Axidunce cartoon: Danger, no smoking, explosives
Pen cartoon: a worker smoking a pipe is blown out of the roof of a shed marked 'Explosives', his dunce cap labelled 'AXIDUNCE' flying off, beside a sign 'Danger No smoking'. The invented label 'Axidunce' casts careless workers as helpers of the Axis by mockery, with a fear-appeal in the explosion.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of War Information, cartoon by Leo
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Labor, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Office of War Information. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-441H (NAID 513907).
Text on the object
DANGER NO SMOKING EXPLOSIVES AXIE (cap partly cut off) [imprint:] OWI-1984 [handwritten:] OL / 34 [signature:] Leo FOR OWI
Handwritten marks 'OL' and '34' near the top right are archive or studio annotations.
