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The Juro Novelty Company
produced celebrity and personality dolls along with ventriloquist
dummies or puppets ca. 1950's to 1977 at which time they were sold to
an unknown manufacturer. Vivian Kaplan was instrumental in
negotiating the sale of this company in 1977, but passed
away on July 7, 2000 at the tender age of 48, and will be missed
by many friends, co-workers and family.
This is shared to us by V. Spetalnick on Apr 15,
2007: Juro also made Jerry Mahoney's friend Knucklehead Smiff.
The 30" Danny O' Days, also came in beige suits with plaid bowties that
were the choice of Montgomery Ward. The plaid sports-jacketed variety
were the choice of Sears Roebuck.
A 24" Danny was made in red sports jacket, white shirt front, plaid tie
and solid color pants. A variation came in a special ventriloquist
package that included a red and white striped Little Leaguer baseball
suit and cap, as well as Jimmy Nelson's Instant Ventriloquism record.
There was also a 33" semi-professional Danny with the head on a stick,
that was worked from the rear of the dummy. It was dressed in brown
pants with a yellow jacket with brown collar and solid color bowtie.
RARE
Danny O' Day's 30" light red-headed girlfriend, Hayley O' Hara was also
made. She wore a print jumper dress with matching bloomers, dark tights
and shoes.. RARE
There was also a 33" semi-professional size Charlie McCarthy that was
dressed in white shirt front, crushed velvet black pants with maroon
crushed velvet jacket with black collar (or the reverse jacket and
pants), and solid color tie. It was worked in same way as the larger
Danny. Wore high hat and monocle. RARE
Farfel was also produced by Juro. Soft brown rubber head, with brown
cloth ears and neck sleeve, with red ribbon around neck. RARE
The head/hat of the 30" Emmett Kelly the clown was the most expensive
head Juro made, because it required many stages to paint it. The
combination head/hat served two purposes. It saved on cost of a separate
hat that would be easily lost or torn, but even more important, it
protected the head. It was dressed in a colorful patchwork jacket,
vest, pants, tie, and shoes
Vent. Figure #598 was a 24" smaller figure dressed in red sports jacket
with beige pants and bowtie. It became Rickey Little in its later life,
wearing checked pants, plastic belt and red sweater.
Credit Juro with another accomplishment. The component heads, bodies,
clothing, and records were all made and assembled in the U.S.
Thank you so much for sharing with us!
The height of Juro's
doll popularity
was 1955-1965 - here are some of the dolls, dummies or vent figures we
have found:
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1950's Ricky Lane,
24" tall, ventriloquist puppet doll or vent figure of
Jimmy Nelson, had a side kick named Velvel, pal of puppet Danny O' Day, came dressed in a blue
suit with red trim on upper pocket, vent is a cloth body with
vinyl head and hands. This a rare and hard to find vent
figure. |
Ricky Lane
24"
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1950's Jerry
Mahoney, 22-32" tall, ventriloquist puppet doll or
vent figure of Paul Winchell, stuffed cloth body, vinyl head
and hands, dressed in a green suit
with wide lapels, has molded red hair, cloth body, vinyl head
and hands. |
Jerry
Mahoney
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1950's-1968 Charlie
McCarthy, 30" tall, ventriloquist puppet doll, or
vent figure of Edgar Bergen, dressed in black
tuxedo with white shirt and black top hat with one monocle
eyeglass, has a cloth body with vinyl head and hands. |
Charlie
McCarthy 1968
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1950's Danny O'
Day, 30" tall, ventriloquist puppet doll or vent
figure of Jimmy Nelson, came dressed in plaid jacket, blue
slacks, white shirt, has a white tag that identifies the
character on the upper pocket, he had a pet dog named
Farfel. Goldberg Doll Mfg. also produced a Danny O' Day
wearing a black and white checked suit. |
Danny
O' Day 30"
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1967-1972 Howdy
Doody, 30" tall, ventriloquist puppet doll or vent
figure, 1950's children's TV show personality, several other
companies also made a Howdy. |
Photo
N/A
Howdy
Doody
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1969 Mortimer
Snerd, 30" tall, ventriloquist puppet doll or vent
figure, pal of Charlie McCarthy, another of Edgar Bergen's
vents, funny one tooth showing crooked mouth, red molded hair, wore a black and white striped suit
with red vest and bowtie, has a cloth body, vinyl head and
hands. |
Mortimer
Snerd
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1968 Emmett Kelly, 30" tall,
ventriloquist puppet doll or vent figure, famous clown
personality, dressed in red white and blue plaid jacket, blue
slacks, white shirt and red polka dot tie and red hat, has a
clown face with red ball nose, black beard, cloth body with
vinyl head and hands.
Offsite links: From Clown
Ministry -
Emmett
Kelly Sr. biography, world famous tramp clown - Weary
Willy 1942-1956, who was adapted from a comic strip in the
Detroit Free press. Emmett Sr. passed away on March 28, 1979.
Find a Grave - Famous Persons
Memorials -
Emmett
Kelly Sr.
Emmett Kelly Jr. assumed the
role in the 1960's-present.
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Emmet
Kelly
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