Life, 1925-01-29 · page 24 of 37
Life — January 29, 1925 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip featuring a young boy named Skippy pestering his father about a birthday present. The humor operates on multiple levels: **The Setup:** Skippy's father refuses to reveal what he's giving him, only stating it must stay "out of Krausmeyer's apples"—a reference to petty theft, suggesting the father wants Skippy to stop stealing fruit. **The Satire:** Skippy has spent the day shopping and complaining about consumer goods—handkerchiefs lack initialed elegance, neckties are expensive and ugly, a nanny goat was offered but rejected. The strip mocks both childhood materialism and Depression-era scarcity. **The Punchline:** After extensive buildup and Skippy's mounting impatience, the "present" is revealed: Skippy is being taken to get a **tattoo**—punishment disguised as a gift. This is darkly humorous, playing on the father's exasperation with the boy's behavior and consumer demands. The strip satirizes both spoiled childhood desires and parental frustration with modern consumer culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FOR YOUR BIRTITDAY, PAPA?” Skippy: WHat woutd YA LIKE—FoR INSTANCE, NOW? “OM, KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF KRAUSMEVOR'S APPLES “WELL, WHAT WOLD You succssT?”" | -=THAT WOULD BE PRESENT ENOUGIL FOR MEL Skippy: WELL, Stim, 1 BEEN ALL OVER THIS TOWN Skippy: on, Vin pe AT ANYWAY. It KEEPS THEM 1 DIDN'T SEE A THING. 1 CAME NEAR BUYIN’ A HAND IEE BACK NOW: KERCHIEP, BUT THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ONE O° TirE INITIALS TN YOUR WILOLE NAME. ANYWAY, TILEY LOOKED. LIKE TABLECLOTHS. AND THE NECKTIFS I SAw—NO COLORS AT ALL 'N’ NONE O° THEM LESS THAN FIFTY CENTS. Skippy: so t cot askiy’ - BUT THEY TRIED TO SELL ME A NANNY "COURSE 1 WASN'T ‘s w'Leevin’, THEY H PARTY, ONLY 1 PEANUTS OUTA “NOW, THIS PRESENT CAN'T BE DRINKED 'N’ IT CAN'T BE RAT, BUT IT'S SOMETHING YOU'LL ALWAYS NAVE JUST AN ELEGANT REMWEMDRANCE, c 10 OUT To CET IT, GET YA MAT coat.” Father: witat are you comnc TT BE MEASURED “WARM, YA GETTIN’ WARS!” Skippy: tue aunci KNowS wuat THIS 18 BE 'N’ (JUST WISIL YA COULD SEE THE JeALoUs OUT—CRNEN-EVED, THAT'S WHAT THEY WAS. ANY TIME ANYBODY TAKES YA FOt A BONPON, ALL YA WAVE TO DO IS FLASH MY PRESENT. AR GUY RIGHT AWAY, ma VES, SIR!_A MAN'S GIFT, THAT'S WHAT THIS IS. Skippy: 1 can't Wo1p ovT No LONGER OR I'LL AUST. “L CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER—WHAT 18 17?" PAPA, YOU'RE BEIN’ TOOK OUT TO GET TATTOOED. Skippy comicbooks.com