Push Puppet

Push Puppet
TypeWooden puppet
CountrySwitzerland
Availability1926–present
MaterialsWood, metal

The push puppet is also known as a wakouwa or collapsing toy.[1][2][3]

The toys most often depict animals or people and only occasionally plants or buildings.[4][5] The figures stand upright on segmented limbs atop a wooden base. The wooden beads forming their limbs are threaded with string held under tension by a spring. When the button on the bottom of the base is depressed, it compresses the spring and releases the tension in the strings, causing the figure to collapse. When the button is released, the spring re-tensions the strings and the figure stands upright again.[6][7] They may also be made of plastic.[8]

The collapsed and upright states

History

The toy was named after its Swiss inventor, Walter Kourt Walss, by combining the first few letters from each part of his name: Wa, Kou, and Wa.[9]

United States

Wakouwa was patented in the US in October 1946 Serial No. 511,362, with claimed use since January 1926.[10][11] They were manufactured in the US by Kohner and sold as "push-button puppets",[3][8] and by other manufacturers as "push up puppets".[8][5] There were several American push puppet designs produced, such as a cowboy on a horse, a football player, and various Marvel characters.[3][12] Other famous characters made into push puppets include Atom Ant, Peter Pan, and Howdy Doody.[8]

Great Britain

Wakouwa dogs were mass-produced in the 1940s by Tri-ang and Lines, which held the British patent 580314 for the toy, in a factory in South Wales.[6][13][14][15] Tri-ang held exclusive rights to sell the toy in Great Britain, North Ireland, Eire, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Africa, Asia, Australasia, and South America.[16] They were a popular toy for the Christmas of 1946 in Britain.[17] Wakouwa boxers were also manufactured and sold in Britain.[18]

Wakouwa are one of the 480 memories in Georges Perec's novel Je me souviens.[19]

In the novel Wherever Grace is needed, the main character collects push puppets.[20]

In several novels, collapsed characters or objects are compared to push puppets.[21][22][23][24] In others, the push puppet is used to describe a rebounding behavior.[20][25]

See Also

References

  1. ^ "Push Puppets - Welcome to the World of Push Puppets". Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  2. ^ Mammoth Catalog of Novelties. Detroit: Johnson Smith and Co. 1947. p. 371.
  3. ^ a b c Schroeder's collectible toys, antique to modern price guide. p. 370. ISBN 978-1-57432-572-0. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  4. ^ General Desk Book. Office of Price Administration. 1945. p. 15,000 Z.65.
  5. ^ a b Mammoth Catalog of Novelties. Detroit: Johnson Smith and Co. 1951. pp. 442–441.
  6. ^ a b "Magazine of the Future". Magazine of the Future. Vol. 2. London: Futura Publications. 1947.
  7. ^ Video
  8. ^ a b c d "Kohner History". Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  9. ^ "HISTORIQUE" (in French). Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  10. ^ Official gazette of the United States Patent Office. Vol. 616–617. 1948. p. 310. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  11. ^ Spinning Wheel. Gold Horse Publishing. 1956. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  12. ^ Diamond Previews. 2018. p. 55.
  13. ^ "Punch". Punch. Vol. 212, no. 5535. 1947-01-22. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  14. ^ Kenneth D Brown (2022). A History of Tri-ang and Lines Brothers Ltd: the Rise and Fall of the World's Largest Toy Making Company. Pen & Sword History. p. 1952.
  15. ^ Survey of the British Industries Fair. Times Publishing Company. 1948. p. 17.
  16. ^ "Meccano Magazine". Meccano Magazine. 1946. p. iii. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  17. ^ Nance Lui Fyson (1985). Growing up in the post-war forties. London: Batsford Academic and Educational. ISBN 978-0-7134-4762-0. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  18. ^ Pocket Book Story Teller Weekly. 1949-08-27. p. thirteen. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  19. ^ Georges Perec (1936–1982). Je me souviens (in French). Paris: Fayard. p. 81. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  20. ^ a b Elizabeth Bass (2011). "25". Wherever Grace is needed. p. 202. Retrieved 2026-05-05. [Also scattered about her room was her push puppet collection. …She wished she could make herself rebound as quickly as a push puppet.]
  21. ^ Ian Whates (2014). Solaris Rising 3. Retrieved 2026-05-05. [We’re surprised you’ve pulled through, to be honest. You looked like a broken push puppet when they brought you in.]
  22. ^ Torre DeRoche (2017). The worrier's guide to the end of the world : love, loss, and other catastrophes through Italy, India, and beyond. p. 35. ISBN 9781580056854. Retrieved 2026-05-05. [… a feeble bell, and it rattled as though, at any given moment, it might fold in on itself like a push puppet. However, it had a seat and a frame and wheels that spun, and that was good enough.]
  23. ^ Robert Smith (2017). WHAT LIES WITHIN. ISBN 1612969372. Retrieved 2026-05-05. [The detective grimaced and his legs buckled like a push puppet.]
  24. ^ Matt Briggs (2005). Shoot the buffalo. p. 389. ISBN 0972323473. Retrieved 2026-05-05. [My penis lay as limp as a collapsed push puppet.]
  25. ^ Matt Briggs (2005). Shoot the buffalo. p. 63. ISBN 0972323473. Retrieved 2026-05-05. […and Adrian jumped back and forth, oscillating like a monkey push puppet. I swayed back and forth.]
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