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πŸ“ˆπŸ’¬ Why Play Leap Frog (1949) is a vintage animated short from John Sutherland Productions that dives into the fundamentals of economic competition, free markets, and price dynamics. With charming mid-century animation and clever analogies, the film champions the idea that "competition keeps America moving forward."

πŸ“½οΈ Plot Summary:
Through animated characters and metaphorical storytelling, this post-WWII educational cartoon explains why controlled markets may lead to stagnation while free enterprise spurs innovation and growth. It makes a case for capitalism as the system that lets "everyone have a fair chance at the leap."

πŸ•°οΈ Year Released: 1949
🎭 Genre: Animated Short, Economics, Educational, Propaganda
🎬 Produced by: John Sutherland Productions
πŸ“š Sponsored by: American Economic Foundation

🎯 Why Watch It?
βœ”οΈ Classic Cold War–era pro-capitalist messaging
βœ”οΈ Simple explanations of economic principles
βœ”οΈ Nostalgic 1940s cartoon animation
βœ”οΈ Ideal for history, economics, and political science enthusiasts

πŸ”” Don’t forget to LIKE πŸ‘ | COMMENT πŸ’¬ | SUBSCRIBE πŸ”” for more educational classics, vintage propaganda, and animated public domain treasures!

πŸ‘‡ Explore More Vintage Animation & Public Domain Shorts:
πŸ“Ί https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYSxyPafGbnQOHVjtutbCJoNsaOS4Vh54
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🎞️ #WhyPlayLeapFrog #JohnSutherland #ColdWarCartoons #FreeEnterprise #VintageAnimation #PublicDomain #EducationalFilm #CapitalismExplained
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πŸ’‘ Want to know how competition fuels a healthy economy? Why Play Leap Frog (1949) makes it easy to understandβ€”with charm and wit.
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Category

😹
Fun
Transcript
00:00THE END
00:30Wages and prices often play leapfrog.
00:36One jumps up, then the other,
00:39which means a steady rise in our cost of living.
00:55The Dillydal factory is a happy shop.
00:59But Joe, our doll painter friend,
01:01seems to be a little down in the mouth,
01:04which even shows in his work.
01:11Joe is pretty discouraged
01:12because the high cost of living
01:14makes it harder and harder to make ends meet.
01:16Hiya, Joe, old boy.
01:20Hello.
01:22Better look in that envelope.
01:26Wow, a race!
01:28And just in time to buy the kid a birthday present.
01:31What do I get?
01:34Let's see.
01:35A dress?
01:36A hand?
01:37Bicycle?
01:38Roller skates?
01:39Shoes?
01:41A book?
01:42A doll?
01:43A doll!
01:44A doll!
01:44What's the price, miss?
01:59I work in a factory that makes this doll.
02:06Two bucks is too much.
02:09I'm very sorry, sir,
02:10but your company charged us more for this shipment,
02:13so we had to raise our selling price.
02:16We got a weight increase, all right,
02:18but it couldn't raise the price that much.
02:20It just takes a little wood,
02:22rubber,
02:23hat,
02:24cloth,
02:24and a phony wig to make that doll.
02:26There's only about ten cents worth of materials
02:28in the whole thing.
02:30You pirates,
02:31crooks,
02:32bandits,
02:33you,
02:34you robbers!
02:38You're right about the cost of raw materials
02:40in that doll,
02:41about ten cents worth.
02:43Raw materials in practically everything we buy
02:46are worth little
02:47until labor transforms them into finished products.
02:51For example,
02:52how much do you think the raw materials cost in that car?
02:56Oh,
02:57about three hundred bucks.
03:00You've got a surprise coming.
03:02It takes four and a half tons of coal,
03:05two and three quarters tons of iron ore,
03:08fifty pounds of cotton,
03:10fourteen pounds of cured and finished wool,
03:13aluminum,
03:14zinc,
03:14lead,
03:15copper,
03:16and countless other raw materials
03:18to make an automobile.
03:20Without the addition of labor costs,
03:22these things are worth about twenty-two dollars.
03:25The raw materials require the accumulated labor
03:29of thousands of people
03:30in countless crafts
03:31to transform them into a finished automobile.
03:34Miners dig the coal and iron ore.
03:39Railroad and maritime workers
03:41transport these materials to the steel mill,
03:44where workers convert the ore into finished steel.
03:48The wages of railroad workers
03:50add to the value of steel
03:52when it is transported to automobile factories.
03:56The cotton that goes into a car
03:58accumulates labor costs
03:59from the farmer who tills the soil,
04:01from workers who sow the seed,
04:06and help to raise the cotton.
04:12Wages paid to other workers
04:14add to the value of the cotton
04:16as it is moved from the field
04:18to the cotton gin
04:19where it is processed.
04:20Other workers transport the cotton
04:26to the automobile factory.
04:28The wool that is used to make a car
04:31is worth little
04:32while it is still on the sheep.
04:34When the labor cost of a sheep shearer is added,
04:38the value of the wool
04:41is increased by his wages.
04:44When all of the parts and materials
04:47finally reach the factory for assembly,
04:49the labor cost of automobile workers
04:52must be added to the price of the car.
04:54In the $1,500 auto
05:24direct and indirect labor costs
05:27add up to approximately $1,200
05:29or over 80% of the selling price.
05:33That's before taxes.
05:34And what happens to the other 20% or $300?
05:38Raw material cost, $22.
05:40Profit to producers of raw materials
05:42and allied industries, $89.
05:45Profit to part manufacturers, $47.
05:49Profit to local dealer, $77.
05:51Profit to car manufacturers, $65.
05:54Now, when you add $400 for taxes,
05:58the cost is $1,900 to the buyer.
06:01Like the dolls you make,
06:07an automobile has a low raw material cost
06:10and a high labor cost,
06:11and that goes for practically everything we buy.
06:15Oh, yeah?
06:16Well, what's the labor cost
06:18in a book's worth of steak?
06:20We'll start back at the farm
06:22where Bully Boy was raised.
06:23The selling price of meat
06:26has to include the labor cost
06:28in producing the feed,
06:30in building fences,
06:32and constructing housing
06:35for our animal friend.
06:38It takes a lot of costly care
06:40to get Bully Boy ready for the market.
06:42Wages have to be paid
06:44to railroad workers
06:45who provide our friend
06:46with care and courtesy
06:48on his way to the stockyards.
06:51Preparing Bully Boy's anatomy
06:52for the butcher shop
06:53costs money, too.
06:58The family butcher
06:59figures in his wages
07:01every time he sells
07:03a thick, juicy steak.
07:05Forgetting taxes for a moment.
07:07The labor cost
07:08in a dollar's worth of meat
07:09adds up like this.
07:10Workers raising beef,
07:1224 cents.
07:13Transportation workers,
07:151 half cent.
07:16Packing house workers,
07:1742 cents.
07:19Meat delivery drivers,
07:201 half cent.
07:21Butcher shop workers,
07:2218 cents.
07:24The other 15 cents
07:25goes in profits
07:26to the retailers,
07:27the packers,
07:29allied industries,
07:30and to the farmers
07:31and ranchers.
07:33Most of the things we buy
07:35accumulate direct
07:36and indirect labor costs
07:38that add up to 85%
07:40of the selling price
07:41before taxes are added.
07:43Generally speaking,
07:45a wage raise
07:45means a corresponding
07:47rise in prices
07:48unless productivity
07:49is increased proportionately.
07:52What do you want?
07:52A guy with four arms?
07:55Four arms?
07:56Say, I've got
08:08a sensational idea.
08:11To expand productivity,
08:13labor and management
08:14must work together
08:15to develop new ideas
08:16and techniques.
08:17To expand productivity,
08:30capital must finance
08:31the creation
08:32of more efficient tools
08:33and plants.
08:34The production of
08:49more and better goods
08:51at lower costs
08:52means that when you
08:53get a wage raise,
08:54it's a real raise.
08:57A raise?
08:59A raise?
09:00I want to buy a doll.
09:12How much?
09:16Now you've got
09:17a real wage raise
09:19because you can buy more
09:20with what you earn.
09:24With increased productivity,
09:27wages can keep ahead
09:28of prices.
09:29Thank you very much.
09:29Thank you very much.

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