Many older examples of dancing dolls were carved wood, or they are traditionally made from wood. Dancing dolls are widely used from formal theater situations to itinerant street corner entertainment efforts as related in the song, "WHISKEY ON A SUNDAY (COME DAY, GO DAY)" by Glyn Hughes.

Automata and Music Box Figures
"Automata" is a term used to group dolls, which move due to some mechanism. The only human input into the movement is to turn the mechanism on or off. Automata can include the most simple, dressed, music box figures to the most elaborate, Japanese, mechanical puppets.

Queen Anne Automata
Automata are dolls that move by mechanical controls. There are examples of wonderfully dressed Queen Anne dolls that dance around on top of a hidden gear driven robot body.

Japanese Kobe Ningyo

Blackened Kobe Ningyo These photos are supplied by ORIENTAL TREASURE BOX of San Diego, CA

These automata were first made between 1870 - 1920 at the port city of Kobe and sold along the docks as a cheap sailor's souvenir. All Kobe ningyo have moveable parts - eyes, tongues, heads, etc. These toys were activated by a knob on the side of a box containing the mechanism (older dolls had hand-crafted mechanisms). They play musical instruments, do gymnastics, drink sake, and etc. These are all hand-crafted one-of-a-kinds. This blackened Kobe Ningyo has 2 animated functions. (The bell raises to reveal another tiny head and when the handle on the side is turned, the snake from the front comes way out. Then the snake goes back in and the head will come way up.)

Chinese Automata and Japanese Karakuri Ningyo

Karakuri Ningyo photo thanks to A Gallery of Karakuri

Karakuri are fabulous wood animated dolls with clockwork type mechanisms. They are significant because they are used during fabulous public festivals and are maintained as a treasured community property. The Japanese credit China as the source of this puppet type. There are several references to fabulous figurative mechanisms in Chinese and Japanese historical literature. One of these ancient Chinese automata was actually a decorative seismic sensor - to help predict earth-quakes another always pointed north - "a compass"! I would love to see a few Chinese automata. The sheer beauty of these dolls should be enough to satisfy most people. These mechanical actors were created to entertain, and to be a visual treat. So expect to see fantastic costumes, bright colors, and expressive sculpting. For more photos and information about these fabulous automata, please visit A Gallery of Karakuri.

Dancers
Dancers are dolls that perform in direct response to some action by a person or in reaction to the vibrations from a musical instrument. Unlike a puppet, the movements of this type of doll are not completely controlled by the person.
 

need a photo

Puppet from Tanzania There is an illustration of an African toy with 2 dolls suspended by string between 2 posts included in the companion book to the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History's exhibit of African Figures (1996) by the same name: Isn't S/He a Doll : Play and Ritual in African Sculpture by Elisabeth Lynn Cameron, Doran H. Ross. The dolls are loosely jointed and are holding hands. They look like they would shake each other's hands in a jovial way if the string is pulled. I hope to get permission to post some dolls from this exhibit, so wish me luck here!

Eket hand mask / hand puppet photo thanks to Elizabeth Bennett Africa Direct

Hand mask, hand puppet or rattle? Puppeteers usually have a lot more control over the actions of the hands and head directions and sometimes the mouths of traditional hand puppets. This one is static except for the ring around the neck. This particular "puppet" is held or worn on the hand like a mask. It is waved about and shaken by a costumed dancer. At most the ring around this puppet's neck is annimated by the movements of the performer. It reminds me of a babies' rattle. Looking at this hand mask/puppet out of context of the whole costume and ceremony greatly diminishes the impact of this object. A completely costumed dancer shaking this puppet around would be very dramatic.

 

Bristle Dolls - click image to see the whole set - Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

Bristle Dolls Small and very simple Bristle Dolls are German Folk Dolls. They are extremely loosely jointed and suspended on a wire stand. The "dolls" are placed on a drum or anything that will vibrate. The wire bristles pick up the vibration causing the dolls to move. These brightly painted little toys were attractively boxed as a set of dolls. Each is cleverly made to represent a different character. I can imagine how much fun these toys would be dancing around as a group.

Bristle Donkeys and Horses
Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

Tiny Clown Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

Necklace Dolls or Jointed Ornaments This simple German doll or ornament is a small jointed painted wooden doll strung by a cord through a hole in the top. Although a lot of different characters were made, clowns were very popular. The jointed arms and legs allow this doll to dance with every little shake. This loose, simple jointing is similar to that found on music box dolls. But music box dolls are typically mounted to the music box movement by a rod at the base of the doll body.

Dancing Dan with painted features photo thanks to private collector

Dancing Dans, Clog Dolls, or Limber-Jacks These dolls are loosely jointed, wooden figures that are suspended over a board or table by a rod or wire through their backs or attached to their heads. They jump and dance in response to taping spring-board or moving the rod up and down just enough to make the doll jump about a bit. They click their heals on the floor board or table as they dance. Many Dancing Dans were made in the USA and is considered an American Folk Art, but these dancing dolls were also very popular in Europe. This type of "fun doll" is being made again by a contemporary wood doll sculptor, Floyd Bell (NIADA). He is even taught a seminar on making Dancing Dans at the 1997 NIADA conference.  Some of these dolls are simple shapes with no carved details and others have carved features - crafty toys or works of folk art. Note: would the person who donated the photo of the "Dancing Dan with painted features" please contact me again! Contact me.

Uncle Sam, Confederate Soldier, and Cowboy Clog Dolls by Nick Richardson photos thanks to Jean Roberts and the Prairie Land String Band www.prairielandstringband.com

Jean Roberts described these toys: These classic "dancing" folk toys representing Uncle Sam, a confederate soldier and a cowboy were hand-carved by an Oklahoma folk artist named Nick Richardson, a part-time luthier, who is also a former member of the Prairie Land String Band. One of his limber-jacks was featured in a special on Japanese television in the early 1990's. These dolls are 12 in. tall from top of hat to bottom of boots and 3 1/2 in. from shoulder to shoulder.  These were made to dance by holding the rod in the back and moving them to the beat of the music. They were used by the Prairie Land String Band of Oklahoma City for several years. These are one of a kind carvings.

17th century Festival doll

Op-Signoorke ("most famous doll in Belgium") Valentyn van Lanscroon carved this ancient wood doll in 1647. This festival doll is carried along in special feasts in Mechelen (the former capital of the Netherlands). He represents an old, drunkard. The doll dances in reaction to the simple movement of being thrown into the air - falling limply around like a drunken man. Like some college mascots who fall prey to rival college student's pranks, Op-Signoorke is like a town mascot falling into many misadventures. Jump to the Mechelen, Belgium travel page to read more about the wild history of this wooden dancing doll.

Indonesian Abe Lincoln photo thanks to Gerry Glaeve

The characters represented and their costumes reflect the personalities and time period of the PUPPET PLAY - not necessarily the dress of the day. Dating and identifying the region a doll is from should not be left only to costume and character represented. For example: If seeing a particularly fine Abe Lincoln marionnette, then one might assume that it must be a puppet made in the US, but in reality it could have been one of those carved for a satirical puppet play in Indonesia.

The following will offer just a brief overview of wood puppets. Some of the puppets will be discussed in more detail in other areas of the Lotz Doll Pages.

Sicilian Battle Puppets
a report by Judy Shoaf edited by Jean Lotz
 

Battle Puppet possibly from Palermo, Sicily Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

Horse Battle Puppet possibly from Palermo, Sicily Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

Dmitri Carter, Development Director of the Northwest Puppet Center, believes that these 2 battle puppets are possibly from Palermo, Sicily. After being surprised to learn that her Sicilian puppet's head (not illustrated) was made of ceramic and not wood, Judy Shoaf states, "the ones actually used in performance take quite a beating. The main action is having them chop each other up in battle. So wood would be more easily repaired and less likely to, um, explode on-stage."  I suspect that some of these were made strictly as souvenirs (thus the ceramic head) and they emulated the carved wooden head ones. Wood carving is a very slow process. It is not very economical to attempt to mass-produce carved wood items. The wooden ones could have been used in performances and festivals.

Judy Shoaf describes the use of these puppets which are about 2 feet tall:

"There is actually a surprising amount of control the handler has, too. The head can turn and look around, the puppet walks one step at a time in a very dramatic way, and the second rod allows control of the sword arm (with a string to the second arm). The doll in your picture seems to be missing the sword and the rod for that arm. Maybe the rod actually hooks to the sword, I forget. Because of the loose stringing, one can also stage a death scene in which the puppet lies down to say his last words, etc. And of course you have to have love scenes--I particularly recall a battle between a Saracen warrior maiden and a Christian knight that becomes an idealized marriage.

The stories that the puppets enact are set supposedly in 9th century Spain and France (Charlemagne's battles against the Saracens) but are based on an Italian version, by Ariosto, from I think the 1600s, which is full of dragons and flying horses and romantic ladies and so on. In the theater I saw, there was a skillful alternation of dramatic scenes with just 2-4 puppets on-stage (so you could tell the voices apart) and battle scenes that might involve 20 puppets charging at each other, whacking each other, heads flying off, and so on. Very exciting! I think they must have had some horses but I don't remember how that worked."

Belgain puppet photo thanks to Karen Crosby

How do these puppets bleed? Someone also told me that these battle puppet plays are so brutal and real that you almost think you see the puppets bleeding during the battles. Well Perhaps they do bleed!  This figure has been painted over a RED UNDERCOAT OF PAINT!. Obviously, if the top coat of paint is scratched during a battle then the red would be seen in the "wound" - very effective stage trick! Dmitri Carter disagrees with my idea that this red undercoat was used to simulate blood. Dmitri Carter, Development Director of the Northwest Puppet Center, states, "This puppet is of Belgian origin. The undercoat of red on the Belgian character was apparently a common base coat and contains lead so use caution when handling. The way blood was generally simulated was usually with tubes going down the rod which tomato or beet juice would be squirted from.  This is also uncommon especially in modern times due to concerns over violence and the mess that it makes.

Battle Puppet photo thanks to Dawn Ricker

Dawn Ricker states that she bought this puppet out of an estate and had been told that the previous owners had brought this over from Italy in the 1920's or 30's.  "The doll head is definitely wood. The only place I can get under the armor near the head is at the neck and it is wood. I think you can see the texture of the wood under the paint."  More photos of this puppet by Dawn Ricker: full length #1 | full length #2 close-up of face | how hips are joined | armor detail Who does this puppet represent? Dawn Ricker thinks the doll resembles Joan of Arc. Dmitri Carter, Development Director of the Northwest Puppet Center, states, "I believe that this character is actually 'Orlando Furiouso'. It is from the city of Palermo." Judy Shoaf adds, "I agree that (this puppet) is a character from this story. In the performances I saw, Roland had a moustache, so this puppet may represent a younger man -- or maybe the Palermo traditions about Roland/Orlando are different. There are female characters in armor (in these battle puppet shows), but I think the breastplate would be shaped to imply this. Notice the crusader-style cross on the shield.

Asian Puppets
more information about Asian puppets is available at Lotz Doll Pages: Wood puppets from Asia
 

Japanese Bunraku Puppet photo from J.A.D.E. member

Puppet from India photo from Jean D. Lotz

Burmese Puppet Princess Photo from Mandalay Puppet Theater

Puppets from Thailand photo from ThaiWay

Wood puppets c. 1800 photo from Cobb's Doll Auctions

Early American (or British) Wood Puppets It is difficult to determine the true age of puppets without written documentation (providence). Since puppets are characters in a play, their costumes reflect the time period in the play - not necessarily the dress of the day.  Their facial expressions are so serious and sour as if they were commenting on an unpleasant political situation. If they were used for political satire or spoof, then their dress could be a good gauge of how old they are. Based on the costumes, these puppets are estimated to be circa late 1700 to early 1800. Their clothes are original period dress, and they have horse-hair wigs.  Note: Click on the photo to see them full length