Judge, 1925-12-19 · page 13 of 39
Judge — December 19, 1925 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Contest Page Analysis This is a satirical advertisement for Judge magazine's contests. The main joke targets the magazine itself and its readers' intelligence. The centerpiece mocks a "picture puzzle" contest asking readers to rearrange three identical presidential photographs to create three different presidents—an impossible task implying the photos are indistinguishable or that the contest is nonsensical. The cruel punchline suggests contestants who can't solve it should enroll in "Blatz's School for Backward Children." Below are farcical "recent prize winners" with ridiculous names (Jefferson Humpkin, Uncle Joe Sassafras) and absurd contests: a "$1,000 dotting contest," an "apple-sauce" letter contest, and "2+2=2" math puzzle. The satire suggests Judge's own contests are intellectually insulting—designed for children or the mentally deficient—mocking both the magazine's editorial judgment and its audience's gullibility for participating in such frivolous competitions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGES GREAT PICTURE CONTEST! THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS GIVEN AWAY! = : CAN YOU REARRANGE THESE PHOTOS SO AS TO GET THREE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES? IF YOU CAN’T SEND FOR OUR APPLICATION BLANK FOR BLATZ’S SCHOOL FOR BACKWARD CHILDREN : | CASH PRIZES! [ CASH PRIZES FOR | ror Te BEST LeTTER | CASH PRIZES! BRIGHT SAYINGS TO SANTA CLAUS! “WHAT IS THE GREATEST : OF CHILDREN! This contest is limited to little kiddies HUMOROUS WEEKLY IN Surely your little boy or girl has under two years of age. THE WORLD AND WHY?” said something cute lately! Jot it In awarding the $50,000 in prizes the Answers must be limited to five (5) down and don’t send it in! following things will be taken into letters, the first one of which must YOU MAY WIN A PRIZE consideration: be J and the last one an E. AND “Legibility of Handwriting.” SEND IN AS MANY ANSWERS OUR UNDYING THANKS! “Grade of Note Paper.” AS YOU LIKE! “Number of bon mots.” SOME RECENT PRIZE WINNERS Y i Jefferson Humpkin, win- Catherine McNamara, win- Uncle Joe Sassafras, win- Albermarle Zoopus, win- ner of Jupae’s $1,000 “i” ner of JuvGE’s $1,000 miss- ner of Jvpce’s $1,000 ner of JupaE’s $1,000 “How dotting contest. ing letter “‘apple-sauce” contest. “2 2 2=2” contest. many lives has a cat’ contest. comicbooks.com