Judge, 1907-07-13 · page 16 of 16
Judge — July 13, 1907 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes President Theodore Roosevelt's famous hunting trips. "Little Johnny" role-plays as "Hunter Ted" (Roosevelt), armed with real bullets and a gun, treating stuffed teddy bears as actual game to hunt. The joke escalates: Johnny's stray bullet hits a policeman instead of the bears, landing him in jail. The final panel reveals Johnny's pale face behind bars, waiting for his father to bail him out with money ("a ten"). The satire mocks Roosevelt's real hunting expeditions and his macho "Rough Rider" persona by reducing them to childish play with absurd consequences. By having Johnny accidentally shoot a cop rather than game, Judge magazine comments on the recklessness of Roosevelt's hunting obsession and the real dangers of such activities—wrapped in humor that would resonate with early-20th-century readers familiar with Roosevelt's well-publicized African safari.
📄 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. JOUNNY PLAYS THAT HE IS PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ON A MUNTING-TRIP, AND—— WELL, SEE WHAT HAPPENED. - "Come on!” cried John, ** I'm Hunter Ted. . The Teddies hide among the bushes, Here's specks and bullets of real lead, And Johony forth with slingshot rushes. And here's my gun. You be the bears, The Teds at first think It's great fun, And I will chase you to your latrs."" But soon you'll see them on the run. 3. The Hunter Ted so lifelike ts 4. The Teddies flee with all their might, That Teddies hear real bullets whiz; While Johnny pelts them left and right. And now and then one carries true His biggest bullet he aims where And makes a savage bear boo-hoo. ‘Twill certainly bring down a bear. 5. The bullet files with deadly aim, But doesn’t bring down Just the game Brave Hunter Ted had almed it at— The policeman accounts for that. 6. Perhaps you know the face so pale That's sadly gazing out of Jail. The mighty hunter ‘s in the pen Till papa comes down with a ten! COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 225 FOURTH AVE, KEW YORK. comicbooks.com