Indian Pecking Chicken Paddle Toy
Indian Pecking Chicken Paddle Toy
Indian Pecking Chicken Paddle Toy
Indian Pecking Chicken Paddle Toy

Indian Pecking Chicken Paddle Toy

Object Category: Toys
Object Type: Paddle Toys

Country: India
Continent: Asia
Geographic Region: Southern Asia
Materials: Wood, String/Cord
width: 7 in; height: 9.5 in; depth: 7 in

This is an Indian pecking chickens toy, so-called even though the moving figure is not a chicken, but instead a tiger.

One of the first references for a pecking chicken toy comes from a twentieth century book on German toys. Such toys have a flat surface, most often a paddle, on top of which is a figure, or figures, that have jointed parts attached to strings. The strings go through the paddle to attach to a ball or weight below. The ball acts as a pendulum.

To make the figures move, the player moves the paddle backwards and forwards or in a circle so that the weight will pull on the strings. As the strings alternately tighten and loosen, the part to which they are attached move up and down. 
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