Mr Punch's Old Toys

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Mr Punchs Shop : Puppets

1970s English Pelham Headmaster Puppet(Reference #7-2-95)
This string puppet of a comic headmaster figure, made by the famous English firm of Pelham Puppets, measures 12" high on a wooden cross piece. The puppet is in good condition and has a wooden painted head with articulated mouth, wooden arms, plastic hands, plastic legs and wooden feet. The plastic parts indicate that this is a later example of this particular puppet. The headmaster wears a gown and mortar board cap and carries a cane. The only fault is an area of staining to one trouser leg. Bob Pelham started his firm in 1947, having become interested in traditional animated toys while serving with the Occupational Forces in Germany at the end of the war. Initially, he employed ex-servicemen and women in his workshop. The company went from strength to strength and by the 1960s, it was exporting 75,000 puppets each year to the US alone. After Bob's death in 1980, his widow kept the company going until 1986, but then she too retired from the business. US$53.00

(275#)

Price: £35.00

1970s English Pelham Headmaster Puppet


1960s Dancing Negro String Puppet 1960s Dancing Negro String Puppet(Reference #8-5-25a)
This simple five-string Negro dancing puppet with maracas, measuring 12" long, is believed to date from the late1950s/early1960s. The puppet can be manipulated to perform an engaging tap dance with rattle accompaniment. He has a clothed wooden body, wooden feet, a plastic head and plastic maracas. The handle is made of bamboo, and the puppet has clearly been produced by a cottage industry somewhere in the third world. # US59.00

Price: £39.00


1960s Bendy Yogi Bear Ventriloquist's Head (Reference #NKH-1 )
Made in the early 1960s by Bendy Toys of England, this rubber Yogi Bear head measures 5.5" high and has a hole in the back where the hand is inserted to operate the nose and lower jaw. This is a very good representation of that famous cartoon bear Yogi and it has survived reasonably well over the years. The rubber head has not become hard and cracked as usual with these toys, but does have cracking to the paint on the nose and around the mouth. There is also a small area of paint and rubber loss to the rear of the front brim of Yogi's hat and to his left ear. However, this is an unusual item of Yogi memorabilia to have lasted as well as it has done. It would be of interest either to collectors of cartoon art and ephemera in general, or to Yogi collectors in particular, or to those with a passion for ventriloquist's items. ~ US$30.00

Price: £20.00

1960s Bendy Yogi Bear Ventriloquist's Head


1960s Plastic Puppets of Devil and Crone (2) 1960s Plastic Puppets of Devil and Crone (2) (Reference #6-6-38 )
Crude as they are, the manufacturer of these plastic devil and old crone puppets bothered to take out a patent on them. Both are marked on the back of the head with a patent number (1536239). Measuring 10" tall, they have plastic heads, hands and feet, a block of wood for their body, a single loop of string with which to operate them, and cotton clothing. The faces are extremely attractively moulded: the devil looks mean and peevish; the old crone unhappy and desperate. The seams at the back of the shirts and the ends of the sleeves are very crudely sewn, but the stitches have every appearance of being original. Apart from some staining (possibly red ink) to the bottom of the crone's skirt and the devil's trousers, some wear to the back of the devil's shirt, and very slight paint loss to the crone's head, both puppets are in good condition. In spite of their crudity of manufacture (which actually only adds to their charm), these are unusual subjects for puppets. As such, they would enhance any serious puppet collection. # US$38.00


Price: £25.00


1970s Nookie Bear Ventriloquist's Dummy (Reference #7-9-170)
Nookie Bear and his ventriloquist partner, Roger de Courcy, were a mainstay of British television variety shows in the 1970s. This 22" tall dummy is an extremely accurate representation of Nookie. Made of synthetic plush, Nookie has jointed limbs, brushed nylon paw pads, kapok stuffing, moulded plastic nose, rolling plastic eyes, and opening mouth. The eyes are operated by means of a string pull in the back of the head; this operation requires a certain degree of strength. The mouth is operated by putting your hand through the opening in the bear's back, inserting it into the lower jaw and then pulling the jaw downwards. It is hard to see how any ventriloquist - particularly a child for whom the dummy was evidently intended - could operate the eyes and mouth simultaneously. However, perhaps it's simply a case of practice makes perfect. Apart from some surface grubbiness, some minor paint loss to the eyes, and a small darn to the back (just above the hand opening), Nookie is in very good condition. He would make a very attractive - not to say unusual - addition to any collection of ventriloquist's dummies. ~ US$68.00

Price: £45.00

1970s Nookie Bear Ventriloquist's Dummy


1950s Gund Disney Captain Hook Glove Puppet 1950s Gund Disney Captain Hook Glove Puppet(Reference #8-2-10)
Gund of New York made this smiling yet maniacal-looking Captain Hook puppet under licence from Walt Disney Productions in the 1950s. It was presumably introduced into toyshops to coincide with the release of Disney's film of Peter Pan in 1953 Standing 10" tall, Captain Hook has a moulded vinyl head and cotton glove body. The original label is still sewn into the left-hand seam. This reads CAPTAIN HOOK, WALT DISNEY PROD on one side and has the name and address of Gund on the other. Apart from some very minor staining and paint loss to the head, the puppet is in perfect condition. Captain Hook would gladden the heart of any collector of glove puppets, Peter Pan memorabilia or Disneyana. # US$33.00

Price: £22.00


1970s Boxing Puppet with Punching Movement(Reference #01-7-3h)
Made by SMC of Hong Kong in the 1970s and undoubtedly inspired by boxing legends such as Ali and Frazier, this boxing puppet has two hand-operated levers that extend his arms so that he appears to be punching out at an opponent. Attractively moulded in plastic, the boxer has typical negroid facial features, brown plastic eyes and wears a cotton dressing gown and black boxing gloves. The puppet is in full working order and the plastic parts are in good condition, but the gown in particular has suffered over the years. It has some small holes, tears, and rust marks. Mercifully, though, this damage is more prevalent on the back than the front. The cord of the dressing gown has also been replaced. Overall, this is an attractive item that would grace any collection of boxing memorabilia # US$33.00

Price: £22.00

1970s Boxing Puppet with Punching Movement


Boxed 1940s Skating Puppet Boxed 1940s Skating Puppet(Reference #4-3-133)
Made by Peter Puppet Playthings and still in its original box with its instruction leaflet, this skating puppet is called Patty the Marionette. She looks as if she has never been played with. Patty has a wooden body, composition head and hands, wool hair, and is dressed in a headscarf, top, trousers, and roller skates. She stands 12" tall and is controlled by means of a simple Unitrol hand control - actually a piece of cardboard to which the strings are attached. The puppet itself is in excellent condition with no damage to report. The bottom of the box is intact, but the top suffers badly from tearing, creasing, and scuffing. Nevertheless, as the box proudly proclaims, this toy is "educational, entertaining, easy to operate" as it "skates, dances, and does tricks". ~ US$59.00

Price: £39.00


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