Judge, 1907-12-14 · page 16 of 16
Judge — December 14, 1907 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous children's story comic from Judge magazine (1907). It depicts a boy named Johnny who rolls a giant snowball down a hill, accidentally trapping stuffed "Teddy Bears" inside it. The bears tumble chaotically through snow, down streets, and finally crash spectacularly. The "Teddy Bears" reference alludes to the popular toy craze of the early 1900s, inspired by President Theodore Roosevelt (nicknamed "Teddy"). These plush bears were mass-marketed toys that became wildly fashionable among children. The joke is straightforward slapstick: Johnny's innocent winter play causes comedic destruction to his beloved toys, which his father must rescue and dry off before lunch. There's no political satire here—it's simply lighthearted entertainment exploiting the era's Teddy Bear mania for comedic effect. The page is primarily narrative illustration rather than editorial commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Audge- LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TEDDY BEARS. THE TEDDIES MEET WITH JOY AND WOE WHILE ROMPING GAYLY IN THE SNOW. 1, Cried Johnny, ** Wouldn't it be fun 2. So Johnny rolled with extra skill Until they started down the bill; To roll a ball that weighed a ton! “Twould stand uo higher than the steeple, And then the snowball seemed to say, And frighten all the village people.” “The time has come for me to piay!"* 3. It gave the Teddies tit for tat— 4. And faster still It whirled around, It rolled them up and pressed them flat: ‘And scarcely seemed to touch the ground. Nor did it mind the heavy load, The Teds were breathless, deaf and dumb— But hurried faster down the road. Prepared for any death to come. 5. Along the village street they flew— 6. John's father saw them fly to bits, And almost had conniption fits. ‘The snowball swerved a foot or two, And toward the sidewalk made a dash— He gathered in the tearful bunch And then, oh, horrors! Bang! ker-smash! And dried them off in time for lunch, COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGR COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 925 FOURTH AVE, NEW YORK. comicbooks.com