Or maybe he's just a cool coyote, --whatever he is, this neat little rubber squeak toy I found yesterday is definitely a keeper. I've had a bit of good luck selling vintage squeakers like this online, but I don't know if I could part with the stylized uniqueness of this furry fella letting loose at the moon. Couldn't dig up a single thing about it after googlin' either, so if anyone has any relevant information, I'd appreciate hearing allllll about it! Ahhh-Oooo!
My educated guess -- because I actually collected a number of these -- is a bath toy. Did it actually squeak? That could be a drain hole (some of them did squeak, though.)
ReplyDeleteThere's probably a 50/50 chance I'm right, which is usually better than my being right batting average :)
Russian or German? It just looks like the ones I have, which are Russian. Same kind of look. Take that with a grain of salt, or maybe a whole bathtub.
I believe most rubber squeak toys like this are typically associated with kiddie bath time play. The guy ringing me up at the antique store said something about it maybe being a dog toy, and if it was, it clearly was never given to a dog to play with because it’s in great condition.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the squeaker still works— and it’s loud as heck too!
His style and colouring is really reminiscent of other squeakies that Rempel made, though odd it has no stamp on it. Is that a rusty metal plate in the bottom? If so, then maybe not so likely to be a dog toy, as Antique Store Guy suggested. Regardless, he's super cute though, and once again you always find the best stuff, Mr. Karswell!
ReplyDelete@ Wendy: thanks! :) I actually have a 40’s Froggy the Gremlin squeaker made by Rempel and you’re right, it does bare some similarities, the soft feel of the rubber and the way they’ve both faded over the years. I don’t think it was a dog toy either, but at the same time I remember a few old dog toys with metal squeak devices in them that my grandparents dog played with so that’s no indication the antique guy was wrong.
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess they used to paint kids' toys with lead paint, so I shouldn't be surprised at metal in dog toys, lol!
ReplyDelete