toilet-paper
Explanation
The Joke
The comic is styled as a public service announcement poster. In the first panel, an angry mob of people declares "Old Man Jenkins stole our toilet paper!" and threatens to "tear the walls out of his house." The second panel shows a "soon" caption with a long line of people waiting outside what appears to be a store with empty shelves -- the aftermath of panic buying. The bottom of the comic displays a bold message: "DON'T HOARD -- THINK OF THE CHILDREN," accompanied by images of distressed children.
The comic satirizes the toilet paper hoarding that became one of the most visible and absurd aspects of the early COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The joke presents hoarding as leading to a breakdown of social order, with mobs attacking hoarders and stores being stripped bare. The "think of the children" PSA framing at the bottom parodies wartime-era propaganda posters that urged citizens not to hoard rationed goods.
The Humor
The humor comes from treating toilet paper hoarding with the same gravity as a serious societal crisis -- which, in March 2020, it briefly and absurdly was. The mob violence over toilet paper, the post-apocalyptic empty store shelves, and the earnest PSA tone all treat bathroom tissue as if it were a critical strategic resource. The comic was published on March 24, 2020, right at the peak of the real-world toilet paper panic, making it an extremely timely piece of satire. The "think of the children" tagline borrows the rhetorical weight of wartime propaganda to make the absurdity of the situation even more apparent.
References
- The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 triggered widespread panic buying of toilet paper across many countries, driven by fear of supply chain disruptions and a herd mentality. Store shelves were stripped bare and purchase limits had to be imposed.
- The PSA format and "think of the children" messaging parody World War II-era rationing posters that urged civilians not to hoard scarce goods.