There is a very interesting new resource online for teachers and students who want to add creativity to their English language learning activities. Bill Zimmerman--and graphic artist Tom Bloom--have produced the Web site, makebeliefscomix.com, where it is very easy to create two, three, or four-panel cartoons with their unique user interface.

The cartoon generator allows a person to select from among ten different characters, ranging from a dog face, a cat face, a reptile face, a rabbit face, a rat face, and five different human faces. For each face/character, there are four different gestures/expressions to reflect various emotions, and there are talk balloons as well as thought balloons.

In addition, figures can be scaled, brought to front, flipped horizontally, and moved around using a simple set of very nicely intuitive tools. It is also easy to delete a specific item or to start over.

Below is a three-panel cartoon I was able to generate in about 10 minutes the first time I opened these fun pages.

The authors also provide story ideas for students or teachers developing cartoons using this neat interface. Here are some of Bill Zimmerman's ideas for cartoon themes: