"What? Me Worry?"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:38:24 -0400, Sam Clements wrote:

>I've owned that post card and it dates from the administration of FDR.
>Don't ask me how I know that, but I can find out if it's inportant.  It,
>the postcard, only says "Me worry" not "what, me worry."
>
>Here a link that says the image was on postcards as far back as 1890.
>I'm not vouching for the dates, but it all helps.
>
>http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2005/07/10/this_boys_life/?rss_id=Boston%20Globe%20--%20Ideas%20Section

The Globe image with "Me Worry?" is the same that Wikipedia links to...

>> FWIW, the Wikipedia article on _Mad_ links to an image of a "rare
>> uncopyrighted image" of a Neumanesque figure on a postcard "from the
>> late 50's to around 1960", with the caption "Me Worry?":
>>
>> http://community.webshots.com/photo/304039856/304041768aZxySa

So this image (boy in checkered suit, "Me Worry?" caption) actually dates
to the '30s or '40s? Perhaps Kurtzman's innovation was simply adding the
"What".


--Ben Zimmer