Farfel the Dog
Encyclopedia
Farfel the Dog was a hound dog
ventriloquist's dummy created by Jimmy Nelson
. The Farfel character is probably best known for television
commercials for Nestlé's Quik which ran from 1953 to 1965.
nightclub with his human dummy Danny O'Day, ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson
picked up a stuffed dog left by a patron on the piano, and improvised a low-pitched voice to make it talk. This gave him the idea for a new character which he commissioned from Chicago
dummy maker Frank Marshall. Nelson named it Farfel, after the Jewish pasta dish
he had seen on the menu of resorts in the Borscht Belt
on his tour route.
Farfel was an instant hit, and contributed to the rise in Nelson's popularity as he began to transition from live performance touring to television
.
, after the first two lines sung by Nelson's human dummy Danny O'Day:
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 Nelson keep it in. The commercials ran for ten years from 1955 to 1965.
Farfel made a brief comeback in the mid-1990's for a Nestlé's candy Christmas promo, with a send-in offer for a stuffed Farfel doll.
of Cadence Records
originally wanted Nelson to appear on the Everly Brothers' 1959 recording of "Bird Dog" and use the voice of Farfel on the choruses, but that idea fell through.
Hound dog
Hound dog may refer to:* Hound, a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing prey* Hound Dog, a Classic Japanese Rock band. They were active since the early 80’s...
ventriloquist's dummy created by Jimmy Nelson
Jimmy Nelson (ventriloquist)
Jimmy Nelson is an American ventriloquist who appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s. He was famous for commercials for Nestlé chocolate featuring his puppet Farfel the dog. He hosted a children's show sponsored by Nestlé....
. The Farfel character is probably best known for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
commercials for Nestlé's Quik which ran from 1953 to 1965.
Creation
In 1950, while working a late show in a Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
nightclub with his human dummy Danny O'Day, ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson
Jimmy Nelson (ventriloquist)
Jimmy Nelson is an American ventriloquist who appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s. He was famous for commercials for Nestlé chocolate featuring his puppet Farfel the dog. He hosted a children's show sponsored by Nestlé....
picked up a stuffed dog left by a patron on the piano, and improvised a low-pitched voice to make it talk. This gave him the idea for a new character which he commissioned from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
dummy maker Frank Marshall. Nelson named it Farfel, after the Jewish pasta dish
Farfel
Farfel are small pellet-shaped pasta. Farfel is most prevalent in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It consists of an egg noodle dough which may be cut or grated for use in soups, or served as a side dish...
he had seen on the menu of resorts in the Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
on his tour route.
Farfel was an instant hit, and contributed to the rise in Nelson's popularity as he began to transition from live performance touring to television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Nestlé's commercials
Beginning in 1955, Farfel sang the last word of the Nestlé's jingleJingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
, after the first two lines 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 Nelson keep it in. The commercials ran for ten years from 1955 to 1965.
Farfel made a brief comeback in the mid-1990's for a Nestlé's candy Christmas promo, with a send-in offer for a stuffed Farfel doll.
Other potential appearances
Archie BleyerArchie Bleyer
Archie Bleyer was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive.-Early life:He was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. He began playing the piano when he was only seven years old...
of Cadence Records
Cadence Records
Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952...
originally wanted Nelson to appear on the Everly Brothers' 1959 recording of "Bird Dog" and use the voice of Farfel on the choruses, but that idea fell through.
See also
- Jimmy Nelson (ventriloquist)Jimmy Nelson (ventriloquist)Jimmy Nelson is an American ventriloquist who appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s. He was famous for commercials for Nestlé chocolate featuring his puppet Farfel the dog. He hosted a children's show sponsored by Nestlé....
- FarfelFarfelFarfel are small pellet-shaped pasta. Farfel is most prevalent in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It consists of an egg noodle dough which may be cut or grated for use in soups, or served as a side dish...
, a Jewish pasta dish for which the character was named