Judge, 1909-01-23 · page 16 of 16
Judge — January 23, 1909 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1909 Judge comic strip depicts a boy named Johnny and anthropomorphic teddy bears embarking on a seaside adventure. The narrative follows their boat journey: they leave home for the ocean, board a ship, meet a kind captain, experience seasickness and dining mishaps below deck, and finally arrive ashore where their "sea-legs" cause them to stumble on solid ground. The humor relies on physical comedy and the contrast between the characters' expectations and reality—seasickness, soup accidents, and the disorienting effects of sea travel. The "teddy bears" reference likely alludes to the popular stuffed toy craze of the early 1900s (named after President Theodore Roosevelt). There's no apparent political satire here; this appears to be straightforward children's entertainment comic strip with gentle, slapstick humor. The page also advertises a smaller, bound edition of the story available for 25 cents.
📄 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 AND JOHNNY FIND THE OCEAN SETS ALL THEIR HABITS IN COMMOTION. 1. The ‘Teds and John—that happy band! 2. And now they ‘te all on board at last Decide they ‘Il leave this humdrum land And sailing outward very fast. And seek a lovely, balmler shore, At once the captain brave they find— 4 “Tempting the stormy sea once more. ‘They 've heard that he was good and kind. 3. Nor do their hopes prove vain a amidge, 4. ‘The captain stands and grins to see n to the bridge. ‘Their faces changing woefully. q At last he kindly bids them go And seek some dinner down below. , 5. Here John receives a sad surprise, 6. But shore 's in sight ; they land—oh, bliss ! And gets some soup poured in his eyes But what a strange event is this? And as the boat rolls ‘round and dips ‘Their sea-legs, which they gained afloat, He thinks he does not care for ships. Act as if sidewalks were the boat. sf COPYRIGHT, 1909 BY JUDOE COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, FIFTH AVENUE AND MADISON SQUARE, NEW YORK. Because of the great demand for the popular large-sized “Little Johnny and the Teddy Be: book, we have exhausted our supply. We have on hand, however, an attractively bound smaller edition, called “The Teddy Bears in Fun and Frolic,” which will be sent, postpaid, for 25 cents, on receipt of price, by Judge Company, 225 Fifth Avenue, New York. comicbooks.com