Judge, 1907-05-18 · page 6 of 16
Judge — May 18, 1907 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a whimsical comic strip exploiting the popularity of "Teddy Bears"—stuffed toys named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who had become a cultural phenomenon following a 1902 hunting incident. The strip depicts anthropomorphized teddy bears causing mischief to a "sandwich man" (street vendor) in Buffalo. The humor is straightforward slapstick: the bears encounter a sleeping vendor, play pranks on him with an umbrella, use a rope to spin him around, and ultimately steal his sandwiches. There's mild moralization in the final panel about misbehavior "far from home," but this is largely a lighthearted children's story capitalizing on teddy bear mania rather than political satire. The 1907 date and Judge magazine context indicate this reflects the toy's widespread cultural dominance in the early 1900s.
📄 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 HAVE SOME FUN WITH A SANDWICH MAN IN BUPFALO, AND ALSO GET SOMETHING TO EAT. 1, The Teddies, lone and lorn, you know, 2. But whether fortune 's good or ill, Were carried away to Buffalo. The Teddies will be merry still. For hours they've wandered in the stree, Old Sandwich takes his daily nap, Without a single thing to eat. And Johnny plans a little trap. 3. Old Sandwich wakes up with a bound 4. The big umbrella shuts up tight, Inside a sort of merry-go-round And Teddies laugh with all their might, Of bears that, to his frightened eyes, While Mr. Sandwich thinks he'll stay Look fouteen times their natural size. Inside until the bears go ‘way. 5. And next the bears a rope espy 6. Alas! how naughty those who roam And think a further trick they'll try. Become when they are far from home. They put it round the sandwich man While poor old Sandwich stands and screeches, And pull with all the strength they can. The Teds are eating his sandwiches. COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, PUBLISMERS, 225 FOURTH AVE, NEW YORK. comicbooks.com