# 'Christmas tiger' origin **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129 "2016-11-16T03:52:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/1 "2016-11-16T03:52:18Z")
From _Mr. Smith Goes To Washington_: Oh, but he’ll vote, sure, just like his colleague tells him to. Yes sir, like a Christmas Tiger, he’ll nod his head and vote. You’re not a senator. You’re an honorary stooge. You oughtta be shown up. I get that a ‘Christmas tiger’ is a stooge/puppet/yes-man. But where does the term come from? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/2 "2016-11-16T04:35:46Z")
It’s apparently a Christmas decoration of some sort, perhaps similar to those noddy dogs that people (used to?) put in the back windows of their cars. If anyone has a New Yorker subscription, she can check it out here: [http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1941/12/27/hold-that-christmas-tiger](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1941/12/27/hold-that-christmas-tiger) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/3 "2016-11-16T04:41:37Z")
I don’t know why it’s associated with Christmas, but here’s [a picture of one](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/31/4b/99/314b99c64d7628351bbdea999e539888.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/4 "2016-11-16T17:21:22Z")
Never heard the term “Christmas tiger” (or at least never noticed it, because I have seen MSGtW) but the “bobbing head tiger” is an item from traditional Japanese folk-art (collectively known as mingei) that made it to the US. Originally called hariko-no-tora. See [this](https://books.google.com/books?id=qdVGCgAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q=hariko-no-tora&f=false) entry. (I have a deadtree copy of this, it is a small, “field guide” sized book. Nice to own if you are interested in the subject.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/5 "2016-11-17T22:14:26Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Never heard the term “Christmas tiger” (or at least never noticed it, because I have seen MSGtW) but the “bobbing head tiger” is an item from traditional Japanese folk-art (collectively known as mingei) that made it to the US. Originally called hariko-no-tora. See [this](https://books.google.com/books?id=qdVGCgAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q=hariko-no-tora&f=false) entry. (I have a deadtree copy of this, it is a small, “field guide” sized book. Nice to own if you are interested in the subject.) Looking into the subject because of this thread, I found that bobbing head tigers from Japan became something of a fad in America in the sixties. Which is not too surprising; the post-war American occupation saw a lot of cheap Japanese goods being exported to America. But this doesn’t answer the OP’s question. _Mr. Smith Goes to Washington_ was released in 1939, which indicates there was pre-war knowledge of these items as well. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/6 "2016-11-17T22:37:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But this doesn’t answer the OP’s question. _Mr. Smith Goes to Washington_ was released in 1939, which indicates there was pre-war knowledge of these items as well. Which begs the question of whether the bobbing-head tigers are the origin of the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/7 "2016-11-17T23:44:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Which begs the question of whether the bobbing-head tigers are the origin of the phrase. I searched using various terms: Christmas tigers, bobbing head tigers, nodding tigers, etc. I will admit I wasn’t aware of the term hariko-no-tora until I read Darren Garrison’s post. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/8 "2016-11-18T05:40:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > From _Mr. Smith Goes To Washington_: > Oh, but he’ll vote, sure, just like his colleague tells him to. > > Yes sir, like a Christmas Tiger, he’ll nod his head and vote. You’re not a senator. You’re an honorary stooge. You oughtta be shown up. > > I get that a ‘Christmas tiger’ is a stooge/puppet/yes-man. **But where does the term come from**? Huh. I thought it originated from comparisons on how they can shit-kick Christmas Lions. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/9 "2016-11-18T06:08:46Z")
Just a wild guess. But maybe it refers to how people will get worked up about a thing when all around them do. Jumping on the band wagon. A Christmas Tiger might refer to a change in some peoples behavior around Christmas. Whereas the rest of the year they might be more of a scrooge. ---
**Author:** ![Piran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@Piran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Piran)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/10 "2018-04-11T15:38:41Z")
In 1938, ESSO/EXXON issued as it’s Christmas premium (gift with purchase - common well into the 1980s) a tiger whose head bobbled when you put it on the dash (front or rear) of your car. Similar to the ones people used to have in the 1970s - except those were dogs. I recall on Chico and the Man, Freddie Prinze says something about the doggie ones (I was only about 8 or 9 at the time and didn’t really follow). This site talks about bobble heads in general but doesn’t actually talk about Esso/Exxon’s Tiger (it’s mascot): [History & Anatomy of Bobble Heads - Bobble Head Shop – PopCultureSpot.com - Shop for Bobble Heads, Novelties, Stickers — 25th Anniversary!](https://popculturespot.com/pages/history-of-bobble-heads) This question was one I had for many years myself - until I started seeing some of the old premium items Esso/Exxon gave away in flea markets and now in “antique” shops. If anyone ever sees the Tiger, I hope they’ll post a photo of it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-tiger-origin/772129/11 "2018-04-11T16:41:42Z")
Like [this](https://www.i-bidder.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/richard-edmonds-auctions/catalogue-id-ibri10017/lot-e9a4e25f-980e-4d5d-8d40-a44400b43852)?