Judge, 1907-05-25 · page 7 of 16
Judge — May 25, 1907 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This comic strip satirizes the "Teddy Bear" craze of the early 1900s—stuffed toys named after President Theodore Roosevelt. The story follows a boy named Johnny and his six teddy bears in Buffalo, who are penniless and hungry. Johnny's scheme: they perform street dances that attract crowds and earn money. He then buys a cheap trunk, packs the bears inside, and ships it to New York to a man named Pa Wiseman as a surprise delivery. When opened, the bears (and presumably Johnny) leap out. The satire likely mocks both the era's obsession with Teddy Bear merchandise and the get-rich-quick schemes common among working-class children. It's gentle humor about entrepreneurial desperation, using the toys' popularity as the joke's engine. The "travelers coming home" ending suggests an absurdist punchline rather than social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE TEDDY BEARS. j R Th ee TOR F SWSiy Chea heag b eS. 2 wt me | hal . Then Johnny, by the merest chance, Remembers that the Teds can dance. He plays a ‘ively waltz-tune, and The Teddies waltz to beat the band. 1, John and the Teds, in Buffalo, Are wondering what they can do To raise a dollar to buy bread. Since yesterday they've not been fed. 4. Next John contrives a scheme most bold. He goes where big, cheap trunks are sold, Buys one, and then persuades the clerk To ship the bunch back to New York. 3. All morning, up and down the street, They dance for everyone they meet. By noon they've made a thousand laugh And earned four dollars and a half. 5. Pa Wiseman gets the trunk with glee, 6. Pa Wiseman gives one startled shout And wonders what surprise may be As Jobn and his six Teds leap out: In store for him, and tells the man For surely it's not every day To bring it in quick as he can. That travelers come home this way. COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 235 FOUZTH AVE, KEW YORK. comicbooks.com