Sunday, June 5, 2011

Sunday Morning Special: The Smoking Monkey Automaton

Louis Toot
Also known as Joseph Teeny
Fox Broadcasting
By now, you know, of course, that I’m a lover of antiques and history, and you might have noticed that I’m a devoted fan of The Simpsons. I particularly enjoy when my favorite things somehow converge.


When I was looking for the “Sunday Morning Special,” I came across this lovely automaton of a smoking monkey by a French, Nineteenth Century maker. My first thought was, “Oh, it’s an antique Mr. Teeny!” For those who don’t know, Louis “Mr. Teeny” Toot (also known as Joseph Teeny) is Krusty the Clown’s loyal sidekick. With a long and proud lineage, Mr. Teeny finds himself treated in undignified ways by Krusty and deals with his anxiety by chain smoking. It’s also known that Louis is not the first Mr. Teeny as Krusty’s prop room contains a shelf of past Mr. Teenies who remain in his arsenal via taxidermy.

Enjoy this wonderful, ridiculous thing.

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