A Special Mexican Ventriloquist Figure

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When it comes to ventriloquist figures not many people think of Mexico but in fact there have been some special ventriloquist figures that did in fact come from Mexico. One such figure was made by a carpenter named N. Cruz. This figure was based on a character by cartoonist Miguel Angel Gomez. This figure was used by a famous ventriloquist named Paco Miller.

Click here to see Paco Miller

Click here to see videos of Paco Miller

I was happy to find a figure that I believe was made by the same maker and I have him pictured here. This figure is from the 1940’s or 1950’s and is in original condition. The hair moustache and beard are done in crepe. The head is paper mache and the body and hands are done in wood.

As you can see this fellow has the bulging eyes which are painted and do not move. He has raising eyebrows, drop jaw and what appear to be real teeth and a smoker. He has an unusual way of making the movements function: The controls strings come out of the bottom of the neck and attach to an L shap on the bottom of the headstick. This forms a triangle shape. If you pull the string in towards the head stick the function works. Separate strings for the mouth and the eyebrows. You can move them together or separately as you like.

Click here to see Special Mexican Ventriloquist Figure

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

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This entry was posted in Dummy Collecting, Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figure (Dummy) Makers, Ventriloquist Figure Building, Ventriloquist Figures. Bookmark the permalink.

7 Responses to A Special Mexican Ventriloquist Figure

  1. LeeDean says:

    Paul Stadelman’s TV Ticklers has good detail on history, not in sense of vent names and places, rather techniques, know-how.

  2. LeeDean says:

    How does a drop-down mouth work?

  3. Marcelo Melison says:

    Hi Dan: good figure indeed, typically mexican. The mechanism is the traditional one for old vent figures in South America and even Spain and Italy. You have him dressed wrong though: he should be wearing a traditional mexican charro suit and boots, I guess you can get one on Ebay; the other mexican dummies would consider yours a sissy, dressed like that! How are you going to call him?. It must be Don something… So far they used Don Roque, Don Canuto, Don Anestesio, Don Mofles, Don Chema, Don Pancho, Don Panchito, Don Panfilo…

  4. Marcelo Melison says:

    … I was forgetting Don Lencho, Don Papelucho, Don Yerbin… Dan, I found a great place where you can buy Don something’s charro suit, it’s http://www.mexicanwonders.vstore.ca and they have small sizes; I suggest a black one…

  5. Marcello thanks so much for the link. I had to dress him and I knew I had nothing appropriate but now I can outfit him as he deserves. Give me a name and it will become his!!

  6. Marcelo Melison says:

    Dan, what about “Don Frijoles”? Frijoles, of course, is “beans”, a very popular food in Mexico. Please remember to pronounce that “j” of “frijoles” like the end of the name Bach, like a very hard “h”… Tell me if you like the name!

  7. Don Frijoles is now his name!! Excellent!!

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