Judge, 1929-10-05 · page 9 of 36
Judge — October 5, 1929 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "Snatch a Sweet" This satirical story mocks early 20th-century business culture and advertising excess. Four conventionally-dressed businessmen at the "Hollow Mint Company" debate how to market a new hollow mint candy, their schemes becoming increasingly absurd. The satire targets corporate buzzwords and slogans—they adopt advertising catchphrases like "When Better Mints Are Built, Buick Will Build Them" (parodying Buick's actual slogan). Their "solutions" grow ridiculous: selling pants alongside mints, pasting warnings about removing trousers, or opening a tea room to dispose of hollow interiors. The bottom cartoon shows a chaotic party scene, with the caption "If your father can only keep this up, we'll have the cocktails in a jiffy"—referencing Prohibition-era anxiety about maintaining illegal liquor supplies. The overall joke critiques how businessmen take trivial products seriously, applying grandiose marketing language and interconnected business schemes to something as simple as candy, reflecting Judge's skepticism toward corporate capitalism and consumerism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Snatch a Sweet Four solemn, — distinguished- looking gentlemen, wearing the conventional frock coats of big business, sat round a ny table in the directors’ room of the Hollow Mint Company, Inc, On the center of the table lay a piece of the new confection, The di- rectors rolled mints under their tongues, knitted their brows. in deep thought and said nothi At last the president ed: mint into his cheek and said “Gentlemen, we're all chewing on a mighty fine proposition. If we can hit on a scheme for hol lowing out the inside of our mints without breaking fortunes are made The vice-president wiped the corners of his mouth and said: “I'm not chewing my mint, MH last lo “T have mine done up in of tissue paper,” said the tary, producing a sticky little wad from his vest pocket. “If I'm a good boy I’m going to have it after dinner.” sucking it sc “T just can’t help wanting to kiss all of you dear messen- ger boys!" “What's our slogan going to be? sked the treasurer, smack- ing his lips. te president stopped chewing and said: ‘The Candy Mint with the Hole Inside’ is a peachy slogan, if you ask m “T like ‘When Better Mints Are Built) Buick Will Build Them’,” said the vice-president. “In y r, how are we to make arn things hollow and, if we do succeed, what are we going to do with the insides?” “If we make them hollow I don't think there will be any in- sides,” said the secretary. “But, if there are we can open a tea room on the Merrick Re The treasurer stuffed mint into his mouth and said should think we could put a sur- prise inside each mint to please the kiddies.” “How about an extra pair of pants?” exelaimed the — presi- allowing a mint in his fellows!’ said “Only, sup- swallowed his pose some child prize by mista “We could paste a warning on cach box, saying: ‘Don't swallow any,of this confection until you've removed your trousers’, said the 1 solution to that prob- said the t = Let's sell pants ach pair instead Then our slogan (Continued on page 29) urer, excitedly. with a mint in ea of vice versa. “If your father can only keep this up, we'll have the cocktails in a jiffy.”