Puck, 1879-09-24 · page 5 of 16
Puck — September 24, 1879 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical comic strip depicting the misadventures of "Troddledums," an ape-like creature engaging in increasingly chaotic domestic activities. The humor relies on visual slapstick: the character attempts mundane household tasks—eating apples, sitting in chairs, working at desks—but comically fails at each, destroying furniture and creating mayhem. The strip's title suggests social satire through the "simian" reference, likely mocking someone's intelligence or behavior by comparing them to an ape. Without additional context about which public figure or political opponent "Troddledums" represents, the specific target remains unclear, though the pattern suggests ridicule of incompetence or foolishness. The domestic setting emphasizes the absurdity of placing this creature in civilized situations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PUCK. TRODDLEDUMS, THE SIMIAN. PART VII. The “Cistern” mentioned in our last ‘Was a well—but let the past be past. An apple he eats, while his two feet go Up and down, andante fortissimo. b 7 “ “ . To give his foe more particular fits To the roof tree Troddledums takes the Spitz, De wy 7 ‘ ‘And then they part company, straight away. 5 may ‘And wholly conquered, after that day, ! AS LOE \ And hangs him over the top of the chimney. While he bounces off like a flash, by Jim'ay! Now the smoke that comes up from a fire of coal Is bad for the eyes, upon the whole; ! It furthermore makes a fellow cough; And Jim the Spitz gets promptly off — ° Zz y : WA i s I. Joat as the Cat with the loaded tal ‘The Troddledums’ rule they both obey. With pain in her heart and a woful wail, a Leaps out on the roof, and she and he ‘The Troddledums on the Pi-an-ay J And finally is put to flight By the wrath of an ardent Wagnerite, Come crashing down through a cherry-tree. Like «My Mary Anne” proceeds to play. ‘That is, they come part of the way a-crashin’ This shows you how he tries the keys; ‘Then stop for a second, after this fashion. Then sitting down, more at his ease,