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The Irony Of It All
Brad Hollerbach

'Bazooka Joe' Covertly Corrupting Our Youth

Posted Monday, April 19, 2010, at 12:00 AM

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  • Perhaps we can use cartoons to shape the future of our country, Brad. Since kids can be so impressionable, we can have cartoons with scientists facing the worlds' issues or something, or have cartoons that emphasize industry in the United States.

    Though it seems like we are overrun with lawyers, insurance salesman and nurses, and I don't recall too many of those kinds of professions in children's cartoons, so then again I'm not sure my idea would work. If I get some free grant money I'll work on finding an answer, though.

    -- Posted by almighty on Mon, Apr 19, 2010, at 8:05 AM
  • Gosh, Nil, I didn't realize the conspiracy runs even deeper than gangs with guns, but pornography too!

    Funny how the artist's "sordid" past didn't affect his employment for creating a wholesome (at least to some) comic like Bazooka Joe. Imagine if someone tried that today? It would be all over the tabloids and the artist would be dropped by the sponsoring company like a hot potato.

    That's a good point Almighty. What inspired all the lawyers, insurance salesmen and nurses to become laywers, insurance salesmen and nurses when they were children? Obviously they didn't chew Bazooka bubblegum or they would be thugs in gangs.

    Perhaps the future-lawyers watched C-SPAN with their cookies and milk. The proliferation of nurses could be explained by the fact that re-runs of MASH have been running non-stop since about 1980. Lots of nurses in that show.

    As far as the future insurance salesmen, that's a mystery to me. Maybe there was an influential episode of Sesame Street where Oscar sells Big Bird some term life insurance.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Mon, Apr 19, 2010, at 8:31 AM
  • When I was a kid, we had a choice of Fleers or Double Bubble. Either of them or Wrigley's Spearment. Of course, we had to deal with the propaganda that chewing gum would rot your teeth out. Never hear of this Bazooka imitator.

    -- Posted by voyager on Tue, Apr 20, 2010, at 1:09 AM
  • Hi Brad,

    I enjoyed your article, thanks.

    You'll find more information on Bazooka Joe's creator, Wesley Morse, at my website, including a glimpse of his earliest known work and the only published photograph of Morse.

    Oh, it gets a lot more interesting. Stay tuned!

    -- Posted by TaylorMorseArt on Tue, Apr 20, 2010, at 2:25 PM