What is a 'Christmas tiger'?

halcombe

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Apr 20, 2002, 5:37:29 PM4/20/02

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In 'Mr Smith Goes to Washington', there is a reference to a 'Christmas
tiger', whose main attribute, apparently, was to nod.

What is a 'Christmas tiger'? Some sort of toy, I surmise. How and when
did it come to exist?

The animal seems culturally specific to the US. But the mechanism may
well be the same that is used in the UK in toys in the shape of dogs
which (20 or 30 years ago, at least) were commonly (both senses of the
word!) placed on the back shelf of cars, where the motion of the car
would set them nodding.

(A toy of this type is used by a UK auto insurance company in a
long-running series of TV adverts (in adthink, bulldog = Churchill,
the name of the company: no doubt, it has to be seen to be
believed!).)

Tony Cooper

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Apr 20, 2002, 10:09:17 PM4/20/02

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halcombe wrote:
>
>
> The animal seems culturally specific to the US. But the mechanism may
> well be the same that is used in the UK in toys in the shape of dogs
> which (20 or 30 years ago, at least) were commonly (both senses of the
> word!) placed on the back shelf of cars, where the motion of the car
> would set them nodding.
>

I would never has guessed that the nodding dogs would have
been seen in the back window shelves of Rovers, Austins, and
Cortinas. Buying one seemed like such an *American* bit of
gaucherie. Next, you'll be telling us that the British had
those birds that dunked their beaks in water every few
minutes.

--
Tony Cooper aka: tony_co...@yahoo.com
Provider of Jots and Tittles

John Dean

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Apr 21, 2002, 7:58:09 AM4/21/02

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"Tony Cooper" <tony_co...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3CC21F4D...@yahoo.com...

You're referring to Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss? I have to warn you you're
treading on hallowed ground.
--
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply

Steve Hayes

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Apr 21, 2002, 4:00:13 PM4/21/02

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On Sat, 20 Apr 2002 22:09:17 -0400, Tony Cooper <tony_co...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

We had the nodding dogs about 30 years ago, usually on fluffy flourescent
green nylon carpet.

The dippy birds go back even further, to my extreme youth - last time I saw
one I must have been about 4-5 years old.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/steve.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

R H Draney

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Apr 21, 2002, 5:25:41 PM4/21/02

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On Sun, 21 Apr 2002 20:00:13 GMT, haye...@yahoo.com (Steve Hayes)
wrote:

>On Sat, 20 Apr 2002 22:09:17 -0400, Tony Cooper <tony_co...@yahoo.com>
>wrote:
>

>>I would never has guessed that the nodding dogs would have
>>been seen in the back window shelves of Rovers, Austins, and
>>Cortinas. Buying one seemed like such an *American* bit of
>>gaucherie. Next, you'll be telling us that the British had
>>those birds that dunked their beaks in water every few
>>minutes.
>

>The dippy birds go back even further, to my extreme youth - last time I saw
>one I must have been about 4-5 years old.

Consensus opinion at eBay says they're from the 70s, but I remember
them back into the early 60s...there are pictures on most of the
current auctions, but this one also has an animated gif showing one in
operation:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1722363879

I *don't* remember the hat being blue, though...'twas always red when
I were young....r
--
"Why is everything so blue?"
- English translation of the female background
voice in War's "Spill the Wine"