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Friday, August 25, 2023

I Found Him!

Cantinflas figure


In my previous post, I asked for help identifying this 33-inch man figure that wears a houndstooth suit with a cigarette in its mouth.

After the post was published, I did some additional research and found the same figure on eBay. It is described by the seller as follows:

Vintage, rare Cantinflas 3-D movie theater lobby standee with faux hair, fabric suit and ascot. Head turns and arms move in every direction. Don't know movie, but houndstooth suit, ascot and ever present cigarette identify the Cantinflas character to the Cantinflas fan. Cantinflas figure has weighted legs so item can be placed on any flat surface. Cantinflas measures approximately 34 inches tall, 9 inches wide, 5 inches deep. Head, hands and shoes all show surface wear, and face shows some discoloration (see photos). Faux hair is beginning to shed. Ascot is somewhat disheveled; however, suit appears to be in good condition. Great conversation piece. Great piece of memorabilia for the Cantinflas fan.
Here is the link to the eBay auction.

Who was Cantinflas? Wikipedia has the answer:

Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas (Spanish pronunciation: [kanˈtiɱflas]), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely accomplished Mexican comedian and is celebrated throughout Latin America and in Spain as a popular icon. His humor, loaded with Mexican linguistic features of intonation, vocabulary, and syntax, is beloved in all the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America and in Spain and has given rise to a range of expressions including cantinflearcantinfladacantinflesco, and cantinflero.

Like his 33-inch (or 34-inch by the eBay seller's measurement) figure, Cantinflas (the comedian/filmmaker) appears to wear a brown houndstooth suit in this Águila o sol DVD photo cover. (The Águila o sol film is from 1938; so, the figure is probably from that year as well. It quite possibly represents the role Cantinflas played in this 1938 film.)

The figure in this completed auction wears the same suit and might be the actual way the Cantinflas figure was used since one hand is designed to hold something.


Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes a.k.a. Cantinflas 
  

The above photo is from the I Am Cantinflas biography website.


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4 comments:

  1. Wow, your figure is in way better shape!! What an interesting history though, so its a 3-D ad for an old movie. The likeness isn't too bad, I have definitely seen worse. I do still wonder WHY they flocked him though! Do they think Mexicans are fuzzy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So they probably flock them to keep the wigs and hats on better. Maybe the person that made him was used to making mannequins?

      Delete
  2. We are not worthy of you!!! Chauk another up for Doll Detective Debbie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, but yes, you are worthy! I love a good doll sleuthing challenge. 😊

      Delete

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