Vintage Trap Jaw Toys and Novelty Antiques - A Look at Their History and Key Design Elements

The Allure of Vintage Trap Jaw Antiques

Trap jaw antiques with their unique and eye-catching designs have long fascinated collectors. These vintage toys and novelties featuring spring-loaded mouths that snap sharply shut with strong tension and a loud click are endlessly mesmerizing. Their action-packed mechanics and oft-times humorously exaggerated expressions create an irresistible appeal.

The History of Trap Jaws

Trap jaws first sprang onto the scene in the early 1900s. Influenced by the late 1800s cast iron mechanical bank craze, the Advent calendar company, Petrie Lewis Manufacturing, launched its iconic Nutty Ventriloquist trap jaw bank in 1910. This benchmark design featured a comical figure with a coin slot in its back and a lever that triggered its mouth to slam shut.

Other toy makers took note and soon a variety of trap jaw spinning tops, candy containers, and novelty figures flooded the market. By the 1920s, the Schieble Toy & Novelty Company was mass producing its popular Joker and Tootsie mechanized heads. These side-splitting heads with wind-up trap jaws became mainstay novelty counter items and arcade prizes for decades to come.

Key Trap Jaw Creators & Prime Examples

Louis Marx and Company, toy giants of the early to mid 1900s, were pioneers of wacky trap jaw toys. Throughout the 1930s-60s Marx manufactured everything from early celluloid figures like the Traffic Cop, to tin lithographed offerings such as the Monster Bank and Spooky the Cat. Wind-up walking figures and nodders with spring-loaded mouths were also Marx specialties.

Other top names included in any vintage trap jaw collection are the Allen Herschell Company, creator of the Sneezing Man, Yeager, and Arcade Manufacturing. Yeager’s 1930s Flip the Frog animation toy was particularly clever with its mouth-popping, eye-rolling motion inspired by the popular cartoon character. Arcade’s menagerie of 1940s trap jaw animals like Bonzo the Dog were arcade favorites.

Collecting Vintage Trap Jaws Today

For today’s collectors, trap jaws continue to deliver irresistible appeal and nostalgia. Their comical expressions and amusing mechanics keep them popular choices. Tin toy specimens like Marx’s early celluloid figures or Spooky the Cat in nice condition can bring strong prices at auction. Scarcer examples like Nutty Ventriloquist banks in working order with original boxes can fetch prices in the thousands.

More common trap jaw pieces like boppers and plastic ventriloquist heads generally sell more affordably in the hundreds. But with their strong retro novelty, even these items often sell briskly. Trap jaws may be conceived as simple novelties, but they exhibit masterful design - the essence of “less is more”. This winning minimalism and focus on amusing mechanics is central to their lasting charm.

Key Design Elements & Mechanics

At the heart of all trap jaw’s appeal are its spring-loaded mouth and loud clicking action. The pronounced opening and shutting mechanics paired with its exaggerated expression create an irresistible formula. Yet several standard design motifs can also be spotted throughout trap jaws.

Exaggerated Faces

Extra wide mouths with long snapping teeth are a trap jaw signature. Bulging eyes, wild hair, hats askew - these exaggerated facial features all set the stage for the dramatic jaw snap that follows. The stretched designs telegraph the tense motion about to be released.

Hinges & Springs

The precision hinge and spring mechanics enabling the smooth motion are main contributors to its success. With tension carefully calibrated, the mouth can snap freely without resistance. Visible side springs add visual interest and make the motion a focus.

Creative Triggers

Clever triggers range from plungers, buttons and knobs to wheeled feet on nodder figures. These interactive elements allow owners to snap the jaw at will, contributing to the appeal. The variety keeps designs novel and engaging through the decades.

Contemporary Trap Jaw Artists & Continuing Appeal

While vintage tin litho and celluloid trap jaws from the 1930s-50s era are most iconic, contemporary creators have continued the tradition with new mediums. Artists like Bruce White, Randy Regier and Daniel Horowitz explore more surreal expressions using wood, acrylics and found objects. The spring mechanisms remain at the core, but arty executions offer fresh perspectives.

Pop culture also continues to embrace the novelty appeal of trap jaws. They have made cameo appearances everywhere from episodes of The Simpsons to Katy Perry music videos. Each era always manages to reinvent trap jaws to suit current tastes in humor and art. Yet at their hearts, the beloved original vintage toys still seem to offer the most indelible and nostalgic charm.

FAQs

What was the first mass-produced vintage trap jaw toy?

The first widely mass-produced vintage trap jaw toy was the Nutty Ventriloquist bank made by Petrie Lewis Manufacturing in 1910. Its ingenious coin-storing design featuring a figure with a spring mouth that snapped shut loudly made it an instant hit.

Who were some of the most iconic vintage trap jaw toy creators?

Louis Marx and Company pioneered some of the most iconic vintage trap jaws from the 1930s-1960s like the Spooky the Cat bank and early celluloid figures. Other top names were Arcade Manufacturing (Bonzo the Dog), Yeager (Flip the Frog), and the Allen Herschell Company (Sneezing Man).

What are some key design elements seen in vintage trap jaws?

Exaggerated faces with wide mouths and bulging eyes, pronounced hinges and side springs enabling smooth motion, and creative triggers allowing owners to snap the jaws manually are some of the most common motifs.

Are trap jaws still popular today?

Yes, both vintage tin and celluloid trap jaws remain very collectible today thanks to their strong retro appeal. Contemporary artists also continue reinventing the novelties using mediums like wood, acrylics and found parts while retaining the signature spring-loaded mouths.