Doll-a-Day 2023 #218: Mr. Fergus

   Today's doll is an advwetising mascot, and a supposedly rare one. He's Mr. Fergus.

 

I love this guy! He has a wonderfully silly face. I saw him at an auction, and placed an absentee bid, because I wasn't going to be there the next day. (It was, in fact, the auction that the Highway Dolls came from.) I didn't figure I'd win, because he was in such nice condition, and such an interesting doll. But I won! 

Mr. Fergus was the mascot for Old Smuggler Scotch. This particular doll is from the 1950's. 

  I found one online that has the original tag from W.A Taylor, saying the doll is 'loaned for  display only and is to be returned when display has served it's purpose.'. So he's one of those things that was supposed to be returned once the promotion was over. When he was returned, they were probably destroyed, so no wonder he's supposed to be rare.

  He's a big guy. Online it says he's 27 inches tall, but he seems more like at least 30.

  

He's a Scot, and he's dressed very traditionally. He is wearing a flannel kilt, a jacket and vest, a sash-like thing called a 'fly plaid', and I suppose the Old Smuggler pin passes for his broach. The tassel is supposed to be on a  cord around his waist. I think it's his version of a sporran, the purse thing that goes with a kilt outfit.

His fly plaid only goes over his shoulder and than suddenly stops. I guess they figured he wouldn't be  seen from the back. 

They did a fair amount of cheating. His vest is just a vest front too. His shirt is rubber, like his body and head. The buttons are just molded and painted. But he has real metal 'buttons' on his vest, and, as you can see in the photo above, on the back of his jacket. The jacket and vest are both felt. 

He appears to be wearing 'gaiters', sort of a taller version of spats, which were old timey shoe covers. 

The ribbons are 'flashes'. The band of tartan at the top of his gaiters are kilt socks. They are to be turned down over the flashes, which can act as sock garters. Usually the flashes would be tartan too.

He has quite a set of sideburns.

His eyes are plastic, set in his rubber head. Look at those curly sideburns.

He also has a bit of a combover, with that curl wisping over his bald head. And he's a Scot, so he's a red head. The population of Scotland has the highest percentage of redheads in the world. Six to 3 percent of the Scottish population has red hair, compared to the global percentage, which is less than 2.

And to answer the age old question, "What does a cotsman wear under his kilt?", this guy at least, wears sort of a tartan loin cloth.

 

  I have to say this: That's 'the end'. I'll see you tomorrow.