Judge, 1907-02-16 · page 10 of 16
Judge — February 16, 1907 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous children's story comic from Judge magazine (1907), playing on the "Teddy Bear" craze that swept America following President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency. The strip depicts anthropomorphized teddy bears discovering a household pantry and gleefully ransacking it. The satire operates on multiple levels: the bears represent mischievous children or greedy adults discovering forbidden plenty. Panel 3's "frightened look" and panel 6's threatening cook with a stick reference common period anxieties about punishment and authority. The bears' single-minded consumption—stuffing themselves "clear to the chin"—mocks human greed and lack of restraint. The "Teddy" bears themselves are a topical reference, as the Roosevelt-named toys were wildly popular novelties in this era. The joke ultimately relies on viewers' familiarity with both the toys and common childhood mischief narratives, making it accessible entertainment that reinforced social lessons about obedience and consequences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE TEDDY BEARS. THEY ORGANIZE A RAID ON THE PANTRY AND GIVE JOHNNY AND THE COOK A BIG SURPRISE. an) PANTRY [9% 2. But Teddies soon got wise, and you Can guess how hungry they were, too (For they had only lived a week): So they followed in and took a peek. . Now, Johnny Is a funny kid He knew some cookies sweet were hid Ina pantry jar. So he slipped away And left the Teddy bears at play. And how those greedy little elves Went at the goodies on those shelves! k— You see, ‘twas their first chance to do What you have done your whole life through. 3. They pushed the door and in tt flew— Six hungry Teddies flew In, too. Poor Johnny thought it was the coo! You should have seen his frightened look! 5. They put more on outside than In: 6. And now like naughty boys they stand, They filled themselves clear to the chin: To take what cook has in her hand. Then spliled out what they couldn't eat— Those stars will show you mighty quick That pantry’s wreck was most complete. Just what she’s doing with the stick. COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 225 FOURTH AYE, NEW YORK. comicbooks.com