Mr Doodle has taken over London’s West End this summer with Doodle Discovery, a free public art trail featuring five giant sculptures installed across Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and St James’s Market.
Presented by Art of London, the outdoor exhibition sees five two-metre-tall characters transformed with the artist’s signature black-and-white doodles and vibrant bursts of colour, each inspired by the surrounding neighbourhoods and their cultural identities.
Running throughout the summer holidays, the trail invites visitors to explore the West End through a series of playful installations. Among the sculptures are a bright orange fish celebrating Leicester Square’s cinema heritage, a blue robot inspired by community and creativity, a yellow flower referencing the area’s famous theatres, a pink character decorated with artistic motifs around Piccadilly Circus and a red cyclops in St James’s Market paying tribute to the district’s food and drink scene.
The launch follows a live public event in Leicester Square where visitors contributed their own drawings and ideas to inspire one of the sculptures, which Mr Doodle completed in front of an audience. The celebrations also included a takeover of the iconic Piccadilly Lights and the unveiling of a new 5 x 5 metre mural in St James’s Market.
Each sculpture features a QR code linking visitors to a digital map of the trail, with those completing the route able to enter a prize draw to win tickets to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and a meal for four at Gordon Ramsay’s Street Burger.
Known for covering everything from canvases to buildings in his instantly recognisable doodle aesthetic, Mr Doodle (Sam Cox) has become one of contemporary art’s most recognisable artists, creating immersive works that encourage audiences to engage with art through participation and play.
Mr Doodle said:
“It’s amazing to see my doodle world come to life across the West End. I’ve loved creating characters inspired by the energy, creativity and landmarks of this area, and I hope people have fun spotting the sculptures, exploring the streets and adding a bit of doodle magic to their summer day out.”
Offering a free and accessible way to experience public art, Mr Doodle’s Doodle Discovery transforms some of London’s busiest streets into an open-air gallery, inviting visitors of all ages to discover the capital through one of contemporary art’s most playful visual languages.
Mr Doodle’s Doodle Discovery, 28th July – 30th August 2026, London West End. Locations include Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and St James’s Market artoflondon.co.uk/mrdoodle
About the artist
Mr Doodle began doodling the world when he was born in 1994. He started by covering his parents’ furniture with doodles and eventually his whole bedroom, until he realised his home wasn’t a big enough canvas. He then began doodling on the walls of local fast-food restaurants and schools. When Mr Doodle creates, he grabs a marker and lets his hand flow, producing clusters of happy characters and patterns that cover whichever surface he puts his pen to. Mr Doodle began to gain recognition in the art world in 2015 and has since seen a meteoric rise in interest in his work. His doodles reach all corners of culture, from international museums and gallery shows to collaborations with household names such as Disney, Samsung, Fendi and Kleenex, as well as enormous murals, street art projects, a huge following on social media and much more. His pen knows no bounds, and his ultimate goal is to doodle the world. While his work provokes discourse around what we consider fine art today, for Mr Doodle, he is simply happiest when he’s doodling.
