“The thing that resonates with readers the most isn't a specific moment or strip, but with The Toddler herself,” George shares with Bored Panda. “90% of the feedback I see involves some variation of ‘She's just like my daughter!’ ‘That looks like my kid!’ ‘How are you drawing my life right now?!’ I think it's all of the things she does that resonate the most.”
While the comic focuses mainly on The Toddler and her ever-exhausted father, George has considered expanding the world, even teasing a version of the character far into the future. “Yes—it is not only a consideration, but an active goal. For me, it's just a matter of figuring out the best way to do so. As far as The Toddler's future self is concerned, I've drawn quite a few comics where The Toddler envisions herself in the future. I've even teased Beware of Senior, though that was an April Fool's Day joke.”
Through it all, the humor remains grounded in love. Even when The Toddler is scribbling on walls or turning the toilet into a toy box, George’s goal is never to paint her as bad or mean-spirited—it’s just life as a parent turned up to max volume. “For me, the comic’s humor always comes first, but it always comes from a place of love,” he explains. “When writing a comic featuring a character as chaotic as The Toddler, it’s easy to think that her intentions are malicious or that she’s a bad kid. She’s two, and does what most average two-year-olds do. Her dad is simply just trying to survive the day. It’s up to me to try to convey that—to show that this is simply parenting dialed up to 11, and that’s where I hope the fun comes from.”
The success of the comic eventually led to syndication through King Features, something George still finds surreal. “It’s been nearly three years and I still can’t believe it,” he says. “The most challenging thing to me (at least at first) was planning and drawing my comics weeks ahead of publication date. Back when Toddler was simply a webcomic, I would usually draw them about a day before I posted them online. It isn’t nearly as challenging as it used to be, however. I do want to draw more comics per week, so we’ll see what happens then.”
Representation has also been a quiet but powerful part of George’s mission, offering visibility for fathers—especially those from marginalized communities—who aren’t often centered in family-focused media. “I’ve connected with quite a few podcasts that share the same perspective in the beginning of my comic’s lifespan,” he says. “But I’ll admit it’s been pretty quiet on that front recently. If there are any creators out there that would like to connect, I am definitely interested in hearing from them.”
