(Photograph courtesy of John Perschbacher.)

National coin piano with a retrofitted Dancing Figure trade stimulator. The original booklet caption for this photograph, circa 1930, is as follows: "Coin-operated automatic piano with jointed figure which dances to and fro across the miniature stage in perfect time with the music." The piano case has been refinished in green with decorative pinstriping, typical for National pianos refurbished by the factory and retrofitted with either an Automatic Whippet Race or a Dancing Figure type of trade stimulator.

(Photograph courtesy of John Perschbacher.)

Close-up of the miniature stage on which the dancing figure performs. Of interest is the control knob at the lower right corner of the window. This appears to be the same "Reset / Race" control knob as used with the Automatic Whippet Race mechanism. Whether, or not, some kind of control knob was necessary for the Dancing Figure device is currently unknown, but the knob's mere presence does raise some vexing questions. For example, was this piano first retrofitted with an Automatic Whippet Race, but then refitted with a Dancing Figure device?

(Photograph courtesy of Dick Hack.)

A crudely made amateurish Dancing Figure device from a National coin piano. This simple contraption, along with a Simplex stack and other useful parts, came from a National piano that was junked out for parts many years ago (serial number never recorded). And, unfortunately, nothing is known regarding the pedigree of this junked piano, eliminating any chance of possibly substantiating the source of the dancing doll attachment.

The pneumatic shown at picture left suspended the "dancing figure" doll. It was screwed to the back side of the front panel above the window and toward the left side, possibly to avoid the "Music Changed Weekly" sign. All this lone pneumatic could do is cause the doll to bob up and down, and if the movement was repeated quickly enough the arms and legs probably gyrated and uncontrollably flopped around, albeit with little consideration for the piano melody being played.

(Photograph courtesy of Dick Hack.)

Close-up of the dancing doll's upper torso and face. This image more clearly shows the crude method used to suspend the figure—a rigid but loose wire noose around its neck. This noose arrangement would keep the head oddly tilted one way or another, but perhaps posture was unimportant to whomever designed this amusement device.