Following the success of his illustrations for Charles Dickens, in 1841 the caricaturist George Cruikshank began a new periodical with his friend, the journalist Laman Blanchard. George Cruikshank’s Omnibus poked fun at current events and popular pastime. It also included short stories and songs but it was not a success and ended after just eight issues. A collected edition was printed the following year. The October issue contained a short piece on haunted houses and Halloween customs, wonderfully illustrated by Cruikshank himself.