Squander Bug

The Squander Bug was a World War II propaganda character created by the British National Savings Committee to discourage wasteful spending and consumption.

Originally designed by freelance illustrator Phillip Boydell for press advertisements, the character was widely used by other wartime artists in poster campaigns and political cartoons.

To meet this need, Boydell produced a series of six sketches depicting an imp-like creature named the 'Money Grub' that could 'push, pull, scratch, bite and steal'.

Instead, the Squander Bug's speech balloons encouraged shoppers to waste their money on useless purchases, accompanied by captions urging consumers to fight or starve the creature.

The character eventually gained swastika tattoos and was even placed in Madame Tussauds wax museum alongside other war enemies, such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.