Charlie Chaplin dancing figure: Dancing Charlie
Dublin Core
Title
Charlie Chaplin dancing figure: Dancing Charlie
Subject
Charlie Chaplin
Description
Charlie Chaplin dancing figure: Dancing Charlie is a toy that makes the figure Charlie Chaplin dancing. This toy consists of three parts: the envelope, the introduction, and the toy itself. The envelope shows the basic information about the toys, such as the propaganda slogan, the attractive title, and suitable people. It is a toy that was very popular in the 1930s, produced in Britain. The introduction is in a yellow paper that shows how the toy works and how to play. The toy itself is made of cardboard. Chaplin's thigh joint and knee joint were hammered with nails, which made it easier to move the toy, and the nail on the left knee joint did. The classic image of Charlie Chaplin is displayed, a smiling Charlie Chaplin toy wearing a black suit with a red flower on his right chest. According to the introduction, people should attach a black piece of string to the leg of a table or chair. The other end of the string was grabbed by the holder, who then put the toy onto the string the way Chaplin dances. Because the string’s color is similar to the color of the toy, the audience can not recognize the existence of the string, only notice the dancing toy.
This toy is based on Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" character. For example, in this toy, Chaplin wears a black hat, an ill-fitting suit, oversized shoes, and a bow tie on his chest with a red flower pinned to his left shoulder, indicating that he very much wants to look formal, but he looks ridiculous. Among them, the image of the homeless has appeared in many films, and dance sequences can be found in many of Charlie Chaplin's films. In Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times, there are many dancing clips: at the beginning of the film, Charlie Chaplin is working in front of a machine. But when the speed of the machine grows faster, Charlie Chaplin is forced to act quickly and then evolve into a humorous dancing gesture. At the end of the shift, Charlie Chaplin was still getting used to the movement of work, so when he left the workbench, he still kept the movement of work, like a dance. In this clip, he made a combination between labor working and dance gesture. At the end of the film, Charlie Chaplin acted like a tramp who was dancing in front of the guests. In order to prevent himself from forgetting his words, he even wrote lyrics on his sleeve, but when he really sang, the sleeves disappeared, and he had to sing some meaningless words by himself. It was also the first time Charlie Chaplin used his own voice in a film. His dance poses are exaggerated and comical, and the lively music creates a pleasant atmosphere. In the film of The Gold Rush, at the beginning of the film, Charlie Chaplin was forced to leave the house. When the door was open, he couldn’t keep his balance in the snow, so he tried to move his leg so that it would form a humous dance. In the middle of the film, he was forced to dance with a lady; his dance is ridiculous and rigid. In the film City Lights, Charlie Chaplin danced in the nightclub because his rich friends were drunk, so their dance was ridiculous. This dance not only shows Chaplin's precise control of his body movements but also moves the plot forward. When Charlie Chaplin went to the nightclub again, he was still not familiar with the rule, so he was dancing with a lady, and he spun so fast that he hit a waiter. Charlie Chaplin got sick with the waiter and had funny dancing. At the same time, his silent films can also break the language barrier, so that more people know Charlie Chaplin and pass on humor and culture.
Using celebrities as a marketing ploy is a common tactic, including Charlie Chaplin. During 1915, Chaplin became a cultural phenomenon. Shops were stocked with Chaplin merchandise; he was featured in cartoons and comic strips, and several songs were written about him. In the 1920s, Charlie Chaplin’s famous figure, the tramp, is the biggest commoditization in the world. With the development of a series of movies, the marketing seller let this phenomenon go to the best. At the end of the 20th century, the image of the tramp has permeated the spirit of The Times. ( ME Holdings, LLC d/b/a Variety Media LLC, 2003). In other words, Charlie Chaplin was the spirit leader at that time. What’s Celebrities often influence consumers' decisions. Customers are often attracted by the celebrities that fit their idealization. (Moraes, 2019). Not only this toy, there are other toys at that time: Chaplin paper-cut doll, Chaplin clockwork toy, and so on. Charlie Chaplin's toys were very diverse at that time, which also proves that he was very popular at that time. However, there are still other comments; some people don't like Charlie Chaplin toys because they look like corpses or like Hitler; especially when pulling his rope, the toy spasms and twitches (Bilton, 2013). This shows that even though Charlie Chaplin was very popular at the time, people had mixed opinions about Charlie Chaplin's toys.
This toy is good for children as well as young youth. This toy also combines sound and vision; it can help children to finish their education. The toy's instruction manual says it's best played with music. Multi-sensory toys are an important part of educational study. It has the potential to improve children's learning and engagement (Fan et al., 2024). This toy just needs the child to move the toy and watch the dance state of the toy, so it is easier for the child to participate. This toy can find more fun for children, because with the mobilization of multiple senses, people can remember more information. This synergy between the senses is particularly important in early childhood development, as sensory experiences set the stage for complex cognitive functions later in life. As for the youth customer, this toy can also show some basic principles of physical machinery because this toy’s thigh and knee are movable. When the toy moves, the relative position of the knee nails will be affected by the thigh position nails as the leg moves, so youth will understand some basic principles of movement.
In conclusion, the Charlie Chaplin dancing figure is a reflection of the social climate of the 1930s. It shows the famous tramp character. It shows how popular Charlie Chaplin was at that time. This toy can help young people to build up their basic skills and improve their cognitive abilities. Charlie Chaplin is often transformed into commodities to obtain commercial value. Now it is playing its cultural value in the museum, helping more people to understand Charlie Chaplin and the background of The Times. This toy also shows the propaganda means and trend background of the time, reflecting the relationship between the film culture in the early 20th century. The unique play of this toy and the classic role combination show the vivid image of Charlie Chaplin.
Works Cited
‘Marketing an icon.(Warner Home Video markets Charlie Chaplin along with release of his films on digital videodisk)’ (2003) Variety, 390(11), pp. S17-.
Moraes, M. et al. (2019) ‘Celebrity influences on consumer decision making: new insights and research directions’, Journal of marketing management, 35(13–14), pp. 1159–1192. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2019.1632373.
Fan, Y., Chong, D.K. and Li, Y. (2024) ‘Beyond play: a comparative study of multi-sensory and traditional toys in child education’, Frontiers in education (Lausanne), 9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1182660.
Pellegrini, A. D. (2021). “Rough-and-tumble play from childhood through adolescence: differing perspectives” in Play from birth to twelve and beyond (Routledge), 401–408.
Bilton, A. (2013) ‘Accelerated Bodies and Jumping Jacks: Automata, Mannequins and Toys in the Films of Charlie Chaplin’, in Silent Film Comedy and American Culture. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 78–110. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137020253_4.
This toy is based on Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" character. For example, in this toy, Chaplin wears a black hat, an ill-fitting suit, oversized shoes, and a bow tie on his chest with a red flower pinned to his left shoulder, indicating that he very much wants to look formal, but he looks ridiculous. Among them, the image of the homeless has appeared in many films, and dance sequences can be found in many of Charlie Chaplin's films. In Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times, there are many dancing clips: at the beginning of the film, Charlie Chaplin is working in front of a machine. But when the speed of the machine grows faster, Charlie Chaplin is forced to act quickly and then evolve into a humorous dancing gesture. At the end of the shift, Charlie Chaplin was still getting used to the movement of work, so when he left the workbench, he still kept the movement of work, like a dance. In this clip, he made a combination between labor working and dance gesture. At the end of the film, Charlie Chaplin acted like a tramp who was dancing in front of the guests. In order to prevent himself from forgetting his words, he even wrote lyrics on his sleeve, but when he really sang, the sleeves disappeared, and he had to sing some meaningless words by himself. It was also the first time Charlie Chaplin used his own voice in a film. His dance poses are exaggerated and comical, and the lively music creates a pleasant atmosphere. In the film of The Gold Rush, at the beginning of the film, Charlie Chaplin was forced to leave the house. When the door was open, he couldn’t keep his balance in the snow, so he tried to move his leg so that it would form a humous dance. In the middle of the film, he was forced to dance with a lady; his dance is ridiculous and rigid. In the film City Lights, Charlie Chaplin danced in the nightclub because his rich friends were drunk, so their dance was ridiculous. This dance not only shows Chaplin's precise control of his body movements but also moves the plot forward. When Charlie Chaplin went to the nightclub again, he was still not familiar with the rule, so he was dancing with a lady, and he spun so fast that he hit a waiter. Charlie Chaplin got sick with the waiter and had funny dancing. At the same time, his silent films can also break the language barrier, so that more people know Charlie Chaplin and pass on humor and culture.
Using celebrities as a marketing ploy is a common tactic, including Charlie Chaplin. During 1915, Chaplin became a cultural phenomenon. Shops were stocked with Chaplin merchandise; he was featured in cartoons and comic strips, and several songs were written about him. In the 1920s, Charlie Chaplin’s famous figure, the tramp, is the biggest commoditization in the world. With the development of a series of movies, the marketing seller let this phenomenon go to the best. At the end of the 20th century, the image of the tramp has permeated the spirit of The Times. ( ME Holdings, LLC d/b/a Variety Media LLC, 2003). In other words, Charlie Chaplin was the spirit leader at that time. What’s Celebrities often influence consumers' decisions. Customers are often attracted by the celebrities that fit their idealization. (Moraes, 2019). Not only this toy, there are other toys at that time: Chaplin paper-cut doll, Chaplin clockwork toy, and so on. Charlie Chaplin's toys were very diverse at that time, which also proves that he was very popular at that time. However, there are still other comments; some people don't like Charlie Chaplin toys because they look like corpses or like Hitler; especially when pulling his rope, the toy spasms and twitches (Bilton, 2013). This shows that even though Charlie Chaplin was very popular at the time, people had mixed opinions about Charlie Chaplin's toys.
This toy is good for children as well as young youth. This toy also combines sound and vision; it can help children to finish their education. The toy's instruction manual says it's best played with music. Multi-sensory toys are an important part of educational study. It has the potential to improve children's learning and engagement (Fan et al., 2024). This toy just needs the child to move the toy and watch the dance state of the toy, so it is easier for the child to participate. This toy can find more fun for children, because with the mobilization of multiple senses, people can remember more information. This synergy between the senses is particularly important in early childhood development, as sensory experiences set the stage for complex cognitive functions later in life. As for the youth customer, this toy can also show some basic principles of physical machinery because this toy’s thigh and knee are movable. When the toy moves, the relative position of the knee nails will be affected by the thigh position nails as the leg moves, so youth will understand some basic principles of movement.
In conclusion, the Charlie Chaplin dancing figure is a reflection of the social climate of the 1930s. It shows the famous tramp character. It shows how popular Charlie Chaplin was at that time. This toy can help young people to build up their basic skills and improve their cognitive abilities. Charlie Chaplin is often transformed into commodities to obtain commercial value. Now it is playing its cultural value in the museum, helping more people to understand Charlie Chaplin and the background of The Times. This toy also shows the propaganda means and trend background of the time, reflecting the relationship between the film culture in the early 20th century. The unique play of this toy and the classic role combination show the vivid image of Charlie Chaplin.
Works Cited
‘Marketing an icon.(Warner Home Video markets Charlie Chaplin along with release of his films on digital videodisk)’ (2003) Variety, 390(11), pp. S17-.
Moraes, M. et al. (2019) ‘Celebrity influences on consumer decision making: new insights and research directions’, Journal of marketing management, 35(13–14), pp. 1159–1192. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2019.1632373.
Fan, Y., Chong, D.K. and Li, Y. (2024) ‘Beyond play: a comparative study of multi-sensory and traditional toys in child education’, Frontiers in education (Lausanne), 9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1182660.
Pellegrini, A. D. (2021). “Rough-and-tumble play from childhood through adolescence: differing perspectives” in Play from birth to twelve and beyond (Routledge), 401–408.
Bilton, A. (2013) ‘Accelerated Bodies and Jumping Jacks: Automata, Mannequins and Toys in the Films of Charlie Chaplin’, in Silent Film Comedy and American Culture. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 78–110. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137020253_4.
Date
1930
Format
26 x 21cm
Language
English
Type
Vintage/Classic Toys
Files
Citation
“Charlie Chaplin dancing figure: Dancing Charlie,” Archival Encounters: Digital Exhibitions form the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, accessed January 22, 2025, https://humanities-research.exeter.ac.uk/archivalencounters/items/show/57.