Writing & Loading Until RaceDay>>>
Updated: Friday, August 12
By Sydney Reed
From the original 'Tijuana Bibles', that were printed in the United States and distributed in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Presented here, for historical reference.
More reasons for international traveling men, going to Baja Mexico, included motor racing activities as early as the 1920's.
The "Worlds Fair" noted above, was based in San Diego, just across the river from the black-lawed Tijuana, Mexico
Tijuana bibles (also known as eight-pagers, Tillie-and-Mac books, Jiggs-and-Maggie books, jo-jo books, bluesies, blue-bibles, gray-backs, and two-by-fours, were palm-sized pornographic comic books produced in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1960s.
Their popularity peaked during the Great Depression era. Most Tijuana bibles were obscene parodies of popular newspaper comic strips of the day, such as "Blondie", "Barney Google", "Moon Mullins", "Popeye", "Tillie the Toiler", "The Katzenjammer Kids", "Dick Tracy", "Little Orphan Annie" and "Bringing Up Father".
Others made use of characters based on popular movie stars, and sports stars of the day, such as Mae West, Clark Gable and Joe Louis, sometimes with names thinly changed. Before World War II, almost all the stories were humorous and frequently were cartoon versions of well-known dirty jokes that had been making the rounds for decades.
The artists, writers, and publishers of these booklets are generally unknown, as their publication was illegal, clandestine, and anonymous. The quality of the artwork varied widely. The subjects are explicit sexual escapades usually featuring well-known newspaper comic strip characters, movie stars, and (rarely) political figures, invariably used without respect for either copyright or libel law and without permission.
Tijuana bibles featured ethnic stereotypes found in popular culture at the time, although one Tijuana bible ("You Nazi Man") concluded on a serious note with a brief message from the publisher pleading for greater tolerance in Germany for the Jews.
The typical 'Tijuana Bible' was an eight-panel comic strip in a wallet-sized 2.5 in × 4 in (64 mm × 102 mm) format with black print on cheap white paper and running eight pages in length.
Characters by the names of Tillie and Mac are thought to have been the first Tijuana bible stars, along with Maggie and Jiggs from the popular newspaper strip Bringing Up Father. Tillie was soon followed by Winnie Winkle, Dumb Dora, Dixie Dugan, Fritzi Ritz, Ella Cinders, and other familiar comic strip characters stamped in the same mold.
Popeye and Blondie were the most popular cartoon characters appearing in Tijuana bibles in the 1930s, judging by the number of their appearances. The first celebrity bibles were based on real-life newspaper tabloid sex scandals such as the Peaches and Daddy Browning case which made headlines in 1926. Ten years later, an entire series of bibles by one unknown artist obscenely lampooned Wallis Simpson and the King of England.
By far the most popular celebrity character was Mae West, but virtually every major Hollywood star of the era was featured in the Tijuana bibles, obscenely and libelously. A popular comic strip character such as Tillie or Blondie might appear in as many as 40 eight-pagers drawn by ten artists. An entire series of ten bibles drawn by Mr. Prolific was based on famous gangsters; Legs Diamond, Al Capone, and Machine Gun Kelly were featured, while the artist working under the alias "Elmer Zilch" drew a set of eight comics about famous boxers such as Jack Dempsey.
Jack Dempsey will be a featured notable in my next story in a series focused on Baja California.
What started as extra activities in Mexico, grew into extra-prohibition business, exclusively based in Baja California, due to legal gambling and prostitution.
Pictured below, from the 50's into the 1960's, Baja emerged as 'racy'. Stories of exotic locales, lenient street law and ladies from all over latin America drew adventure seekers.
Treasures of all kinds were found and enjoyed over the decades, on the majestic peninsula of Baja California, Mexico!
In Rosarito, many hotels and a major casino developed. Even under conservative leadership, the acceptance of more liberal street laws did occur, for a short time.
While it lasted in the 20's and 30's, Rosarito had gambling, widespread drinking and open prostitution.
One strip club, in the 90's operated under the name 'Chicas and Beers' on the main drag.
However, not to the extent of the balance of the state of Baja California.
In the municipality of Mexicali, the state capital even allowed more liberal street rules.
In San Felipe, conservative town leadership restricts liberal street rules. But, clubs like 'Iguana's' had short operation lives.
Throughout the Republic of Mexico, over time, from the 20's to the 50's, being right next to the very liberal United States, even the conservative Mexicans, changed.
Tijuana, Rosarito, Tecate and Ensenada became well organized dens of inequities.
Hollywood starlets were not immune to the allure of Old Mexico. Errol Flynn was commonly known to take his sailboat, with girlfriend contraband onboard, to shelter at Bahia Ensenada in the 20's through the 40's.
Away from prying eyes and the hidden cameras and microphones of the twisted g-men of J. Edgar Hoover.
By the 50's, Hollywood knew where to go in Mexico, to get their kicks, in private.
In Mexico, the high-flying found rare refuge!
The crimes came naturally with the business. Widespread conflict came with the untold wealth being transferred between wildly different publics and ethics.
There had been cross-border sex trade early in the Mexican-USA border regions, but until the legal gambling and drinking business, the volumes of currencies weren't all that much fought over.
That changed in the 1920's and lasted well into the 1950's.
The border region crimes permeated both sides of the border.
The cover of Cinema Magazine
Ladies from all over latin America were 'discovered' in Baja Mexico. They were made famous in Southern California, Vegas and New York City as these beauties were displayed on magazine covers around the globe!
Many were married by smitten gentlemen after their introductions in clubs and courtships, after their family approvals came in, from Patagonia to Mexicali.
At Paris in Ensenada, glamorous public displays became commonplace. Visitors from Vegas, New York City and Europe drew professionals from the interior of Mexico and Cuba.
