Marionette
Wonky Toys Ltd
Category
Toys
Date
circa 1947 - circa 1956
Materials
Wood, cardboard, cotton, and wool.
Measurements
Puppet - 340 mm (height), Box - 345 mm (length); 112 mm (width); 72 mm (depth)
Place of origin
Victoria House
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 661922
Summary
A wooden articulated Pelham Puppet Cowgirl with cradle and strings attached, in its original cardboard box (circa 1947). The puppet was made by Wonky Toys (founded 1947), which was the name used by the company before it became Pellam Puppets in 1948 (1948 - 1992). The box gives an indication of the manufacture date - the classic yellow box wasn't introduced until 1957 under the Pellum Puppet company name.. The plain box was produced for the first nine years that the company was in production (1947 - first production). She has a round wooden painted head with painted facial details (large eyes and large red lips). She has a small round carved nose. She has white curly artificial hair on top of which she wears a red felt Stetson hat. She has a wooden neck, body, arms and legs all of which are painted flesh colour. Her hands are flesh coloured cast metal. Her arms are jointed with metal loops at the shoulders, elbows and wrists as is her long cylindrical neck at the shoulders. Her legs are jointed at the hips, knees and ankles using vertical metal plates which are fixed to one of the pieces of wood and slide up and down in a groove in the other piece of wood. She wears a yellow cotton short sleeved blouse and green woollen knee length trousers with fringing down the sides. The control is made from two pieces of wood which have become separated. One the pieces has a printed label reading 'Pelham Puppet'. The original rectangular cardboard box has a stick on paper label on top of the lid showing a red and white printed illustration of stage curtains with the words 'A Pelham Puppet' written on it with each letter suspended from a string. To the left of the illustration are the words 'Wonky Toys Ltd, artists in animation' and underneath is the address. Above this information is a red and white circular logo of a flying pig. Presumably belonging to the puppet, but separate from it is a long blue woollen scarf. Total number of items is 4.
Provenance
Donated to the Museum of Childhood by Mr F. Edwards in May 1987.
Makers and roles
Wonky Toys Ltd, maker