PRESS RELEASE

3^rdJuly 2024 

Mr Doodle to create world's first Doodle Train in home town

Now, as part of its 50^thAnniversary celebrations, the Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) has handed Mr Doodle a major new doodling challenge - one that he just couldn't resist taking up and also generously agreed to fund¹.

In a first for the Kent-based artist, the K&ESR and passenger railways - either heritage or mainline - at 11am on 26^thJuly Mr Doodle will doodle the outside of an entire railway carriage, live at the platform of his hometown station in Tenterden, to create the world's first Doodle Train.
 

 
 

The Doodle Train will then join the railway's regular passenger fleet on a selected number of its scheduled heritage servicesover the weekend and throughout August². The first two services will depart Tenterden at 11:25am on both Saturday 27^thand Sunday 28^thJuly. Mr Doodle will also be on the platform for the Saturday morning train to wave everyone off.

As Tenterden Town Station becomes DoodleTown Station for the weekend, children can enjoy special Mr Doodle activities on both days including doodling their own cardboard train and taking part in a treasure hunt to spot a series of Mr Doodle signature doodles placed around the station. A selection of Mr Doodle merchandise will also be on sale in the station shop from the weekend until the end of August.

A ‘golden ticket' will also be randomly issued to one Doodle Train passenger on both the Saturday and the Sunday entitling them to a Family Ticket (two adults plus up to two children) for a future trip on the K&ESR.

The added good news for families is that the Doodle Train is included in the railway's Summer ‘Kids Go FREE' offer², running throughout July and August. Any child aged under 16 can travel for free with any fare-paying adult. This ticket allows unlimited trips up and down the line throughout the day of travel.

 Speaking about the project, Mr Doodle said:

"I am very happy to be doodling a train! It's the first time my drawings have appeared on a vehicle this size. It's going to be so fun! It's especially nice that it's all happening in my hometown. I hope the people here will enjoy it!"

Robin Coombes, K&ESR General Manager, said:

"As a local artist and frequent visitor to the K&ESR, we were delighted that Mr Doodle agreed to literally ‘make his mark' on our 50th Anniversary celebrations. We'd also like to extend our thanks to Mr Doodle for funding the project and giving his time to help support the local community.

"Some heritage rail enthusiasts might raise their eyebrows at this initiative, but I believe such innovations and experiments are very much in the spirit that Col Stephens himself demonstrated in bringing the light railway to the Weald more than 120 years ago.

"For our 50^thAnniversary we committed to not only celebrating the achievements of the past five decades but also to looking to the future and how we can continue to thrive - not just survive - bringing new audiences to our railway and to the area, as the opening of the re-connection to Robertsbridge gets ever closer."

There are a limited number of seats available on each Doodle Train³ which can't be reserved so, to avoid disappointment, both advance online booking at www.kesr.org.uk to save and early arrival at the station are strongly recommended for 27th and 28th July and for its scheduled August services. Terms and conditions apply, please visit the website for more details.

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For further information please contact:

Alison Miles, Press Officer, K&ESR

amiles@kesr.org.uk/ 07900 691116

Please use the links below the photos to download the original images. Photo credits: Morgan Davies @morgan_the_moon

 Notes to Editors:

1. The creation of the Doodle Train has been entirely funded by Mr Doodle
2. Terms and conditions apply - please visit the website for more details: www.kesr.org.uk
3. The Doodle Train will be made up of two carriages, one of which has been doodled. Seats on K&ESR passenger services are available on a first come, first served basis for Freedom Ticket holders

About the Kent & East Sussex Railway:The Kent & East Sussex Railway is a renowned heritage railway based in Tenterden, Kent, UK and operates as an educational charity. Built by Holman F Stephens, it was the first light passenger railway in Britain in the early 20^thcentury and is today one of Britain's most loved and original heritage lines which this year (2024) celebrates the 50^thanniversary of reopening. With a rich history spanning over 120 years, the K&ESR offers visitors an authentic steam and diesel-powered railway experience through 10½ miles of Wealden countryside in the beautiful Rother Valley, a designated National Landscape (formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Staffed almost entirely by volunteers, the railway prides itself on preserving railway heritage, operating a diverse range of locomotives, and providing a unique glimpse into the golden age of rail travel.

Mr Doodle: Biography

Mr Doodle began consuming the Earth's surface with doodles when he was born in 1994. He started out by covering his parents' furniture with doodles and eventually his whole bedroom until he realised that his home wasn't enough of a canvas and he began doodling on the walls of local fast-food restaurants and schools. During his career, Mr Doodle has constructed a whole new visual phenomenon: his DoodleLand, where he manifests his vision of the world, producing dense clusters of characters, objects and patterns that grow and multiply relentlessly.

Mr Doodle began to garner recognition in the artworld in 2015 and has since seen a meteoric rise in interest in his work. He stands at the forefront of a new art wave, taking the online art community by storm with a mass social media following. Truly a millennial artist, his works provoke discourse on what we consider fine art today. 

Mr Doodle's works transcend beyond the canvas, invading furniture, rooms, clothing, cars, buildings and more. Like other artists of his generation, he also explored a number of collaborations with iconic brands, including Fendi, Puma, Samsung, Disney, PacMan, Redbull and MTV. But where Mr Doodle separates himself is in his sense of purpose: a deep and obsessive compulsion to expand and share his vision of DoodleLand. As a form of release or meditation, his process is fluid, therapeutic, uncalculated and without hesitation, as if channelling directly from his world into ours with great stamina. He ultimately seeks to spread a sense of wonder, mayhem and hope whilst seeking a greater understanding of his place in the universe.

Recent solo exhibitions include:Mr Doodle! Museum Mayhem(2024), the Holburne Museum, Bath, UK;Mr Doodle in Space(2023), Pearl Lam Galleries, Hong Kong, China with part 2 of the exhibition at 6/F, K11 MUSEA Art & Cultural Centre;Disney Doodles(2023), Artelli, Macau, China;Mr Doodle in Love(2023), chi K11 Art Space, Wuhan, China;Abstract Doodlism(2022), Sea World Culture and Arts Center, Shenzhen, China;Doodle Transformation(2022), Pearl Lam Galleries, Shanghai, China;Mr Doodle in Love(2022), chi K11 Art Museum, Shanghai, China;Doodle Kyoto(2019), Shimadai Gallery, Kyoto, Japan;Doodle Tokyo(2019), Daikanyama Hillside Forum, Tokyo, Japan;Doodle World(2018), ARA Art Centre, Seoul, South Korea.