Alps Drumming Bear (1950s)

Digital image download of an Alps Drumming Bear (1950s).

2266 pixels in height, 300dpi. Image copyright Jim Bunte LLC.

Drumming was a popular animation in postwar Japanese wind-up (and occasionally, battery-powered) toys. The repetitive motion was easy to design in the mechanical drive mechanisms, and the visuals combined with sound was always a child-pleaser (if not popular with adults). Think cymbal-clapping monkeys.

The plush coats worn by Japanese wind-ups is often found in disrepair, discolored, or a combination of both. The tin drum head is lithographed with miniature drumming bears.

Image is 1245 pixels in height. Image copyright Jim Bunte.