Judge, 1907-06-29 · page 16 of 19
Judge — June 29, 1907 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous six-panel story about a burglar who breaks into a home where a child's stuffed teddy bears come to life to defend the household. **The Setup:** Bold burglar Jim enters at night, expecting an easy robbery. Instead, he discovers the home is protected by six animated teddy bears—the child's toys that apparently possess agency and intelligence. **The Joke:** The satire plays on the absurd notion that cuddly stuffed animals are more formidable defenders than actual people. Jim is terrified of the bears, who "leap for his throat," while the bears themselves remain cheerful ("all smiles"). The family (Pa with his gun, Bobby rushing to help) become secondary to the toys' heroic intervention. **Context:** This likely references the "Teddy Bear" craze of the early 1900s, named after President Theodore Roosevelt. The cartoon humorously exaggerates the toys' cultural significance by making them the actual household protectors—a playful commentary on American consumer culture and childhood sentimentality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
_ uae LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TEDDY BEARS. BOLD BURGLAR JIM MAKES A CALL LATE IN THE EVENING AND REGRETS IT. 1, You see here how each happy Ted 2. And here you seo bad Burglar Jim. Is snugly tucked away In bed. He don't see Teddies, but they see him. The Teds, you know, don't care six raps You've heard how bold bad burglars are, For sleeping sound—they Just take naps. But Jim 's scared worse than Teds by far. 3. And row he turns his bull’s-eye lamp 4. Then all at once six bears, pell-mell, Upon the empty bed. The scamp Leap for his throat, and bad Jim's yell Ts loud enough to reach for miles— Is disappointed with his fob . . Because there's no one there to rob. The Teddies meantime are all smiles. 6. And now the Teddies, standing guard, Are holding Jim down in the yard. 5, Pa rushes in and gives a shout” Just as bold Burglar Jim goes out, While Teds are dancing round the floor, Pa's helping with his faithful gun, And one whole window is no more. While Bobby 's coming on the run, COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 295 FOURTH AVE, KEW YORE. comicbooks.com