Joe Dope is a regular ace at 'cleaning' that rifle apace
Rifle-care cartoon for soldiers in the Joe Dope series: caricatured soldiers sit with disassembled rifles and cleaning rods while Joe Dope, front right, shoulders a rifle with a sergeant beside him. The verse and 'Don't be a dope!' use name-calling aimed at the careless soldier, softened by humour.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Ordnance Department, U.S. Army; artist Will Eisner
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Theme
- War and the military
- 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)
Ordnance Department, U.S. Army. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1143N (NAID 514711).
Text on the object
JOE DOPE is a regular ace At "cleaning" that rifle apace - But the parts he gets sand on With reckless abandon Will jam and blow up in his face ! Don't be a dope! HANDLE EQUIPMENT RIGHT ! [signature: Will Eisner, with the words ORDNANCE and WARRANT OFF.] [imprint:] ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT, U. S. ARMY
