English Morris Dancer

[Martin Milner]

In England, from St George's Day until the failing days of September draw Summer to a close, Morris Men may be encountered dancing at Fairs, Village Fetes, and outside pubs. Famed for their virility and endurance, it takes a special breed of man to wear a flowery hat and wave a couple of handkerchiefs about in public.


Our Morris Man dances to welcome the dawn on 1st May. If he doesn't do this, the sun won't rise.


Switching to two short sticks for Constant Billy from the village of Adderbury, and our dancer has drawn a small crowd.


Back to hankies for Bonny Green Garters, an audience participation dance, before retiring to the pub for a well earned pint.

[Sir Gareth]

What an unusual choice to make a custom figure of and very nicely done it is to. 

Thanks for showing it.

[playmofire]

An amazing choice for a custom, and very nicely done, too, and it's nice to see the different dances. What's next - a band to accompany him?

[Tiermann]

I agree - great custom and a neat choice of subject. 

[cachalote]

 
when i saw your beautiful pictures, martin, i instantly thought of how similar morris men are to the portuguese "pauliteiros".
although they dance all around the year thay also wear hats with flowers and use wood sticks in their dances.
ina an evan more viril display, they dress skirts.
 

[Martin Milner]

What's next - a band to accompany him?

I'd really like to do a whole team of six dancers with a couple of musicians - a fiddle player and a melodeon player would suit, and the instruments are in the playmobil lineup. I think I'd have to modify the "kit" a little, as this figure was put together with pieces from seven different sets, but it's doable. I'm trying to source plain white bodies on eBay at present. Oddly now that Playmobil print on the bodies, there's only one in the current catalogue - on Noah in the Noah's arc set, and I'm not paying £50 to get one white body!

when i saw your beautiful pictures, martin, i instantly thought of how similar morris men are to the portuguese "pauliteiros".
although they dance all around the year thay also wear hats with flowers and use wood sticks in their dances.
ina an evan more viril display, they dress skirts.
 

They do look remarkably similar, cachalote, and I wouldn't be at all suprised if the dance style developed from the same source.

While in Washington DC I saw some native Central Americans doing a dance (on video), and it was also very clearly the same style, and the music was spookily close to the way we play.

It's too cold & wet in the UK to dance all year round (darn, it was too cold and wet for much of this "Summer"), but we continue weekly practised in the off-season, and the team do a special dance for Christmas (to a well known Christmas Carol) and Boxing Day. Actually I think it may just be an excuse to get out of doing the post-Christmas dish washing and go down the pub instead.

[playmofire]

I'd really like to do a whole team of six dancers with a couple of musicians - a fiddle player and a melodeon player would suit, and the instruments are in the playmobil lineup. I think I'd have to modify the "kit" a little, as this figure was put together with pieces from seven different sets, but it's doable. I'm trying to source plain white bodies on eBay at present. Oddly now that Playmobil print on the bodies, there's only one in the current catalogue - on Noah in the Noah's arc set, and I'm not paying £50 to get one white body!

Maybe a thread in the wanted/trading forum seeking white bodied klickies will help.  I think I may have some (I know I gave one away yesterday in some stuff for a play group); I'll have a look and get back to you.

[Martin Milner]

Hi Playmofire,

I'm actually snapping up white bodied Klickies on eBay quite quickly and cheaply - they're the older-bodied figures that people are selling off now they or their children have outgrown them (poor people losing touch with their inner child!), so I probably wont need to advertise, but if you have any spare maybe we can arrange a trade?

The white legs/black shoes are more of a problem, as the ones I have are kind of important to figures I want to keep them on. I might use all white or all black legs (1974 style), as I seem to be acquiring those quite easily too (usually in the same auctions).

The most difficult item to acquire is the black belt. The one I used has a knife holder on the back left hip (hence the camera angle), and I didn't want to cut that off for these photos, but might do if I were to create a full permanent team of dancers.These black belts are rare, I've only found 2 so far, and again they're important to the figures they're on.

I based this Morris Man loosely on my own team's kit, the Spring Grove Morris Men, but other teams wear different colours, so if I invent a new Playmo Morris Men team there's no harm in designing a new kit of my own.

[EDWINMODELS]

Hi Martin

And to think I felt embarrassed about being an Estate Agent. And I love Playmobil trains but am not a train spotter or an anorak. However I think your Morris Man is great. Being British we tend to feel a tad embarrassed about our culture. You might remember a politician, smaller P on purpose, remarking than the worst thing in the world would be to be stuck in a pub with Folk Singers. Long live the rites of May - Craig

[Sylvia]

Very original idea for a custom!

He's a bit like your "mini me" then, I suppose?

You've done a top job of representing your team's costume in klicky form.
Will you be taking him along to any performances?