Laughing Sailor comes to Life

A nice moment in the restoration of an arcade Laughing Sailor, the sort that is SO LOUD it makes you wish you never put the penny in the slot. Our example has fixed painted wooden ball eyes, or so it seemed!
http://www.thehouseofautomata.com/

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• laughing sailor
• slot machine
• fairground
• automaton
• restoration
• automata
• ventriloquist

[ClaudineJones]

I used to have a boyfriend whose head was like that inside.

[JacquesDeBale]

I probably would get nightmares having such a puppet in my room...

[goesineasy4u2004]

i want to buy that  doll .. please can i have him?

[ubernoobly]

@JacquesDeBale IKR

[knibscratch]

Nice figure I think this example may have been built by Len Insull Jnr, ,,, Looks a little different from Snr's style ...Its very sad to see "restorations" done by owners of the figures that have no idea what they are doing, seen quite a few over the years,the worst was a black jazz band .. all ruined.

Keep up the good work in restoring these figures

[lenini81]

it looks a bit like Chuky, the doll from hell...

[ClaudineJones]

@NekoNatsume Because the eyes were jammed with only the whites showing and the only way to fix the problem was to cut into the head - a job that was best left to someone who knew what they were doing, like this guy.

[madviolet]

What a really interesting find. Whoever painted on the eyes had no idea how the thing was made or that it could be repaired...

really great vid

Dean Atkinson

[NekoNatsume]

but woa .... why would anyone want to paint those ugly eyes when the glass ones were better? ...... i dont get it , did people get more scared with the glass ones? because is obvious SOMEONE painted the new ones next to the original ones .... i still dont get it

[haxanthrobo]

great restoration ! you saved the sailor...neat story about the eyes.

[tomcathead]

What a difference between the painted eyes and the glass ones. Very cool.