So I have been thinking about what style figure most people like best. Now isn’t that a loaded statement?
I myself am very fond of the cheeky boy style made popular in U.S. by Frank Marshall and in England by Len Insull. Of course Insull’s use of the English mouth really does change the look but Insull did call it a cheeky boy.
I am also very fond of the country bumkin style face made so popular by Edgar Bergen’s Mortimer Snerd. Almost all figure builders right from the 1930’s to the present has offered a figure of this style.
Today with the huge popularity of Jeff Dunham’s Walter the old man style figure is also extremely popular and most figure makers today offer an old man figure.
I also like figures that do not have a very real looking face. I like figures that are more cartoony in nature.
So what is your favorite style figure?
Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
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Ventriloquist Central is the brainchild of Dan Willinger and Steve Hurst. Dan 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. Steve is a ventriloquist as well as builder of ventriloquist figures. He also has a background in sales, marketing, building websites and computers. Because they both love the art of ventriloquism, the website Ventriloquist Central was born. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com
Copyright 2013 by Dan Willinger and Steve Hurst
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The Nosey figure in Marshall catalog, the one with smirky lips, a smart alec, and think misdefined as smart effect character in it. Marshall sent the catalog and suggested it. I did not like the smirky lips, and ended up with an Insull cheeky boy. The word smart “alec” is not in Webster but see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_aleck
Cheeky boy and cartoony styles are definitely my favorite, both to use and build. I find kids react more positively to cartoonish figures, and with more apprehension towards realistic figures. Cheeky and cartoon styles are also easier to build, and less time consuming than realistic figures.