Judge, 1908-08-29 · page 16 of 16
Judge — August 29, 1908 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1908 Judge comic strip satirizes both childhood mischief and the "Teddy Bear" craze. "Teddy Bears" refers to stuffed toys named after President Theodore Roosevelt, wildly popular at the time. The narrative follows a vagrant ("tramp") who encounters Little Johnny and his toy bears in a park. The tramp is depicted as unafraid of the bears—dismissing them as harmless—and proceeds to cause chaos: he sits among them indifferently, then orchestrates a trap that makes a passing woman fall, seemingly for amusement. The satire works on multiple levels: it mocks the tramp's contempt for children's toys while portraying him as a threat to public safety. The subtitle's pun ("this tramp isn't fond of bear") suggests the vagabond's indifference or hostility contrasts with the innocent teddy-bear culture. The strip reflects early 1900s anxieties about urban vagrants while celebrating children's popular culture and the Roosevelt-associated toy phenomenon.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Auge LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TEDDY BEARS. FOR TRAMPS THE TEDDIES DO NOT CARE, AND THIS TRAMP ISN'T FOND OF BEAR! e 2. He sits him calmly in their places, and yawns right in their faces ; 1 settles to repose, nce dread 's planned by his foes. } ° $. Just as a woman passes by Yow, wher p that woman spies, John pull p lls pe and lets her fy. zer yh from her eyes, | The tramp Id suddenly gives way— The woman fa'ls! the deuce to pay! While d John leap with delight COPYRIGHT 1908 BY JUDGE COMPANY, PURLISIERS, PIFTIL AVENUE AND MADISON SQUARE, NEW YORK. j \ The First Series of the adventures of “Little Johnny and the Teddy Bears” is now ready in handsome book form. Price, 60 cepts. For sale by book dealers everyw here, or sent postpaid upon receipt of price by Judge Company, Filth Avenue and Madison Square, w York. comicbooks.com