Alarm Clock Novelties

Alarm clocks are designed to make some kind of noise to give one a boost to wake up and get up.  Yes, these clocks are so demanding they require your full attention.  Then there are the ones that have a soothing sound that you want to turn over and go right back to sleep.  Whatever the noise is,  they are special because without these you would be late for work, school, meetings, or even taking prescribed medicine.  

The clock with the integrated alarm  ceased production in 1942, as the factories were manufacturing war supplies.  Then in 1944, these particular clocks  were the first consumer goods to be manufactured for civilian use.  Because older clocks were wearing out or breaking, there was a shortage of them.  Several clock companies were allowed to start producing new ones.

There are so many types of clocks in our stores that come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
 But the one kind of alarm clock that we don’t appreciate too much is the novelty kind.  The novelty timepiece must be unique in sound, or telling of time, and also must require a specialized configuration.

The “Flying Pendulum”, or Ignatz clock, was a one-day, time-only timepiece and it was patented in 1882.  People enjoyed seeing the pendulum swing from side to side.  Some of the clocks produced between 1874 and 1912 had eye movements.  As the pendulum swung, the eyes moved up and down.  There are many novelty clocks that use animals.  The cases are predominately metal, but there are a few wooden ones.  The Yale Clock Co. produced two rectangular tilted clocks on a base so that chess players could time their moves.  

In the 1900’s, a slot machine timepiece was made to accommodate those who liked to put money in the slots.

Other novelty alarm clocks were as follows:

Bell Tower  - Elf has animated arm.
Blacksmith  - Blacksmith moves arm.
Bull Fighter  - Charging bull moves head.

Animated alarms were as follows:

Animated Mouth   - Girls mouth moves as clock ticks away.
Ballerina  - Dancing ballerina, alarm, and music box.
Bambi  - Butterfly moves on Bambi’s tail.

It was thought that Mickey Mouse was the first cartoon-type timepiece; however, it was discovered that the animated novelty items dated back to the 19th century.  You can be fascinated by the animation and movement that they have.  They are truly symbols of days gone by.  They can remind us of early radio shows, comic books, bubble gum cards, early TV shows, newspaper cartoon strips, etc.  The list of memories is endless.  They can also be great conversational items.  Their artwork, design and some of the animations are unique.  Most of these novelty alarm clocks were very inexpensive.  They were thrown away, making them rare and scarce.
 
In conclusion,  novelty alarm clocks can be quite entertaining and interesting to the eye.  
Today, prices of  some of these novelty clocks range from $55.00 - $3,000.00.