Let's Get Political...

Just kidding! Happy President's Day, everyone! Today I'm sharing Vent Haven's many presidents with you. First, though, here's one among dozens of cartoons in in Vent Haven archives that connect politics to ventriloquism.

Vent Haven has presidential dummies for John Kennedy through George W. Bush. We have two Jimmy Carter dummies and two Ronald Reagans. Thanks to the following people for adopting some of these great dummies!

Lee Orlov adopted one of the Jimmy Carter dummies at the 2017 convention. Tourists always recognize Carter's smile. This dummy was made and used by James Head, who donated it in 1981.

Scott Flom adopted a Ronald Reagan dummy and the Señor Wences dummy made by Leonardo. The Reagan puppet was made by Axtell Expressions. Reagan is made of a latex formula cast in a mold. The cured latex was airbrushed and sealed with clear acrylic. Steve Axtell donated this Reagan in 1987.

Even though this is a Presidents Day post, I don't want to leave out the other dummy Scott adopted: the Señor Wences dummy. This amazing life size dummy was made by Leonardo, who was a contemporary ventriloquist with Wences. Leonardo sold this dummy to W.S. Berger for $300 in 1953.

The remaining presidential dummies in the Vent Haven collection were all owned and used by Jim Teter. He donated his presidents to Vent Haven in August of 2016.

Teter's amazing presidential dummies were featured on our local news and promoted in a special exhibit in the Vent Haven house during our September 2016 open house. They were also the special exhibit for the 2017 season. Additionally, John Davidson, a very good friend of Jim's, came to visit this great set of dummies in October.

They are a wonderful addition to the Vent Haven family. Thanks to Steven & Stephanie Shull, Phillip Jones, Lee Cornell, and Jim Hummeldorf for adopting Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, respectively. Teter's Nixon, Ford, and Clinton are up for adoption this week on the website. If you'd like to adopt one of them, click here.

All of Teter's dummies from Nixon through George W. Bush were made by John Butler. Although each dummy has its own unique features, it is the set sitting together that really impresses people.