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MUTTS Creator Patrick McDonnell’s National Gift of Everything Tour continues this December!

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The Gift of Everything

Award-winning MUTTS creator Patrick McDonnell has entertained readers around the world with his beloved syndicated comic strip which has appeared in over 700 newspapers across 20 countries for 30 years. The prolific creator has been hitting the road to celebrate the release of his new children’s book The Gift of Everything and the 20th anniversary edition of the bestselling children’s classic The Gift of Nothing. McDonnell began the tour with an appearance at Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA and a signing at New York Comic Con, the national tour also includes celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Peanuts at The Charles Schulz Museum. 

In The Gift of Everything, Mooch the cat is searching for the perfect gift for his best friend, Earl the dog. But what, wonders Mooch, is perfect? Mooch soon discovers the answer: Everyone… Everywhere… Everything! As he sees the world around him with new eyes and a fresh feeling of gratitude, Mooch is delighted that he has just the right person to share it all with! In this joyful rhyming companion to The Gift of Nothing, the stars of the beloved comic strip MUTTS discover and celebrate the precious gift of being alive.

McDonnell has produced over a dozen picture books, including New York Times bestsellers The Gift of Nothing and Me . . . Jane (a Caldecott Honor biography of Jane Goodall). Both were adapted as musicals for the Kennedy Center. He has collaborated on books with author Eckhart Tolle (Guardians of Being), poet Daniel Ladinsky (Darling, I Love You), and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Heart to Heart). This year will see the West Coast premier of The Gift of Nothing – A Musical for Children of All Ages at the Marin Theater in Mill Valley, California. This production originally debuted at the Kennedy Center.

The Marin Theater event is the  West Coast Premiere of The Gift of Nothing, a heartwarming new musical for children of all ages and their families based on the book of the same name by Patrick McDonnell featuring his beloved Mutts comic strip characters, Mooch and Earl. This special production marks only the second time this musical has ever been staged and coincides with the 20th anniversary celebration of the original book—just in time for the holiday season.

With Gift of Nothing Day coming up on December 15, it’s the perfect time to celebrate McDonnell’s amazing books. 

2025 Upcoming Tour Dates

Past Dates

Thank you to everyone who joined and helped to make these events so wonderful!

Fans can learn more about McDonnell’s tour here. The Gift of Everything and The Gift of Nothing Anniversary Edition are both be available from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

MUTTS Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell Launches Adopt Love Campaign To Raise Awareness for Pet Adoption and Fostering

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Between his compassionate, heartfelt MUTTS comic strips, his 18 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of the United States, and his work on the board for the Fund for Animals, renowned cartoonist Patrick McDonnell has spent his life helping and celebrating animals in need. To further this great effort, MUTTS is joining forces with Animal Care Centers of NYC, Muddy Paws Rescue, and Isabel Klee (@SimonSits) for the Adopt Love Campaign to raise awareness for pet adoption and fostering. Timed to coincide with Clear the Shelters Month, the Adopt Love campaign will feature new art from McDonnell, a giving campaign, and more on Mutts.com through August.

The Adopt Love campaign will feature a giving campaign benefitting ACC’s STAR Fund, which provides life-saving medical and surgical care to dogs, cats, and rabbits; spotlights on adoptable animals at ACC; original content and storytelling to showcase the behind-the-scenes work of animal rescuers and the lifesaving impact of fostering and adopting; and new comic art and merchandise from Patrick McDonnell.

MUTTS’ Adopt Love campaign will be live from Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 31. Fans can also pre-order McDonnell’s upcoming picture books The Gift of Everything and The Gift of Nothing Anniversary Edition, which will both be available on October 7, 2025 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Fans who pre-order both books together from the MUTTS website will receive a free The Gift of Everything print.

The Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts to Host Mutts Creator Patrick McDonnell’s Gallery Show

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Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story

Beginning on Saturday, November 7, The Arts Council of Princeton, New Jersey will host a gallery show celebrating the art of renowned cartoonist and Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell. The exhibit will feature hand-colored, one-of-a-kind prints from McDonnell’s recent nationally best-selling  book Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story and his paintings from 2023’s The Super Hero’s Journey. The Arts Council of Princeton will host an opening reception on Saturday, November 16, from 3-5 PM ET and an artist talk and book signing with Patrick McDonnell on Saturday, November 30 at 3 PM ET at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts. 

Over the years, the Mutts comic strip character known as “Guard Dog” has played an important role in raising awareness about the cruelty of tethering, and has inspired countless readers to become involved in animal welfare. Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story begins when Guard Dog is abandoned by his owner, left alone and suffering. But he’s soon discovered by his animal friends Mooch and Earl, and Doozy, a kindly neighborhood girl, who work together to rescue their friend. This exhibit celebrates the release of both Guard Dog and the new book published by Abrams ComicArts. Each one-of-a-kind print on display is hand-colored by the artist and includes an original remarque.

Imbued with the creativity, artwork, and heart of Patrick McDonnell, The Super Hero’s Journey is a graphic novel love letter to the classic Marvel super heroes including the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Black Panther, and Spider-Man. Using the Marvel Universe as avatars, McDonnell muses on how comics changed his life and inspired him to become a cartoonist, instilling a moral sensibility that he carries through his work and his life. McDonnell uses acrylic latex, oil stick, ink, and collage to create these striking paintings and create a continuation of the story of self-discovery told in his graphic novel. 

The Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts is located at 102 Witherspoon Street in Princeton, New Jersey. The gallery is open from 9 AM to 5 PM Mondays-Thursdays, 9 AM to 4 PM Fridays and Saturdays, and from 9 AM to 1 PM on Sundays. 

The Super Hero’s Journey and Breaking the Chain Exhibits will be open to the public from Saturday, November 9, to Saturday, December 7. A portion of the proceeds from the Breaking the Chain prints will be donated to the local animal shelter, SAVE, to support homeless animals and real-life guard dogs in need.

Around the Tubes

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The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 1

It’s new comic book day! What are you all getting? What are you excited for? Sound off in the comments below! While you wait for comic shops to open, here’s some comic related news and a review from around the web.

Kotaku – X-Men Games Will Be Sony Exclusives For More Than A Decade, Leak Reveals – Some interesting info coming out of this leak.

Kotaku – Massive Hack Reveals New Venom And X-Men Games Coming By 2030 – Not really that surprising.

Kotaku – Wolverine PS5 Gameplay Leaks After Unprecedented Insomniac Games Hack – Anyone check this out? What do you think?

The Beat – MUTTS creator Patrick McDonnell pens letter reflecting on heart-breaking Guard Dog storyline – Anyone been reading this?

Review

The Beat – The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 1