Judge, 1907-03-30 · page 12 of 20
Judge — March 30, 1907 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a six-panel children's comic strip from *Judge* magazine (1907) featuring anthropomorphic teddy bears as characters. The narrative follows teddy bears accompanying a boy named Johnny to view an Easter parade. The plot is straightforward slapstick: the bears attempt to climb a lamppost for a better view, fall into a nearby pool, become soaked and panicked, collide with parade-goers in their chaotic retreat, disrupt the Easter parade, and are subsequently disciplined by being washed and hung on a clothesline to dry. The "satire" here is gentle and aimed at children—poking fun at the bears' vanity (dressed in "their best"), poor judgment, and the amusing consequences of mischief. The humor relies on physical comedy and a moral lesson about obedience and cleanliness typical of early-1900s children's entertainment. There appears to be no deeper political commentary; this is simply wholesome comic entertainment capitalizing on the "Teddy Bear" craze popularized by President Theodore Roosevelt.
📄 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 CO OUT TO VIEW THE EASTER PARADE WITH LITTLE JOHNNY AND HAVE AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE. 2. They think they'll climb a tall lamp-post To better see the well-dressed host. (Perhaps you'd better cast your eye On that pool of water lying near by.) 1, Rigged in their best, and looking sweet, The Teddies march forth down the street To view the happy Easter throng Which presently will pass along. 3. Poor Teddies! What an awful splash! 4, The Teddies, scared and sopping wet, You see now that ‘twas very rash Take to their heels and fly, you bet! To try to sit up by that lamp— And then, of course, they bump into The clown 's to blame, the little scamp! Every dainty gown on the avenue. 5. The soggy. dripping, scattered crew 6. Pa wouldn't let Johnny go to bed Stands guiltily—and Johnny, too Until he'd washed each little Ted While the cop tells how their escapade And hung him on the line to dry. Broke up the Easter-day parade What more they did you'll hear by-and-by. COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, FUBLISHERS, 225 FOURTH AVE, NEW YORK. comicbooks.com