Zilotone Player Toy
By Douglas Henderson
We have one of these musical toys, the Zilotone, at The Musical Wonder House in Wiscasset, possibly made between 1915-1925. The instrument is a windup toy featuring a clown with a hammer and a small xylophone in a semi-circle about him. When the "Zilotone" plays, the clown turns right and left, and strikes the selected notes, governed by the discs which are in two-part: the underneath side is a cam, like zig-zag sewing machines had for the stitch patterns. The upper side, with the printed title, is a toothed gear; the two metal pieces are joined by several rivets or the like.
The Zilotone and its musical clown figure are made from highly coloured (steel) metal (as are the discs) and are joined much like the old Marx toys, with tabs to connect the halves together. When properly regulated the instrument plays very well, musically -- unusual, since this was sold as a toy and not as an adult's instrument. We have about 8-10 discs for our Zilotone, as I recall, and it gave good service during the decades I was the Tour Guide at the museum during the Summer months.
I can't recall the manufacturer, but Wyandotte PA sticks in my mind; tho' it could have been the memory of my suction cup gun of the early '40s!
Regards, Douglas
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(Message sent Wed 26 Mar 1997, 03:58:22 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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