# What is the name of this traditional toy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153 "2006-01-09T14:32:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/1 "2006-01-09T14:32:33Z")
It’s a little hollow wooden barrel with a spring plunger in the base; on the top, there’s a figure (usually a man or a horse) made from threaded beads; when you press the plunger, the threads go slack and the figure goes limp and falls over, when you release it, the threads are pulled tight and the figure stands up again smartly. But what is it called? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/2 "2006-01-09T14:42:06Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s a little hollow wooden barrel with a spring plunger in the base; on the top, there’s a figure (usually a man or a horse) made from threaded beads; when you press the plunger, the threads go slack and the figure goes limp and falls over, when you release it, the threads are pulled tight and the figure stands up again smartly. > > But what is it called? I know just the toy you’re describing. I had at least one such item in the 50’s and it may have been of Mickey Mouse or Goofy, although I can’t even remember that much about it. I can’t recall seeing one since those days. I suspect flea markets and antique shops might still have an occasional one. Not one clue as to its name, however. A stab at a guess would be Johnny Jump-up, but that was extracted from my nether regions. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/3 "2006-01-09T14:51:26Z")
They are still in production - I see them from time to time in toy shops and other places that sell small novelties, but they’re never boxed or labelled; they’re usually just in a big heap in a box. ---
**Author:** ![Fortean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fortean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fortean)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/4 "2006-01-09T15:22:25Z")
Coincidentally enough, I saw one of these toys in an Oxfam shop just the other day, and, recalling that someone on the Chris Moyles show on Radio One had asked just the same question as **Mangetout** (I wouldn’t go so far as to accuse MT of listening to Chris Moyles :eek: ), I actually picked one up and looked at the label to see if it had the toy’s name on it. And it did. Unfortunately, however, _bugger me if I can remember it._ This would suggest, at least that either the name wasn’t very memorable, or that I guessed it wasn’t the correct name and so dismissed it from my memory. Or I have a bad memory. Hope that’s helpful! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/5 "2006-01-09T15:26:04Z")
> [@Fortean](#): > > Coincidentally enough, I saw one of these toys in an Oxfam shop just the other day, and, recalling that someone on the Chris Moyles show on Radio One had asked just the same question as **Mangetout** (I wouldn’t go so far as to accuse MT of listening to Chris Moyles :eek: ) The question must be in the aether, as I didn’t hear the programme. I did listen to Chris Moyles once, but I didn’t inhale. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/6 "2006-01-09T15:29:14Z")
**Zeldar** : > [@](#): > > Not one clue as to its name, however. A stab at a guess would be Johnny Jump-up, but that was extracted from my nether regions. _“Please do not insert Johnny Jump-Up, or any other fine Irwin Toy into your nether regions. Reduced play value may result.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/7 "2006-01-09T15:44:02Z")
> [@Rodd Hill](#): > > **Zeldar** : > > _“Please do not insert Johnny Jump-Up, or any other fine Irwin Toy into your nether regions. Reduced play value may result.”_ Thanks for the cautionary alert. I did try searching for “Johnny Jump-up” after that post and learned (to my dismay) that it’s some kind of flower that I must have heard about long ago. I have also not been shoving flowers up there either. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/8 "2006-01-09T15:47:44Z")
All I can find are collapsible finger puppets. Regard: [http://sacc.disneyana.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=104&cat=3&page=1](http://sacc.disneyana.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=104&cat=3&page=1) Could somebody have invented a toy and neglected to give it a name? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/9 "2006-01-09T15:48:36Z")
I can find one site selling one of them as a _fall down/stand up toy_ and another where they’re just called _traditional wooden pushing toy_ or some such, but there _must_ be some name for them, mustn’t there? Or is it a case of _That’s the beauty of it; it isn’t really called anything_? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/10 "2006-01-09T16:01:52Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I can find one site selling one of them as a _fall down/stand up toy_ and another where they’re just called _traditional wooden pushing toy_ or some such, but there _must_ be some name for them, mustn’t there? > > Or is it a case of _That’s the beauty of it; it isn’t really called anything_? Nice! Surely though there must be some way of identifying these things. Else how would the person who makes sure there are some on display in whatever shop sells them know how to order more when they run out? It’s like the experience I had with trying to find the name of the disco ball. I called an outfit that sells party supplies and asked what they call those mirror balls that spin around and reflect little blobs of light all around the room. He said, “Disco ball?” And I said, “Well, yeah. But what were they called before the days of disco?” The line went dead. These toys just have to have some name. Just have to. And what’s their origin? Europe? Switzerland maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Gringo\_Miami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@Gringo\_Miami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gringo_Miami)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/11 "2006-01-09T16:02:20Z")
They are still around… plastic instead of wood these days. [HERE](http://www.officeplayground.com/pushbutton.html) ya go. ---
**Author:** ![Gringo\_Miami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@Gringo\_Miami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gringo_Miami)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/12 "2006-01-09T16:04:42Z")
So… to answer the OP… they are just called “Push Button” toys - boring. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/13 "2006-01-09T16:05:16Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > It’s like the experience I had with trying to find the name of the disco ball. I called an outfit that sells party supplies and asked what they call those mirror balls that spin around and reflect little blobs of light all around the room. He said, “Disco ball?” And I said, “Well, yeah. But what were they called before the days of disco?” The line went dead. Weren’t disco balls just called _mirror balls_ before disco? Before the invention of mirrors, they were just called _balls_ - I know that much is true. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/14 "2006-01-09T16:09:45Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Weren’t disco balls just called _mirror balls_ before disco? > > Before the invention of mirrors, they were just called _balls_ - I know that much is true. Verily. I suspect that before the invention of mirrors they were called rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/15 "2006-01-09T16:11:26Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Weren’t disco balls just called _mirror balls_ before disco? [Myriad Reflectors](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=314529&highlight=disco) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/16 "2006-01-09T16:17:55Z")
Back to the OP: IF you’re in the U.S., and have a World Market franchise nearby, you can still buy wooden push-button toys. I bought one last summer for my 2-year-old daughter. There was quite a selection available, too … it wasn’t like one lonely little bin. ---
**Author:** ![Dusty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@Dusty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dusty)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/17 "2006-01-09T16:32:44Z")
Those plastic ones are really pathetic. They just have two positions: standing up, and fallen over in a heap. With a nice wooden one, they’re like puppets. Pushing the button in certain parts slacks individual strings, and you can make the figure perform various contortions. I had a horse one as a kid and there were at least a half dozen poses you could do. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/18 "2006-01-09T23:43:15Z")
In the UK [this company, Tobar](http://www.tobar.co.uk/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=20670&STK_PROD_CODE=07773) call them ‘press-base’ toys. The link is to a ‘press-base clown’. They’re one of the main UK suppliers of small toys and novelties like these (and many other pocket money toys, as you’ll see from their catalogue). ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/19 "2006-01-09T23:52:14Z")
There is a variation of the toy with an acrobat on the highbar swinging around too, IIRC they are made pretty well the same, just that when you push the button the acrobat swings instead of collapses. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153/20 "2006-01-09T23:56:15Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > There is a variation of the toy with an acrobat on the highbar swinging around too, IIRC they are made pretty well the same, just that when you push the button the acrobat swings instead of collapses. Good work. I meant to mention these before, too. I prefer “press base toy” as being more descriptive of the names thus far. I would love to know the history of these toys. Since I know they were around in the 50’s, there’s a good chance they’re much older. The wooden beads and string construction could have them going way back. Germany, Switzerland, Austria would be my guess as to where they originate. Just guessing though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-traditional-toy/339153.md?page=2)