Farfel the Dog
Farfel the Dog is a hound dog ventriloquist's dummy created by Jimmy Nelson. The Farfel character is best known for television commercials for Nestlé's Quik which ran from 1953 to 1965.[1] An original talking Farfel can be seen at the Chocolate Experience Museum, located in Burlington, Wisconsin.[citation needed]
Creation
In 1950, while working a late show in a
Nestlé commercials
Beginning in 1955, Farfel sang the last word of the Nestlé jingle, after the first two lines were sung by Nelson's human dummy Danny O'Day:
Danny: "N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestlé's makes the very best...
Farfel: Choc'-late
At the end, Farfel's mouth would close with a distinctive clap, uncharacteristic of proper ventriloquist's technique. The sound was the result of Nelson's nervousness at his audition for the Nestlé executives; his hands sweated, resulting in his finger slipping off of the mouth control. The executives liked the effect so much, they insisted that Nelson keep it in. The commercials ran for 10 years from 1955 to 1965. Farfel made a brief comeback in the mid-1990s for a Nestlé's candy Christmas promo, with a send-in offer for a stuffed Farfel doll.[3]
In popular culture
In the WKRP in Cincinnati episode "The Consultant", Bailey Quarters sings the Nestle's jingle, and places her hands together to imitate Farfel when singing the last word. She then says to the consultant, "Farfel. Remember that guy? The dog."
In an episode of Seinfeld, entitled "The Dog", Farfel was also the name of the dog that Jerry ends up "dogsitting" after the dog's owner suffers a heart attack while sitting next to Jerry on an airplane.[4]
In the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode “The Terrorist Attack”, Larry David sings the Nestle's jingle whilst apologizing and ends his song with the distinctive clap.
References
- ISBN 978-1615640003.
- ISBN 978-0738566191.
- ISBN 978-0738575728.
- ISBN 978-0761135814.
Further reading
- A Jimmy Nelson Celebration: 70 Years of Laughter by Tom Ladshaw and Marjorie Engesser, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (2015)