Ventriloquist Central Blog

The height of a full size ventriloquist figure is anywhere from thirty six inches tall to forty four inches tall. The average comes in at forty inches. Now this is just a general rule of thumb. I have found that on some of the antique figures that the legs are attached at the front of the body and will make the figure the larger size. Then I also have found that the legs are attached at the middle or back of the body and this will make them shorter, of course in length.

Also the size of the figure can be made either larger or smaller because of the size of the body. Most of the full size figures will fit a size 4T suit but a 3T can be used if the body size is a bit smaller. Also the dwarf style body can also be accomplished by shortening the legs.

The cloth used on antique figures was a generally muslin and the stuffing was generally done with straw. I always found that kind of strange because with time the straw kind of disintegrates and therefore compacts at either the bottom of the arm or leg respectively leaving the top part empty.

This is a very common find and I usually will leave the appendages like this but on a few occasions, where the muslin was torn and stuffing falling out I have replaced same with polyfill. After restuffing I sew the open spots with a heavy duty thread. To me the original muslin is very important even if the stuffing is new.

For some reason the new muslin that you can purchase today is not the same as the old because it is a much finer material as compared to the old. I actually search at yard sales for old muslin just so that I can have original style muslin for replacement.

So these are a few points of interest concerning the original type bodies and arms and legs on the vintage figures.

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. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 100 figures of which there are over 50 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

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to:
webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

First thing I want to say is if you have any questions concerning anything about any type of antique figure remember I am always willing to share what ever information I may have. That being said I have been chatting with a few concerning the Mack figures bodies, head sticks and control levers.

I have already posted pictures of what an original Mack body looks like with the control stick going straight through the shoulder board and attaching to the bottom board. This is the design that the Macks offered on their figures.

The controls offered were almost always with a ring pull. This may sound strange to us today because we are all use to the lever style controls but the early American figures used the ring pull. I currently own eight Mack figures and only a couple of them have the lever control and those are from the late part of the Mack run. I have pictured this style of lever because I believe it is unique to the Mack figures. The first one has the lever still on the long head stick but the second has the original lever on the head stick which was shortened and converted to ball and socket by Madame Pinxy.

The levers are thin but then terminate with a broad size to accommodate the pad of your thumb or finger. This is actually very comfortable and I am not sure why this design wasn’t continued with Frank Marshall but he did continue to use the rosewood for the chop stick style he fabricated.

I hope this helps answer some questions concerning these early wonderful ventriloquist figures.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

***************************************************

Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 100 figures of which there are over 50 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

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to:
webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com