Life, 1923-07-19 · page 15 of 36
Life — July 19, 1923 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip titled "Skippy — No. 16" featuring a young boy named Skippy persistently pestering an adult (Mr. Skippy) about playing second base in baseball. **The joke:** Skippy repeatedly asks to play second base, receiving constant refusals. Each time he's told "no," he finds a new angle to convince Mr. Skippy, citing his credentials (a letter from the Orioles' magnates, past experience). The humor derives from the child's relentless, creative negotiation tactics and Mr. Skippy's escalating exasperation. **The satire:** This appears to be gentle satire about childhood persistence, adult authority, and baseball culture. The final panel shows Skippy finally pushed into a mud puddle—comedic consequences for his tireless pestering. The strip reflects early 20th-century American childhood experiences and baseball's prominence in popular culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
YG MR. SKIPPY, DAST I HAVE A WORD WID You?” “No! YA CAN’T PLAY SECOND BASE!” “REMEMBER I PLAYED SECOND BASE ON THE ORI- OLES N’ THE MAGNOMAS. THEY DON’T COME NO BETTER’N THE ORIOLES, MR, SKIPPY. OH, CAN'T I PLAY SECOND BASE? HUH, MR. SKIPPY, CAN I, PLEASE? PLAY SECOND BASE, AFTER, CAN I?” “LISTEN, MR, SKIPPY! I EVEN GOT WRITED TO BY THE ORIOLES N’ THE MAGNOLIAS ASTIN’ ME TO COME BACK TO THE OLE BAG—MAY I GIT SOCKED WID A THUNDER BOLT, SKIPPY, PLEASE, HUH? CAN I AFTER, HUH, MR, SKIPPY?” “no! no! no! nol” “MR. skIPPY! AT SECOND BASE NOT'IN’ GITS BY ME. LET'S, HUH, MR. SKIPPY? WILL YA? CAN I? HUH, AFTER CAN I? HUH?” “GWAN HOME!” “AFTER CAN I? WILL YA? LET ME PLAY SECOND BASE? SHOULD I? AFTER HUH, WON’T I, MR. SKIPPY?” “HOW ABOUT THIRD BASE THEN?” Skippy — No. comicbooks.com