Start the day right with a real breakfast
Two columns of four cartoon panels headed 'The Wrong Way.' and 'The Right Way.' follow a man through a day: hurried coffee, a drowsy office, a quick lunch and a stumble, against a full breakfast, brisk work, a proper lunch and praise. Side labels pair 'No food, no pep, no time, no luck' with 'Good breakfast, good pep, good lunch, good job'. The technique is card-stacking by paired contrast, in which one habit is shown as the single cause of every outcome. Slogan: 'Start the day right... with a REAL BREAKFAST'.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1946
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- Veterans Administration (cartoon by Nate Collier, courtesy of The Texas Company)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Truman Administration
- Leader
- Harry S. Truman
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Health, Home front
- 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)
Veterans Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1798 (NAID 515476).
Text on the object
The Wrong Way. The Right Way. NO FOOD NO PEP NO TIME NO LUCK GOOD BREAKFAST GOOD PEP GOOD LUNCH GOOD JOB Wrong way panel 1: I'LL DRINK MY COFFEE ON THE WAY. / CAREFUL, DEAR! Wrong way panel 3: I'M IN A HURRY. SLIP ME SOME JAVA AND A SINKER, QUICK! Wrong way panel 4: WHO'S THE ZOMBIE? / OH, THAT'S JOE. HE'S ALL RIGHT, BUT HE ACTS LIKE HE HAD BORDERLINE ANEMIA. Right way panel 1: FRESH FRUIT, CEREAL AND MILK, EGGS, BUTTERED TOAST AND COFFEE! THAT'S A REAL BREAKFAST! Right way panel 3: BOY! NOW FOR A WELL-BALANCED LUNCH! Right way panel 4: NICE GOING, GEORGE! YOU'RE DOING A SWELL JOB! [panel numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4 in each column] [signature: Nate Collier] Start the day right... with a REAL BREAKFAST [imprint: U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1946—O—693786] [imprint: V. A. POSTER 5-3 VETERANS ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON, D.C. CARTOON REPRODUCED THROUGH THE COURTESY THE TEXAS COMPANY NEW YORK, N.Y.]
