Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Please be careful, mister. I've got a war job to do too!, 1944 US poster: Colour poster of a cartoon-style chick speaking

Please be careful, mister. I've got a war job to do too!

Colour poster of a cartoon-style chick speaking from a shipping carton and pointing to an inset panel headed 'Don't put me on the casualty lists', with three drawings labelled by suffocation, by mishandling and by chilling or overheating. The technique is transfer: military casualty-list language and a 'war job' are applied to shipped baby chicks to make careful handling a wartime duty.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Transfer
Date
1944
Period
Second World War
Made by
War Food Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Region
North America
Country
United States
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
State
Regime
Roosevelt Administration
Leader
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Mobilize or secure compliance
Themes
Home front, Economy and finance
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)
War Food Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1519 (NAID 515185).

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

PLEASE BE CAREFUL, MISTER
I've got a war job to do too!
DON'T PUT ME
ON THE
CASUALTY LISTS
BY SUFFOCATION
BY MISHANDLING
[on the box lid: BABY CHICKS]
BY CHILLING OR
OVERHEATING
[imprint: WAR FOOD ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE]
[imprint: U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1944 -- O -- 587854]

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