Judge, 1908-10-03 · page 16 of 16
Judge — October 3, 1908 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a children's comic strip, not political satire. It tells a straightforward narrative: Little Johnny abandons his teddy bears, who mistake suspicious sounds for him and investigate. They encounter something dangerous (likely a trap or an aggressive animal—"catch a tartar" means encounter someone formidable), get trapped indoors, and suffer consequences. Johnny then mocks them from outside. The "Teddy Bears" reference itself dates the piece to the early 1900s, when teddy bears became a craze following President Theodore Roosevelt's hunting exploits. However, this strip appears to be pure entertainment rather than political commentary—a cautionary tale about toys or playmates meeting misfortune, with a mischievous boy as antagonist. The page also advertises the strip's debut in book form (60 cents), indicating commercial publishing success.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ape | LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TEDDY BEARS. THE TEDDIES MEET A SAD MISHAP—THEY CATCH A TARTAR IN A TRAP. 1, John tires of the ‘Teds at play, 2. For he has heard suspicious sounds, And guesses he will run away. And knows that some one’s on the grounds. The ‘Teds come up and hear it, too, And think it Johnny, lost to view. { nger uted ’ Then, safely locked within a room, t fs are overcome with gloom. bs a stick upon the spot, They feel so sore they wish they'd die, . 1 the spanking that they got! And Johnny jeers them, standing by CORYRIGIEE, 1998, WY JUDGH COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, FIFTIE AVENUE AND MADISON SQUAIK: NEW YORK The First Series of the adventures of “Little Johnny and the Teddy Bears” ix now ready in handsome book form. Price, 60 cents. For sale | comicbooks.com