Judge, 1908-06-27 · page 16 of 17
Judge — June 27, 1908 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a children's comic strip satirizing the popular "Teddy Bear" craze of the early 1900s—toy bears named after President Theodore Roosevelt. The narrative follows Little Johnny and six teddy bears sent to a farm for Fourth of July celebrations. The humor derives from escalating mischief: the bears are initially cute and patriotic (painted red, white, and blue), but when unsupervised, they cause farm chaos—terrorizing livestock and generally wreaking havoc. Farmer Hicks pursues them angrily with a whip. The satire appears gentle: it mocks both the sentimentality around "Teddy Bears" as wholesome toys and parental naiveté in believing children's playthings will behave responsibly. The final image of a patriotically-painted cow and horse suggests the bears' destructive "patriotism" has extended to livestock. This reflects Judge's typical style: lighthearted domestic humor with subtle social commentary about American consumer culture and childhood.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Suage- LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TEDDY BEARS. THE TEDS ARE SENT AWAY FROM HARM TO SPEND THE FOURTH UPON A FARM. e Teddies for an outing go 2. They tured them loose to play about— To spend the glorious Fourth, you know. A somewhat reckless deed, no doubt. | Old Farmer Hicks ed the six, ‘The ‘Teds squealed in anticipation, And “ Ain't they cute?” cried Mommer Hicks. While Johnny planned a celebration. | paint of brilliant hue, 4. ‘The farmer sees them vanishing white and blue. Behind the old barn’s sheltering wing. riotie!” cries * ‘They're up to something, wife,” says he, winking both his eyes. “TL think wed better go and see. ” 5. ‘The hens, the geese, the piggies, too! Old Hicks’s face turns red and blue; ‘Then, white with rage, his whip in hand, He chases off the naughty band. 5. Jehoshaphat! what meets their sight All painted red and blue and white Appears a striped barnyard force— A patriotic cow and horse. COPYRIGHT 1908 BY JUDGE COMPANY, PUBLISINERS, FIFTH AVENUE AND MADISON SQUARE, NEW YORK. ‘The First Series of the adventures of “Little Johnny and the Teddy Bears” is now rendy in handsome book form. Price, 60 cents. For sale comicbooks.com