The swinging head dog was everyone’s favorite car accessory, let’s find out a little more about its history and why.
The dog with the swinging head: a global accessory
For many people, this head-swinging ‘toy’ is a very British institution. A kitschy 1970s car accessory perched on the dashboard of a Ford Capri or the rear shelf of a Vauxhall Viva.
This sense of Britishness was consolidated when the insurance company Churchill did “Churchie”The winking bulldog, the face of his brand.
But while the head swinging dog comes from the 1970s, its roots go far back, to 18th century Germany. What we also know as the nodding dog is actually called “Wackeldackel”Or bobblehead dachshund.
The Wackeldackel enjoyed a resurgence in 1998 when it appeared in a German advertisement for the oil company. Aral. A spokesperson for the BP Aral group said: “After this heavy metal commercial in a Ford Granada, even cat lovers suddenly wanted the dachshund.”
Available at petrol stations and via the Aral website, around 500,000 dogs with heads were sold in eight months.
But not everyone is a Wackeldackel fan. In 2002, Kilian Doylewriting for The Irish Times, called for an automatic ban on owning a driver’s license for anyone who dares to put an ornament in a car.
More than just a kitschy car accessory, the Wackeldackel is an important symbol of German culture and an essential upgrade to a 1970s Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz.
What are swinging head dogs made of?
There are different types and they are made with different types of materials. Generally the most common are made of resin and plastic. But there are also some in ceramic and wood.
What makes the head swing?
They are composed of two parts that join together: a head and a separate section of the hollow body. The head usually has a metal bolt screwed into the lower part of the neck, which is attached via a small hook to a metal ring fixed in the center of the “shoulder” area of its body section. The metal bolt acts as a counterweight and allows the head to move freely, nodding and swinging according to the movements.
What was its original purpose?
The purpose of the swinging head dogs was to entertain people.
The perfect place for this ‘accessory’?
They were (and should be) placed on the dashboard of a vehicle. In this position, the movement of the vehicle allows free expression of the fake head movement for the enjoyment of all.
