Ye Olde Curiosity Shop: Sylvester Bobble Head

Seattle, Washington

On a recent visit to Seattle, we made our traditional pilgrimage to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Among other wonders, the owners previewed a new souvenir that is certain to thrill tourists. They unveiled a prototype for the Sylvester Bobble Head.

The Bobble Head is a somewhat faithful rendition of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop's famous American mummy, named Sylvester.

The real Sylvester appears more reddish brown -- like beef jerky -- than the pale flesh tone of the statue. And his nasty teeth are tastefully absent. But his signature moustache, face, limbs, and Indian blanket loin cloth are correct.

The story is that Sylvester was found in the Arizona desert by two cowboys. The Shop acquired him in 1955, and he has been displayed in a glass case ever since. He smells pretty rank outside of the case, a combination of slow deterioration and embalming saturation with arsenic. The bobble head is manufactured from plastic and is odorless.

The Sylvester bobble head should be available in the store by mid-June. Also just in at the store are newly acquired curios -- a 2-headed calf and a 4-legged hen.

Also see: Ye Olde Curiosity Shop