Judge, 1907-05-11 · page 7 of 16
Judge — May 11, 1907 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a lighthearted children's adventure comic, not political satire. It depicts toy teddy bears (likely referencing the "Teddy Bear" craze that followed President Theodore Roosevelt's 1902 bear-hunting incident) who escape with a boy named Johnny and attempt to reach home via railroad. The humor derives from slapstick mishaps: the bears stow away on a freight train, tumble chaotically between cars, frighten a hobo who later tells an exaggerated tale of seeing twelve six-foot-tall bears, and bounce around like popcorn. The final panels suggest they eventually reach Buffalo. The joke plays on the bears' misadventures and the hobo's tall tale—a common early-1900s comedic trope. This appears to be pure entertainment rather than commentary, typical of Judge's lighter fare alongside its political content.
📄 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 STRAY AWAY WITH JOHNNY, AND THEN START FOR HOME ALONG THE RAILROAD TRACK—BUT THEY DO NOT GET THERE. 1, See John and Teds, a lonely crew. 2. They climb upon a freight-train, 30 They're lost, and know not what to do. They'll home just that much quicker go. They think the best way to get back You'll note they're not exactly gay Is right along the railroad track. As they go rumbling on their way. 3. A safer place they choose to ride, 4. Sir Hobo thinks he'll safer be And straightway tumble down inside If he gets off the train, you see. Another car. The sight of bears To-morrow he'll be telling all Gives to this hobo fifty scares. He saw twelve bears, each six feet tall. 5. All day the Teddies bounce and bump The way you've seen the popcorn jump Up in a frying-pan red hot, But look! What is it And all their heads just ache a lot. They've ridden clear t COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, FUBLISHIERS, 225 FOURTH AVE, NEW YORK. comicbooks.com