The Oatmeal
Encyclopedia
The Oatmeal is a website created in 2009 by Matthew Inman, who lives in Fremont, Seattle, Washington
, United States
. The website features comics drawn by Inman, and occasional articles as well. The Oatmeal gets more than four million unique visitors a month. Due to the popularity of the website, Last Call with Carson Daly
hosted Inman and interviewed him about the Oatmeal. His popularity is widely attributed to his humorous take on everyday situations, and drawing style.
, a dating website, to support himself so that he no longer had to work for someone else. He advertised the website by building quizzes and comics to build interest in the website. His work is influenced by Gary Larson
, who wrote the comic strip The Far Side
. He typically spends 12 hours a day or more on the computer, a habit which he developed as a teenager. Regarding the name of the website, Inman notes that he does not enjoy eating oatmeal and instead eats a lot of cereal. He recalls that he used to play the Quake video game a lot when he was younger, and used the nickname "Quaker Oatmeal
", which is where the website's name comes from.
When thinking of a subject to write about for the website, he picks something that he is interested in and writes around it. He usually works at home, but as he finds it difficult to do in long periods because of the lack of social contact, he often goes to a coffee shop to work. Inman finds that it is much easier to gain exposure for his work with the web than it would have been 20 years ago. He enjoys making people laugh with his work, and although he notes that he cannot actually see the reaction of others to his work, he still appreciates seeing the high number of page view
s that his website receives.
, which also publishes The Far Side
, Calvin and Hobbes
, and Dilbert
. The book can be found in bookstores across the United States as of March 1, 2011, while it will be made available to UK customers on March 17, 2011, and the rest of the world sometime in early May. Since its release, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) has been available internationally through various online bookstores including Amazon
, Barnes & Noble
, Chapters
, and others.
5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) contains all the comics Inman created in the year after he quit his job to become a comic artist. It also has an additional twenty-seven never-before-seen comics that aren't available on the web as well as a pull-out poster.
. On March 16 2011 he appeared on The 404
podcast on Cnet.com
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The website features comics drawn by Inman, and occasional articles as well. The Oatmeal gets more than four million unique visitors a month. Due to the popularity of the website, Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
hosted Inman and interviewed him about the Oatmeal. His popularity is widely attributed to his humorous take on everyday situations, and drawing style.
History
Inman started computer programming at the age of 13, and got a job doing it in Seattle at the age of 17. He created the Oatmeal on July 6, 2009. Inman, 27 describes himself as a very introverted person, and explains that when he was younger, he rarely talked to other kids at school and therefore had few friends. After high school, he worked in a marketing firm but was unhappy there, so he built Mingle2Mingle2
Mingle2 is an online dating service that allows users to sign up and participate in forums for online dating. The site also gives users the option to sign up for third party offers such as identity theft services, coupons and other marketing offers....
, a dating website, to support himself so that he no longer had to work for someone else. He advertised the website by building quizzes and comics to build interest in the website. His work is influenced by Gary Larson
Gary Larson
Gary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to newspapers for 15 years. The series ended with Larson's retirement on January 1, 1995. His 23 books of collected cartoons have combined sales of more than 45 million...
, who wrote the comic strip The Far Side
The Far Side
The Far Side is a popular single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world,...
. He typically spends 12 hours a day or more on the computer, a habit which he developed as a teenager. Regarding the name of the website, Inman notes that he does not enjoy eating oatmeal and instead eats a lot of cereal. He recalls that he used to play the Quake video game a lot when he was younger, and used the nickname "Quaker Oatmeal
Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by Pepsico since 2001.-History:Quaker Oats was founded in 1901 by the merger of four oat mills:...
", which is where the website's name comes from.
Website
The information found in the Oatmeal's comics is researched by Inman. One comic typically takes Inman seven to eight working hours spread across three days. The comics cover topics ranging from zombies, to horse care, to English grammar, with titles such as "What it's like to own an Apple product," "What your email address says about your computer skills," "How the male angler fish gets completely screwed," "8 websites you need to stop building," "How to name a volcano," "15-ish things worth knowing about coffee" and "How a web design goes straight to hell."When thinking of a subject to write about for the website, he picks something that he is interested in and writes around it. He usually works at home, but as he finds it difficult to do in long periods because of the lack of social contact, he often goes to a coffee shop to work. Inman finds that it is much easier to gain exposure for his work with the web than it would have been 20 years ago. He enjoys making people laugh with his work, and although he notes that he cannot actually see the reaction of others to his work, he still appreciates seeing the high number of page view
Page view
A page view or page impression is a request to load a single HTML file of an Internet site. On the World Wide Web a 'page' request would result from a web surfer clicking on a link on another 'page' pointing to the 'page' in question. This should be contrasted with a hit, which refers to a...
s that his website receives.
Merchandise
5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) is The Oatmeal's first book. It was published by Andrews McMeel PublishingAndrews McMeel Publishing
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC is a company which publishes books, calendars, and related toys...
, which also publishes The Far Side
The Far Side
The Far Side is a popular single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world,...
, Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
, and Dilbert
Dilbert
Dilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. First published on April 16, 1989, Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
. The book can be found in bookstores across the United States as of March 1, 2011, while it will be made available to UK customers on March 17, 2011, and the rest of the world sometime in early May. Since its release, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) has been available internationally through various online bookstores including Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
, Chapters
Chapters
Chapters is a Canadian big box bookstore banner owned by Indigo Books and Music. Formerly a company in its own right competing with Indigo, the combined company has continued to operate both banners since their merger in 2001.-History:...
, and others.
5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) contains all the comics Inman created in the year after he quit his job to become a comic artist. It also has an additional twenty-seven never-before-seen comics that aren't available on the web as well as a pull-out poster.
Reception
The website gets an average of 4.6 million unique visitors and more than 20 million page views a month. Inman and his website were featured on an episode of Last Call with Carson DalyLast Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
. On March 16 2011 he appeared on The 404
The 404 (disambiguation)
The 404 is a colloquial reference to Ontario Highway 404, it may also refer to:* The 404 page * Area code 404 in Atlanta* CNET's Podcast...
podcast on Cnet.com
External links
- Eat Your Oatmeal: How a Fremont programmer created one of the web's top cartoons. by Seattle WeeklySeattle WeeklySeattle Weekly is a freely distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as The Weekly...
- The Oatmeal On Last Call with Carson Daly
- Viral Marketing with the Oatmeal - SXSW 2011