Who draws the Jangandfox comics?
Jangandfox comics are gentle, two-panel strips in which a little fox, a blue elephant, a rabbit, a pig and other animals talk about kindness, worry and caring for yourself. They are drawn by Joanne Ang, known as Jang, a self-taught children's book illustrator from Singapore who has been posting cute animal comics since 2018. She has described her work as speaking "a language of simplicity, warmth, and playfulness."
The strips below were shared around mental health awareness, an observance that in the United States takes place every May and was started in 1949 by the organisation now called Mental Health America. Their central message is simple: looking after yourself is not something to feel guilty about, and small acts of kindness, towards others and towards yourself, matter.
Jang's studio describes its work as stories illustrated for a generation of empathy. Each caption below explains what happens in the strip and the idea behind it.
Listening and keeping someone company
The fox says it has a long story to tell, and the elephant answers by spreading its enormous ears wide. The pun on being all ears turns a cliché into a picture of what good listening looks like. Sometimes the kindest response to a friend is simply full attention.
The elephant sits under its own small raincloud and asks whether the fox has come to get it out, like everyone else. The fox says no, it just wants to sit there too. The strip captures an idea many people find comforting: you do not always need someone to fix your sadness, only to keep you company in it.
A drooping flower asks the fox whether the world is unkind, and in the next panel the fox quietly waters it. The answer is given in action rather than argument. It is a gentle reminder that one small kindness can change how the world feels to someone.
The elephant waters a tiny seedling, and when the fox asks what they are growing, the answer is patience. Gardening is a natural metaphor for change that happens slowly and out of sight. The fox's puzzled look in the first panel makes the reply land.
Sitting on a green hill, the elephant admits the day has not been perfect, then wraps its trunk around the fox to say this moment can be. The strip separates a hard day from the good minutes inside it. It is a simple version of an idea often taught in mindfulness: noticing the present moment rather than judging the whole day.
A rabbit offers a pig a plate of cookies made with love, and the pig, mouth full, decides that love is delicious. It is one of the lightest strips in the set, a pure joke about generosity and appetite. The rabbit's proud expression does most of the work.
A rabbit sits inside a magician's top hat, and the pig asks whether it needs someone to pull it out. The rabbit says no: it is its own magic. The strip flips the classic magic trick into a message about self-reliance and self-worth.
A tired tortoise says it cannot go on, and a little rabbit holding a bunch of flowers coaxes it forward with the promise of just one more flower. This full version is also used in the opening image. It is a picture of encouragement that breaks a big effort into small, reachable steps.
Being kind to yourself
Under a tree, the elephant tells the fox that some beauty is seen and some can only be felt, as a breeze carries leaves past them. The second panel shows the fox closing its eyes. The idea is to notice pleasures that are not visual: a breeze, warmth, a friend sitting close.
The elephant picks up a hand mirror, looks at its reflection and says hello to itself as beautiful. It is a tiny strip about speaking to yourself with the kindness you would offer a friend. Many readers save images like this as daily reminders.
The fox, holding a doughnut, asks if it is true that we are what we eat, and the elephant decides the doughnuts will make them sweet. It is a joke at the expense of nutrition slogans as much as a message. Not every strip has to be profound; some exist just to make you smile.
The fox watches a snake leave its old skin behind and asks why it has to do that; the snake replies that we all need to shed our past sometimes. Snakes really do shed their skin as they grow, which makes the metaphor fit. The tone is calm rather than preachy.
The elephant hands the fox an apple and recalls the advice to treat others the way you love yourself. The fox splits the apple and turns the saying around, adding that you should also treat yourself like someone you love. It is the clearest statement of the collection's theme: self-care is not selfish.
The fox blows on a dandelion clock, says goodbye to the seeds and promises they will meet again in a different way. The strip touches lightly on loss and change without naming anything specific. Many readers interpret it as a strip about grief or letting go.
The elephant tells the fox it is not happy, then adds that it is not unhappy either. The strip gives permission for a neutral, in-between mood that rarely gets mentioned. Not every day needs to be classified as good or bad.
The elephant brings the fox a bouquet and explains that it always wanted to give flowers but could not bear to pluck them, so the wrapping releases butterflies instead. It is a sweet twist on a romantic gesture. Care for the person and care for the living world sit side by side.
Trust, comfort and little joys
An older fox reads a book with Fantastic Mr Fox on the cover to a small fox, with the line "Be kind. Unless you can be fantastic. Then be fantastically kind." The book is a nod to Roald Dahl's 1970 story of the same name. The pun turns a children's classic into a lesson about kindness.
A large white bear hugs a small one and reminds it that it is huggable. The single panel is plain and warm, with a soft blue background. Physical comfort and feeling worthy of affection are linked in a way that small children and adults both understand.
The fox pulls on a grey jumper with a red heart and announces that love looks good on it. It is a playful line about wearing kindness openly. The two panels show the jumper going on and the fox's satisfied pose.
The elephant asks for three words, perhaps expecting the obvious ones, and the fox gently touches its trunk and says it trusts the elephant. The strip suggests that trust can be as meaningful as a declaration of love. The pink background keeps it soft and personal.
The elephant digs through a cardboard box, and when the fox asks what it is looking for, the answer is things that make it happy, followed by blowing soap bubbles. Small, cheap pleasures are a recurring theme in the set. The fox's delighted reaction shows happiness spreading.
A rabbit hands the elephant a cupcake across a little tea table and says to enjoy the little things. The elephant holds the tiny cake delicately in its trunk. Scale is part of the humour: a huge animal savouring a very small treat.
The elephant carries a paper bag full of hearts, and when the fox asks if they are stocking up again, the elephant explains they cannot afford to run low on compassion. Hearts spill on the ground in the second panel. It treats kindness as a supply you keep topped up, for yourself and for others.
Feeling seen and finding calm
A grey adult elephant and a calf sit under a single star, with the adult telling the little one to dream big. The colour palette changes to dusky blues for a bedtime mood. It reads like the last page of a picture book.
The elephant shows the fox a small toy it has made, and the fox hugs it, calling it a favourite; the elephant replies that the toy is its favourite too. Handmade gifts and shared affection are central to the Jangandfox world. The fox's tight hug says more than the words.
The elephant says it lives its life in shadows, and the next panel reveals the fox on a stool holding a torch, carrying the light for it. The strip suggests that someone may be supporting you even when you do not notice. It is one of the most moving images in the collection.
The elephant says it is just ordinary, and the fox replies that this is true except on the inside. The joke works because the elephant is plainly drawn and unremarkable on the outside. Inner worth, not appearance, is the point.
A sheep and a lamb stand beside small numbers lying in the grass, with the advice to make yourself count. The pun plays on counting sheep, the traditional trick for falling asleep. It is a reminder that you matter enough to be counted.
The fox sits and simply breathes: inhale in the first panel, exhale in the second. Slow breathing is one of the simplest calming techniques and needs no equipment at all. This may be the most practical strip in the set.
A chameleon hiding under a leaf calls itself just an invisible chameleon, and the fox praises its gift for camouflage. The strip reframes shyness or feeling invisible as a talent. It ends the collection by showing a friend who sees value where you see a flaw.
Small habits these comics encourage
Read together, the strips amount to a short list of everyday habits: listen fully, sit with a friend instead of rushing to fix things, notice small pleasures, breathe slowly, speak to yourself kindly and accept that some days are simply neutral. None of these replaces professional help. If low mood, anxiety or stress lasts for weeks or affects daily life, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional.
Jang publishes new strips on Instagram and sells postcards, stickers and stationery through her studio's website, which says purchases support community projects. Sharing her work with credit is the best way to help other readers find it.
Sources: Jangandfox Studio; Jangandfox on Instagram; TVovermind profile of Joanne Ang; Mental Health Awareness Month, Wikipedia.
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