Patent No. 1,591,905, granted to Oscar C. Williams of San Diego, CA in 1926, described this curious device.
It was a toy turtle. Its body was made of wood or aluminum, while the head, legs, and tail were made from lightweight cork. The user was supposed to insert several flies into the hollow body of the turtle. Their agitations once inside, as they sought to escape, would then cause the movable parts of the turtle to wag from side to side, as if the creature was alive.
I can see several drawbacks. First, you would have to catch some flies and maneuver them (alive) into the turtle. This was done by squeezing them through the leg hole. Handling a fly in this way seems like it could be a challenge.
And once in there, I imagine you'd have to wait until the flies died to get them back out. So, essentially, it was a fly torture device.
Introduced in 1993, Thuggies were dolls that came with a "rap sheet". As described in the Philadelphia Daily News (Feb 3, 1993):
Carolyn Clark claims that playing with make-believe crooks helps young children avoid becoming real one. To that end, Clark and her partner, Rennie Resmini, both Philadelphians, have designed “Thuggies,” a line of 17 dolls.
Each comes packaged in a cardboard “jail cell” with a “rap sheet” describing his or her crime — and the penalty being paid. For instance, “Bonnie Ann Bribe” is said to be serving time by reading to senior citizens an hour a day. Bonnie, who did not read in first grade, wanted to bribe her way through school. “Dwight Collared Grimes,” who wears a pin-striped suit and a tie and, according to his rap sheet, used to have his hand in other people’s cookie jars, is said to be “presently on cookie-baking duty.”
According to Clark, the positive effect of cuddling these criminals comes from the notion that the doll’s young owner plays a role in “reforming” them. She explained that the dolls, expected to cost about $35 each, have a report card that explains what they have to do to go straight.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 17, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Toys, 1990s
In 1922, the Bureau of Mines created a series of educational dolls to illustrate common mining injuries, and how they should be dealt with in an emergency. The dolls were exhibited at various mining centers. According to Popular Mechanics (Sep 1929) the dolls were also "intended to serve as a safety warning.”
As far as I know, there's never been a Mining Accident Barbie (or Ken).
It's a miniature toilet (3 inches tall) intended as an accessory for WWE Wrestling Action Figures. The product description notes: "Lids goes up and down and top lids is removable like a real toilet... Perfect for all past and present wrestling figures!"
I guess even action figures need to use a toilet every now and then.
Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.