Judge, 1907-12-21 · page 16 of 16
Judge — December 21, 1907 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a children's comic strip from Judge magazine (1907) with no political satire—it's straightforward narrative humor. "Teddy Bears" references President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was "Teddy"; these toys had recently become popular merchandise following a hunting incident where Roosevelt refused to shoot a trapped bear. The story follows a simple morality tale: Little Johnny ambushes teddy bears with snowballs while they play, laughing at their fear. A snow-plow then buries Johnny in snow, and the bears—momentarily frightened—overcome their scare and rescue him. The moral is that Johnny's cruelty gets comeuppance, while the bears show kindness in return, making him "a sadder and a wiser boy." The humor is purely situational—bullying followed by karmic reversal and unexpected rescue. There's no political commentary, though the bears' commercial popularity reflects Roosevelt's cultural dominance in the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Muaigfe- LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TEDDY BEARS. THOUGH JOHNNY HAS A LAUGH AT PIRST, THE TEDS LAUGH LAST, AND FIT TO BURST! 1. The Teddy Bears were hard at play When Johnny chanced to pass that way. They were so busy and intent They never noticed where he went. 2. He almed his snowballs very well, And laughed because they couldn't tell What enemy was lurking near. It filled their little hearts with fear. 3. And while the Teds looked all around Delighted Johnny stood his ground. He didn’t hear a distant hum, Or see the trolley snow-plow come. 'S. But soon, to their alarmed surprise, He disappeared before thelr eyes. The snow was thrown in such a heap That little John was buried deep. 4. Before he'd time to run, alack! The snow was whirling on his back. And all the Teds, who saw him then, Just laughed and laughed and laughed again. 6. The Teds, forgetting all the joke, To the emergency awoke, And soon dug out, with cries of joy, A sadder and a wiser boy. COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDOR COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 225 FOURTH AVE, NEW YORK. adventures of © Lite alers every where, oF seut The. Firat Series of t “Xn @SMICDOOKS.CO.