Car figure penguin «halt's MAUL Beifahrer!»

A penguin with a red beak and red eye, the slogan «halt's MAUL Beifahrer!» across its pale belly — «shut up, passenger!», MAUL in red capitals, the rest in script.

In the fifties and sixties something stood on every second dashboard: a nodding dog, a saint, a hula girl — or an animal with a slogan. They were sold at petrol stations and accessory shops, usually with an adhesive pad on the foot. The tone was rougher than is usual today, and that is exactly what the piece lives on: it tells the passenger what the driver is biting back.

The body is cast and finished by hand — beak and eye are picked out individually. The lettering is printed, not applied as a decal. The round foot is flat and the figure stands by itself.

• Penguin figure with printed slogan
• «halt's MAUL Beifahrer!» across the belly
• Red beak, red eye
• Round foot, stands by itself
• No maker's mark

Good. The printing is complete and clearly legible, with light rubbing at the edges. The paint on beak and eye is intact. The foot is undamaged and the figure stands securely.