Life, 1927-09-01 · page 11 of 40
Life — September 1, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the baby pants industry's market saturation. The sales manager addresses five businessmen (shown in silhouette) about an urgent problem: the market for baby pants has reached "saturation point." He proposes developing a new model to make existing pants "obsolete"—a commentary on planned obsolescence and manipulative marketing practices. The humor targets how manufacturers artificially create demand by making functional products seem outdated, forcing consumers to repurchase unnecessarily. The cartoon critiques the cynicism of early 20th-century business strategy: rather than innovate genuinely, companies simply rebrand existing products to stimulate sales. The accompanying dialogue pieces ("It's Wonderful to Have Ideals" and "Muscle-Bound") appear unrelated vignettes about personal ideals and physical fitness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Sales Manager: GENTLEMEN, 1 REGRET POINT IN BABY DEVISE A NEW PANTS CONSUMPTION MODEL OF TO SAY IAS BEEN REACHED BABY PANTS Wien WiLL MODELS OBSOLETE THAT RENDER in’s up “Tt’s Wonderful to Have Ideals’’ HE: Don't you admire have ideals? . He: Yes, I think it’s wondertul to have ideals. Sue: But I don’t think many people live up to their ideals, do you? Her: No, that's the trouble. pretty hard to live up to them Sue: But I think you can if really make yourself, don’t yo He: Yes, but it’s pretty hard, just the same. Sue: And don’t you think a girl sort of risks being unpopular if she really lives up to her ideals? He: Well, I suppose she does—of ple who darn course it depends to a certain extent on what her ideals are Sur: Yes, I doesn’t it? But, anyways, I think it’s awfully sort of difficult to live up to your ideals in these days when so many people everything, do re sort of loose and "t you? He: Absolutely. Su mean this getting divorced ind everything. He: Yes, it’s pretty awful the way everybody gets divoreed. Sie: I mean I think people just get divorced for the most ridiculous reasons, don’t you? Hr: Yes that no doubt about Sur: recone tried, Hr Sur to live ALL SATURATION PREVIOUS I mean they could usually je their differences if tl nk they could? ¥ just n't you Absolutely But I think it’s terribly hard thing, don’t you really think it is AISI ture, Mar: L.M Muscle-Bound He’s got a lot of cul- hasn't he Yes, t t it’s all physical NOME men take nN automobile; ot! of the family comicbooks.com