasikivi's presidency.

One of Suomalainen's most favourite characters was Urho Kekkonen, whom he drew as a bald man with an angular chin and huge eyeglasses. When Kekkonen became president in 1956, Suomalainen stopped, for a while, using the character, due to an "unwritten law" forbidding caricaturing the president. Suomalainen published a cartoon of himself weeping at Kekkonen's portrait, saying he "felt like a man who has just lost a gold mine". Later, Suomalainen continued using the Kekkonen character.

...
Wikipedia