Conventionalism

I would like to examine what I feel has become the "modern" or "conventional" caricature of our time. I am speaking, of course of the type of caricature the image T chose depicts, a caricature most likely created in some sort of theme park by an artist at a booth. The typical traits of these conventional caricatures mostly include an over sized head, a small body preforming some type of action that distinguishes the character, such as rollerblading or fishing, in this case riding a motorcycle, an action or hobby the artist usually inquires about. There is also a somewhat soft and realistic style to most of these caricatures, I believe that the artists of these type of caricatures are careful not to draw an insulting interpretation of their subject while still maintaining a playful exaggeration to some degree. What I wish to explore is the process through which the practice of general caricature went through to come to its current state, how is the typical caricature of today a conglomeration of techniques and styles of the past? Or is it in fact a mere shadow of the former craft as it has become more of a commercial and unsophisticated practice?