Tinplate mechanical toy elephant made in China in the 1970s

The toy is lithographed tinplate and consists of a green plastic platform mounted on two black plastic wheels at the back and one tinplate wheel at the front which is part of the `cycle'. The elephant is sitting on a gold coloured seat with its nose pointing straight up and its front legs attached to the silver handlebars of the `cycle'. The cycle is represented only by the front piece and wheel. The elephant is white and grey with red, yellow black, blue and green markings. The wheel is gray with black, green and white and the ball is blue, red and yellow. Running through the elephant is a pole with the ball at the top. Attached to the ball are three cream tassels. When pulled along by the green plastic cord, the back wheels turn cogs which turn the post for the ball. At the same time one of the cogs, with alternate spikes curled down connects with a wire trip which is bedded into a small paper covered box underneath the platform. As the trip wire is hit, a noise is made. Also when the ball is spinning the tassels flare out.

Given by Clio Whittaker

References: This collection of toys was acquired by the donor while attending Peking University in 1978 and 1979. The majority of the toys were made in China for its own market.

See additional notes, B. 106-1996

This cycling elephant has quite a clever and complicated movement. The cycle is represented only by a front piece and wheel. The elephant sits with its front legs attached to the silver handlebars of the cycle with its nose pointing straight up. Running through the elephant is a pole with tassles and a ball at the top.
When pulled along, the back wheels turn cogs which turn the post for the ball. At the same time one of the cogs, with alternate spikes curled down, connects with a tripwire which is embedded into a small box underneath the platform. A noise is made as the tripwire is hit. When the ball spins the tassels flare out.

B.147-1996