Judge, 1928-12-15 · page 30 of 36
Judge — December 15, 1928 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes absurdly over-engineered gadgets and ridiculous patent claims. The "Inventions of the Month" section mocks the proliferation of unnecessarily complex contraptions marketed as solutions to everyday problems. The devices shown—a sky-rocket launcher, a "never-lose umbrella" with anti-theft mechanisms, an elaborate window opener, and a complicated can-opener—represent the era's tendency toward gadgetry overkill. Each invention solves a simple task through baroque mechanical means, the humor lying in their impracticality. The Yonkers/Oskaloosa Patent Office attribution is clearly fictional, suggesting any inventor could patent anything. This reflects early 20th-century frustration with patent proliferation and manufacturers hawking dubious contraptions as modern "innovations." The Craven Mixture tobacco advertisement and Cocoanut Grove dance hall ads are period commercial content, not satire. The page demonstrates Judge's formula: mixing social commentary through cartoon mockery with genuine era advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Inventions of the Month | Released by; Yonkers Patent Office Oskaloosa, Saskatchewan ce TT share in the pleasures of | Cowes, of Henley, of Ascot — one must jourr to England. But to share in the of smoking rs favor- ite pipe call for CRAVEN MIXTURE tobaceo which was the inspi of Barrie’s “My Lady Nicotine CRAVEN MIXTURE —a truly fine im- ported tobacco, first blended at the com- of the Third Earl of Craven in can now be had at the better tobac- sin the United States and Canada, For a liberal sample 1 10c in stamps to = . Ltd, Dept. 31, 220 Fifth Ave., New York. I>} S & D Craven | a MIXTURE Used in removing holes from Swiss che Pr A) which revol Imported from London ( aa h tes 0 prin the manuf stopping engine. Device for Shooting Sky-Rocket ; 5 for Bunk; C—is for Cat; D—is for Dri: oat; H—is for Ham, Doubl by Mental Telepathy. k; E-is ignition, ne (C) propels the lutions per second, re automatically. placed in ture of doughnuts. Whistle (D) ‘Whenin losAn ee Dance/ mbassador Cocoanut Grove | } to the Entrancing ‘Music of the World Famous COCOANUT GROVE Orchestra QUS ARNHEIM, Dewetor The Never-Lose Umbrella This umbrella is thief proof. When the owner i hold on handle, th ret (A) sets intricate mech m enclosed in hand the moment at Fool-Proof Electric Car Window Opener 48-horsepower no attached, V Very sim! ver tion and should be earried by every traveler . | ue ) INVENTIST. with 000 SPECIAL “NICHT COLLECE “NIGHTS. EVERY TUESDAY — uh Dancing Content cowry Fridey ‘TEA ‘DANGES every Saturday ot 4,00 tn the Cocoanut Grove, Tea Serice $125 The Complete Can-Opener Simple device for opening cans without cutting one’s fingers. Does away with the old-fashioned, complicated can-opener. 28 comicbooks.com