What d' ya mean - you ain't gonna buy no bonds?
War-bond poster from a theatre chain: a photograph of a scowling seven-month-old baby, headed BUY BONDS AT YOUR NEAREST SKOURAS THEATRE and captioned as a question to the viewer. The baby is presented as an ordinary child acting as a salesman, using humour and the family image to make the request feel everyday (plain-folks).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Skouras Theatres (local theatre chain)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Corporation
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Fundraise
- Themes
- Economy and finance, 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)
Skouras Theatres. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-120 (NAID 513568).
Text on the object
BUY BONDS AT YOUR NEAREST SKOURAS THEATRE! WHAT D'YA MEAN- YOU AIN'T GONNA BUY NO BONDS! [imprint: OWEN MURPHY Jr., AT 7 MONTHS IS SUPER SALESMAN FOR UNCLE SAM. HIS DAD COMPOSED "IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING", USED TO WRITE JOE COOK'S SHOWS.]
