Samuel and Farfel

Many thanks to Samuel Snell for adopting Farfel. This iconic character was donated to Vent Haven Museum on July 2, 1982, by Farfel's owner, stage partner, and Dean of American Ventriloquists, Jimmy Nelson.

There is no way to overstate Jimmy Nelson's contributions to the ventriloquism community or to Vent Haven Museum. He is incredibly kind, humble, funny, and generous to everyone he meets. He has been a member of the Vent Haven Museum Board of Advisors since its inception and just this year was given the title of Director Emeritus by the Board of Directors.

The vast majority of the tourists who visit Vent Haven recognize Farfel, and many of them even spontaneously start singing the Nestlé jingle! The best and most comprehensive story of Jimmy's 7+ decades of entertaining is told in A Jimmy Nelson Celebration, by Vent Haven Director Tom Ladshaw. Tom worked extensively with Jimmy to create this incredibly detailed account of Jimmy's life and career.

Vent Haven's Farfel is a "stunt double" of the Farfel that Jimmy used in the Nestlé's Quik commercials from 1955-1965. This Farfel was shot out of a cannon, was pushed down a ramp on skis, and was suspended from wires in a simulated rocket blastoff. According to Jimmy, this Farfel, "...worked hard for many years and never got any credit....and I'm very proud that he'll have his own place in the Vent Haven Museum."