"What? Me Worry?"

[Sam Clements]

I'm playing pinochle with three guys tomorrow night who actually deal in
this kind of paper ephemera. Together they have 100 years of experience in
just this kind of thing.  I'm sure that two of the three have owned these
cards, and one may actually have one that I can view.    I"ll try to run by
them the whole issue.  I'll post back on Wed night.

Sam Clements


----- Original Message -----
From: "Benjamin Zimmer" <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 9:37 PM
Subject: Re: "What? Me Worry?"


> 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
>