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Abstract: The paper describes a number of approaches to the study of cartoon as a type of the so-called creolized or multimodal text. The authors demonstrate the way a cartoon may form a very interesting case of study in the process of a second language acquisition as a would-be professional field. The article focuses on the so-called precedent-related phenomena that are traditional for English speaking countries, first of all for the UK and the USA. The subject of investigation is based on the precedent-related phenomena that include precedent texts, precedent quotations, precedent situations and precedent names. The term “precedent” in the context of the article means such references to either texts or people or situations, etc. that are well-known in a certain community and thus attract a number of references becoming a source of allusions and double meanings. What matters here is not only the source of reference as in traditional stylistics but rather the halo of associations that are formed in this case. Yet another case of study is formed by folklore and fiction characters that are projected on real people and real-life situations; linguistic means; discourse background; translation drawbacks and their reasons. Basic theoretical postulates are further illustrated by the material of modern American cartoon including a variety of political references and the image of Barack Obama. The aim of such activities is to give students a better understanding of linguo-cultural specific features with the help of a blend that various texts and graphic means can provide. All this helps to penetrate into both linguistic and reality facts, making them an integral unit. The methods of investigation are borrowed from the precedent-related phenomena theory and the multimodal metaphor approach. The application of these methodological steps may lead to the comparative studies of the precedent-related phenomena that are favored by this or that politician with the precedent-related phenomena that become part of the political cartoon showing this very politician. Another aspect may be connected with various classifications of precedent-related phenomena combined with the investigation of linguistic data that form additional cognitive effect. When used in classrooms, such activities imply that a great deal of attention is given to the study of transferred meanings, pun, decomposition of set-expressions combined with the explanation of the sources that gave rise to the precedent-related phenomena.