I've seen a lot of people who haven't searched for a vent figure before buy a doll (like a Juro Charlie McCarthey) that they didn't want because they didn't know what they were looking for or what to look for. That's why I'm writing this guide.

Here is some common knowledge about pro figures that a person who has never dealt with pro ventriloquist figures before needs to know.

The size of the figure is one thing to look out for ( exceptions are on rare occations where a vintage 1920's or earlier figure is the size of your standard doll (something like that would be for display and not for use for sure)

Most of your pro vent figures range in size from "35" to "42" and are quite large as far as portions go for visibility on stage.  Most pro or pro styled figures you will find will be either made of fibreglass, basswood, and in rare occations paper mache.  There are even some made from "plastic wood", which is something that isn't commonly used anymore due to the fact it's very fragile if not worked with correctly.

All of them can sit up on their own for the most part without danger of falling over.  They have hollow bodies and a headstick which rotates the head 360 degrees most of the time. Most newer figures have a ball and socket neck, whereas some older figures will not have. Most all of them have a head lock to keep the head in place. 

Also, most pro figures have a wig on them. You will find that most dolls have nothing but a plastic head that's been formed to look like hair.

Another thing is that most pro figures either have side to side moving, self centering eyes. On some rare occations you'll find one with fixed eyes, but the eyes have still been cut out on the head with eye balls fixed in behind. 

ALL pro ventriloquist figures (or dummies) have a trap door in the back of their head for access to the mechanics for any maintenance or repairs that need to be done and is also used in the building of the figure for installation purposes. 

Another thing to look for is dolls that have been re-built into semi-pro vent figures. The dolls can easily be converted into a semi-pro figure. They're given a hard body and the head is re-done with a head stick, moving eyes, controls, etc. They've also been given a wig on most occations. They only range in size from "30" to "32".  Due to the fact they're small, they aren't recommended for anyone who is very serious about performing as a ventriloquist. They can't be seen very well at all at certain distances.  However, I highly  recommend a re-built doll for a child who is learning to be a ventriloquist. It would give them good practice and let the parents see if they're going to be serious about it before spending a fortune on a pro figure. Plus these semi-pro, re-built dolls would be easier for a child to handle.

If it says Charlie McCarthey, Mortimer Snerd, Danny O' Day,Oliver Harty, Stan Laurel, W.C. Fields, Grouco Marx, Black Lester, Emmit Kelley, Bozo the Clown, Horseman, Willie Talk, or Juro in the description and the thing is only "28" to "30", THEN IT IS A DOLL and NOT a PRO VENTRILOQUIST FIGURE!!!

If you're looking to find a cheap deal, then you're probably out of luck. Most pro figures sold on ebay are not brand new and are most likely collectors items and figure collectors will pay as much as it takes to get them. 

I've had one or two people tell me that it would be impossible for a figure to be worth any less than what they get for it, which is entirely untrue. I was told in the past that it costs at least $500 to build a good pro or pro styled figure; which is entirely un-true. I've been researching building figures for myself and plan to get into doing it soon and I can build one for $230 that's of pretty high quality. 

COLLECTORS FIGURES

If you find any figures created by Craig Lovik, Chuck Jackson, Tim Selberg (who's a REALLY nice and great person by the way!!!!!), or any other famous figure maker, then expect to pay top dollar for it. 

But, if you're wanting a rare collectors item,wanting to start a figure collection, and willing to pay as much as it takes, just hang around here long enough and you'll luck out! 

For those of you looking for a figure who have never done it before; I hope this guide has helped you in your search! If I 've saved just one person from buying a little doll instead of what they were really after, I'll be happy!  :-)

Arkansasventriloquist