About 6 months ago I was contacted by a person from England who had a ventriloquist figure which supposedly was used during the late 30’s and 40’s by a vent who traveled over the English countryside but the name of the performer was long lost. That would be nice information if I had it but that really is not what I am looking for. I would love to know who the make of the figure happens to be.
During my negotiations for the purchase of this figure I assumed that it was paper mache ( like most English figures ) but upon his arrival here are the ventriloquist Central Collection I found his head is in fact carved of wood with leather lower jaw. He has a long head stick and the mouth is controlled by ring pull. His hands are also carved wood.
The body is paper mache and wood and the lower legs which terminate in solid shoes are also cast in paper mache. He is full size and stands 40″ tall. All of his paint appears to be original as well as his wig on his head.
He is not the most handsome figure but he does have a look that appealed to me so I had to have him and he is enjoying being a part of the Ventriloquist Central Collection.
I you have any clue as to the maker of this very unusual character please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.
Help Identifying Ventriloquist Figure Maker
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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