The Jig Doll in Australian Folklore: Untapped Potential
A Paper to the 13th Annual Conference of the Australian Folklore Network
National Library of Australia, Canberra, 29 March 2018
Tony Smith
A Broad Definition
If you listen to the Dubliners singing Whiskey on a Sunday you will hear that Liverpool busker Seth Davey had three wooden dolls that danced on a plank and that his tired old hands tapped away at the beam. But in the Irish Rovers Songbook, the lyrics by Glyn Hughes refer to strings, which conjures images of a marionette, [i]
It is possible that a compromise position is found in the marionette a la planchette
A familiar sight around folk festivals is Steve Wilson aka the ‘concertina man’ busking for contributions to leukaemia research. His troupe includes dancing dolls which he made himself. Earlier Steve would don a mask that made him look suspiciously like a certain media magnate, thus creating the impression that the foot operated doll was dancing to the tune set by the media. The doll, with characteristic red ‘budgie smugglers’ and rather wide ears, looked suspiciously like the Australian prime minister of the day.
Moving with the times, Steve created yet another doll in top hat and tails that resembled the next prime minister in line. He then abandoned the mask but placed the ‘body’ of the former prime minister on the plank so that the new one could dance on him – symbolic of dancing on the political grave of the one he had assassinated during a coup!
It is no accident to call the timber base on which Steve makes his puppets dance, a plank. In the French tradition these dolls are known as ‘marionettes a la planchette’ – puppets on a plank or board. Steve chose to use this device to keep his hands free for instruments. [ii]
Dancing Machines
Whether old Seth Davey used a device similar to Steve’s or not, when I decided to add something similar to my busking routine, I contacted several puppet companies around Australia in case they had such puppets in their kit. They were very good at replying and wished me luck with my venture, but none had made such dolls or machines.
Eventually, I decided to import a jig doll. Chris Harvey of www.jigdolls.co.uk has several models on his site and he also has the all important ‘dancing machine’ to operate the dolls hands free. In Britain these puppets are known as ‘jig dolls’. In North America they are called ‘limber jacks’ or ‘limber jills’, which tend to be much plainer, often consisting of flat timber and sometimes lacking even the most rudimentary facial markings. Clearly however, in both cultures dancing dolls are part of the folk idiom.
There are several ways of manipulating a doll with your foot. The machine I got from Chris has a static board – a sound box really – and the foot pedal operates a stick in the back of the doll, making it go up and down. The hinged joints (shoulders, hips and knees) do the rest.
There are other ways of manipulating the doll using the foot. The doll can remain fixed while the board moves up and down. In one such system, the puppet is near ground level and the foot operates a pedal. In the other the foot pumps a springy rope attached to the plank. In this version, the plank might be held on a post, or it can be sat on by the operator. Bernie Davis performing ‘Johnny Todd’ shows how effective it can be to save the puppet’s movement for an instrumental chorus. [iii]
Clearly, the hands free element is essential for buskers and solo performers.
Fun on a Stick
However, long before hands-free machines were created, jig dolls were operated manually. The doll has a stick in the back. The operator can then make the doll dance on any surface. The potential range of movements is broader than with a doll fixed to a machine. The doll can leap in the air, move sideways and bow. The ‘youtube’ clip of Val Knight’s dolls performing in tandem is a great illustration of the potential for well decorated dolls used with imagination to achieve almost lifelike status. [iv] It is possible that one day a jig doll chorus could be assembled.
To achieve more flexibility, the operator can sit on a board and manipulate this board with the other hand. This increases the options yet again. Sometimes the operator taps the board. Other puppeteers favour pinching the edge of the board. In the ‘Feet on Fire’ clip, the operator has a special attachment for the board and has the doll dance on its toes, which are capped with metal. [v]
When the operator’s hands are occupied with stick and/or board, this reduces the musical options. Some operators sing or lilt while their doll dances, but it is probably more common to find that the operator works in co-operation with another musician. Clearly the jig doll operator is a musician because he or she provides a percussion instrument, just as the player of spoons or bones does. It might even be possible to set up a number of ‘boards’ like a drummer’s kit. You could try a toy drum, a biscuit tin and a hollow box all in a row. It is even possible for the jig doll to dance with an entire band, but hopefully, it will avoid recorded music!
Toy or Not?
There is no limit to the creativity of jig doll makers. Historically, dolls have been made to dance, seemingly independently, with all kinds of device – steam turbines, water wheels, hour glasses of sand, clockwork (think of the ballerina atop the jewel box) and one maker of phonograms designed a doll that would operate from the spindle of a turntable.
My jig doll came with a tongue in cheek warning ‘This is not a toy! Do not give it to children!’
Jig dolls are a folk instrument. They originated in an age of simpler toys – of spinning.tops, marbles, jacks, skittles, hoops, rough and ready catapults and bows and arrows, vehicles that needed to be pushed along. But children still appreciate these simple pleasures with not a screen in sight.
I chose ‘Henery’ from Chris Harvey’s collection. His body is neatly turned on a lathe and he has a great background story. He is named in honour of the King of Edwardian Music Hall, Harry Champion, whose most famous song was ‘I’m Henery the eighth I am’.
Since taking Henery out on the streets, I have had many people stop to talk about him. One woman said that she had such a doll operated by a stick in the back. Two women with walking aids stopped to admire Henery and said that they also had been tap dancers. One of them expressed pride in the fact that as a teacher she had given a start to a young man currently dancing the lead role in ‘Aladdin’, a popular musical showing in Sydney.
A man stopped to talk about Elvis Presley. In the movie ‘G.I. Blues’, Elvis sang ‘Wooden Heart’ (Muss I Denn) with puppets. The clip is on youtube and the miming is not convincing but Elvis’ voice is pure and rich and the ‘girl’ puppet to which he sings is simply beautiful with long blonde plaits and big dark eyes. The man, who boasted of a spiritual experience at Gracelands, was a genuine admirer of Elvis and expressed disdain for the tacky exploitation which occurs at Elvis festivals.
I showed Henery to the clever craftsmen at Central Tablelands Woodcrafters (Woodies) in Bathurst. They made Bob the Swaggie, Bill Morris and Bridget the step dancer. They were turned on a lathe and decorated by Woodies Bill and Bob. Gene dressed Bridget and made her hair. Col Borny made me some simpler limberjacks. He had one as a boy growing up on Jersey during the German occupation.
Australian Connections
My research into jig doll use in Australia has not been very productive. The jig doll has a long and well documented history in Britain and given the British influence here, it would be surprising if the jig doll did not cross the sea in some numbers. [vi] There are several toy and childhood museums in Australia but my inquiries with these revealed that they had no such items in their collections. One museum reckoned it would try to find someone to evaluate mine but this was clearly irrelevant to my needs.
When Rob Willis heard my paper he mentioned that there is a jig doll in the Forbes Museum. I contacted the museum and a curator named Bruce kindly sent me photos, The doll was given to a Cowra woman by Paul Wenz, himself a fascinating character. The doll is branded ‘Claquette’ and is of French origin.
Jig dolls discovered by Dave Johnson were operated on a plank which was strapped across the player’s knees. This seems awkward. Dave also found that the dolls seldom made a public appearance, perhaps because they were in the ‘golliwog’ style which even thirty years ago might have been frowned upon. [vii]
Untapped Potential
Because jig dolls are so versatile, they have great potential to be incorporated into the folk process.
They have potential in the building including the carpentry, painting and costuming.
They provide fair scope for individual creativity.
They can be used as a percussion instrument.
They could stimulate an interest in folk music among children.
They provide a means of participating in the joyous expression of dance.
They could even have benefits in occupational therapy.
A last word: When I was busking one day a donor commented: ‘You know, you are pretty good -, but he (Henery) is brilliant’.
NOTES:
[i] The Dubliners ‘Whiskey on a Sunday’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A5CHEmTT5s
[ii] Steve Wilson busking with the gang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idWLBU3lb2E ; see also ‘Autre Marionette a la Planchette’ http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=17377&hl=marionette
[iii] Bernie Davis singing ‘Johnny Todd’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iafOteCm9sg
[iv] Val Knight Jig Dolls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDE3NzKVKa0 Workshop
See also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aThzn865R4k
[v] Pub session with jig doll Fast Stepping – Feet on Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwxeAP5wpJU
[vi] Chris Brady’s site is very comprehensive on the British history http://chrisbrady.itgo.com/jigdolls/jigdolls.htm
[vii] See: David Johnson ‘History – Jig Dolls’ Singabout #58, December 1986, http://www.bushmusic.org.au/JigDoll.shtml
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