Bedtime Story
A man whose sleeve reads 'Adlai' sits beside a bed holding a picture book titled 'The Wicked Old Elephant', which shows a snarling horned elephant, while a wide-eyed figure in the bed clutches the covers; a crate marked 'Farm Vote' and a toy tractor stand in the foreground. The cartoon argues that the Democratic candidate is trying to frighten farm voters with stories of the Republican Party. The technique tell is the fear-appeal framing, shown as a bedtime scare story.
Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon
- Date
- August 31, 1956
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- Washington Evening Star (cartoonist Jim Berryman)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Eisenhower Administration
- Leader
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- Elections and party politics
- Event
- 1956 US Election
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives, Records of the U.S. Senate, Jim Berryman Political Cartoons (NAID 5730852), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Jim Berryman, Washington Evening Star. National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the U.S. Senate, 5743229 (NAID 5743229).
Text on the object
The Wicked Old Elephant ADLAI FARM VOTE JIM BERRYMAN WASHINGTON STAR
