ALPS Windup Bear Playing Drum, Spinning Tail, Sticking Tongue In and Out—Rare
This drumming windup bear is indeed a rare find. It has been in the family at least since the early 1950s. When wound up, his right arm “beats” on the drum, his tail spins and his tongue moves in and out (if you’d like to see a video of it in action, please convo us and we will attempt to email you a video). It is absolutely adorable. His tongue, drum, and shoes are made of tin.
Maker and Year:
This bear is unmarked with regard to manufacturer, but is marked “Made in Japan” on the right side of right shoe (zoom in on second image to see marking.
Based on our research, this windup bear appears to have been made by Alps Shoji Ltd. ALPS was located in Tokyo, Japan and was founded in 1948 and produced among other things windup and battery-operated mechanical toys. Many of their animal toys were made of mixed tinplate and tin often wearing clothing. Based on this info, we believe this bear was one of the early Alps toys, most likely made in the late 1940s.
Approximate Dimensions:
6 1/2” Tall x 4 1/2” x 4” Wide
Condition:
The windup mechanism works. As stated above; when wound up, his right arm “beats” on the drum, his tail spins, and his tongue moves in and out (if you’d like to see a video of it in action, please convo us and we will attempt to email you a video). His “fur” in general is in acceptable to good condition over all, and in poor condition. Their is extreme wear in some places such as his arms, snout, left ear, and the area around the windup mechanism (see images). It appears that there is something missing under his drum, but we have no idea what it is. After months of searching, we cannot find another bear like this in collector’s books or on the internet in order to determine what might be missing.
PLEASE NOTE:
We are NOT toy collectors. Our description of this item is to help shoppers make a purchasing decision. It does not represent professional toy collecting terminology except by coincidence.