Smokers and spitters, wigglers and winkers, nudgers and knee lifters,
hair raisers and hand shakers: they've got 'em all in the 800+
collection of ventriloquist figures at the
Vent Haven Museum.
Located in an unsuspecting neighborhood in Fort Mitchell, right off of
Dixie Highway, Vent Haven opened in 1973 after a long-time, colorful
beginning.
The museum's founder,
William Shakespeare Berger, bought his
first dummy in New York City in 1910. He wasn't a ventriloquist, just a
lover of Vaudeville. Since 1930, dummies began to fill the Berger household, taking over the
bedrooms, the dining room, and eventually spilling out into the garage.
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| Christmas dinner at the Berger household, dummies included. |
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| Tommy Baloney, Mr. Berger's first dummy. |
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| Portrait of Mr. Berger with animated mouth and eyes. |
Berger passed away in 1972 with a collection of over 500 dummies. His
property was put into a charitable foundation and dedicated as a
three-building museum the following year. The only ventriloquist museum
in the world, this institution receives 1,200 guests a year.
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| Can you find me? |
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| Trying out my ventriloquist skills. |
With wall-to-wall figures and thousands of photographs, there is a
favorite for everyone at Vent Haven. From modern plush puppets to the
oldest wooden dummy dating back to 1820, this museum really does have it
all.
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| The museum's oldest dummy, dating back to 1820. |
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This 1800s dummy was made with glass eyes, human hair, and real teeth.
You could obtain such supplies from the local barber. |
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| Walking dummies. Just pump their arm and they walked along side of you. |
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| A walking dummy in action. |
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| Our guide, Jen, shows us how this walking dummy transforms into a clock. |
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| These dummies were found in a trunk that washed ashore after the ventriloquist died in a tragic ship accident. |
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| Jen explains how a dummy moves by buttons and levers made from ordinary household products. |
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| Mr. Berger with a chart teaching about how to speak without moving your lips. |
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| Jimmy Carter |
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| Ronald Reagan |
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| An Abraham Lincoln that looks nothing like Abraham Lincoln. |
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| Michael Jackson |
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| John Lennon? |
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| A dummy for every stereotype. |
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| Kangaroo |
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| Lamb Chop! |
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| A dummy that is a mug. |
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| Bull from Night Court |
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| This dummy has moving eyes, eyebrows, ears, lips, nose, teeth, and surprise hair. |
