Lehmann Alabama Jigger "Oh-My" Circa 1912

The Alabama Coon Jigger is probably one of the most emulated toys that were ever produced by Ernst Paul Lehmann of Brandenburg, Germany - No wonder why - It combines fascinating old graphics with a remarkable animated performance due to the revolutionary mechanism for its time.

This toy captures a black gentleman, dressed in a colorful suit and hat, who performs a rhythmical dance on the box that contains the inner clockwork mechanism. The toy's name, rather inconvenient to contemporary times, appears on the rear side of the box, it states "Alabama Coon Jigger".

The roots of the toys that mimic this dance go far back to the XVII century when the first exemplars were made of papier-mache.  Here, this tradition meets the culture of the plantation workers of southern America, who were famous for their talents to dance and sing. Their folklore flourished in the middle of the XIX century through the famous black "minstrel shows" that forever influenced the world's cultural heritage - This tradition is also reflected in this particular toy.

Our example is in excellent condition with the advantage of being complete with the magnificent original richly illustrated box.

 Measures 10" high.