Kari Suomalainen (October 15, 1920 - August 10, 1999) was Finland's most famous political cartoonist. His first cartoon appeared in the start of the year 1950, showing an infant boy (the symbol of the New Year) contemplating between two toys: a tank and a dove carrying an olive branch. The boy is saying: "Tank... or dove? I want them both!" October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is a artist who draws cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... This page deals with the annual event. ...

Suomalainen started drawing daily political cartoons in Helsingin Sanomat in the year 1951, during Juho Kusti Paasikivi's precidency. His cartoons soon became popular throughout the nation. While most of them comment on current politics, some are based on every-day life. Helsingin Sanomat is the leading national newspaper in Finland, and is known for a serious, somewhat elitist, approach that includes a high standard on research and language, attempting to reach the level of leading newspapers in much larger nations, as for instance Frankfurter Allgemeine or New York Times. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Juho Kusti Paasikivi (November 27, 1870 – December 14, 1956) was President of Finland from 1946 to 1956. ...

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 was forced to stop using the character, due to a 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". The ban on caricaturing the president was later lifted, and Suomalainen continued using the Kekkonen character. Urho Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (September 3, 1900 - August 31, 1986) was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland from 1950 to 1956, and as the most long-standing president of Finland from 1956 to 1981. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday. ...

Other famous Suomalainen characters include Mauno Koivisto (a man with thick eyebrows and a strand of hair pointing upwards), Kalevi Sorsa (a cross between a man and a duck - in Finnish, "sorsa" means "duck") and the artist himself (a short, rotund man with long, black hair and a mushroom-shaped hat). Mauno Henrik Koivisto (born November 25, 1923) was the president of Finland from 1982 to 1994. ... Taisto Kalevi Sorsa (December 21, 1930 - January 16, 2004) was a Finnish politician who was Prime Minister of Finland four times: 1972-1975, 1977-1979, 1982-1983 and 1983-1987 and at the date of his death still held the Finnish record of most days of incumbency as prime minister. ...

Suomalainen received many awards for his work, including the National Cartoonist Society of the USA award in 1959, Puupäähattu in 1984 and Pro Finlandia in 1989. He was also appointed as a professor in 1977. 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A professor is a senior teacher and researcher, usually in a college or university. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

Suomalainen stopped making daily cartoons in 1991, but kept on drawing even after that. 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Suomalainen died in 1999 at the age of 78. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...