Bloglines
Collecting Ventriloquist Figures - Dan Willinger
Since I am a pure collector and do not perform many of the aspects of a ventriloquist dummy make no difference to me such as the amount of functions or placement of the controls on the headstick. These things are so important to the person who is going to be showcasing themselves with their ventriloquist dummy but not to the collector. A collector is only interested in the look, condition , rarity and price. To us the look is generally the most important part of the ventriloquist figure .
When I really got into collecting I decided I had to try and get an example of every maker I could possibly find. That really became a task. There are so many makers and when you get really far back into the 20th century and earlier the examples are very hard to find.
I discovered after purchasing my first Frank Marshall ventriloquist figure, that he was the maker I most loved. His true love of the characters he created was evident in every one of his creations. My first Marshall and second Marshall dummy came from the collection of the late Col. Bill Boley. He was a big collector as well as performer.
Once I had those two Marshall figures I was off and running. I knew his dummies were what I wanted most of all for my collection. I seek them out and today my collection, as of this writing, are over 30 Frank Marshall ventriloquist figures.
As far as I am concerned I will never have enough of this man’s work in my collection. Every face is different yet similar and the fit and finish of his work is of the highest caliber. He always made sure to go and see a vent performing if they were in town and watched to see how the ventriloquist dummy appeared on stage. This helped him formulate his incredible paint schemes that he gave to his figures. Makers even to this day still try to capture his style , although I can only think of a couple of makers today that can duplicate it.
If you would like to see some of my Frank Marshall Collection, go to:
http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com/marshall/marshall_collection.htm
****************************************************************
Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 80 figures of which there are over 30 Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com
