Judge, 1929-11-23 · page 12 of 36
Judge — November 23, 1929 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge's "Handy Household Hints" - Satirical Gadgets This page presents **fake, absurd household inventions** as satirical commentary on consumer culture and modern domesticity. Each "hint" mocks both pointless gadget proliferation and social pretensions of the era. Notable examples: A "clothes dryer" that removes "rouge, telephone numbers, dirty words"—mocking women's cosmetics and infidelity anxieties. "Patent leather potato mashers" in formal wear styles satirize status-conscious overconsumption. A "reading room" equipped with "gauze blindfold" jokes darkly about willful ignorance. The "pass out room" for "stowaways" appears to reference Prohibition-era drinking culture. The "apple corer" cutting out the "heart" of "hired gal[s]" contains sharp class commentary—dehumanizing domestic workers as mere labor to be mechanized. These aren't sincere product advertisements but **biting satire of American consumer excess and domestic absurdity**, typical of Judge magazine's social criticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE SHANDY /1OUSEHOLD JLNTS READING ROOM A place for everything and everything in its place. Completely equipped with autograph album, contract | ‘ blank, four brands of cigarettes and a gauze blindfold.— | CLOTHES DRYER Mrs. Q Removes rouge, telephone numbers, dirty words and 5 studs, from dress shirts. May also be used for Swedish massage-—Mrs. M. I’. PATENT LEATHER POTATO MASHERS The dernier cri and also the next to the dernier cri. Can be furnished in suede with rubber heels and soles, for semi-formal use-—M. P. PASS OUT ROOM Saves rugs, space, time, nerves and trading stamps. Designed to accommodate four small stowaways or three big ones—Miss T. A. T. APPLE CORER 8 MINUTE EGG COOKER This handy gadget till also take the heart out of arti- When eggs are done sign appears as in illustration. chokes and the hired gal. Requires no aerial, uses Eggs are boiled in five minutes, half the old time. No ground only—Mrs, H. S. shrinkage-—Miss J. J. comicbooks.com