Ventriloquist Figure, Bob Campbell: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The ventriloquist figure known as “Bob Campbell” was created by puppeteer Jay Johnson for the TV comedy series, Soap. The character of Bob was used often as an uninhibited alter ego for Chuck, spouting outrageous observations about various situations and characters. The series, which aired on the ABC network from 1977 to 1981, was a prime-time weekly, half-hour satire of daytime television soap operas. As devised by writer-producer, Susan Harris, the show was highly controversial for its time, dealing openly with such topics as race, religion, sexuality and organized crime.

Jay Johnson (born 1949) best known for his roles on the television show Soap and the Broadway show, Jay Johnson: the Two and Only!, is a writer, comedian, ventriloquist, cartoonist, magician, and puppeteer. The character of Bob is the most recognized of his many ventriloquist figures. Dressed in a vivid “mod” orange T-shirt and jeans, Bob appears to be the quintessence of the 1970s, the decade of his birth. A wooden control, accessed through an opening in the back, which triggers the movement of the head, eyes, and mouth.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1977
• Object Name: puppet
• Physical Description: fabric (overall material)
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
• Physical Description: plaster (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 43 in x 15 in x 6 1/2 in; 109.22 cm x 38.1 cm x 16.51 cm
• Subject: Entertainment, general
• Subject: Television
• Subject: Puppetry
• general subject association: Television
• ID Number: 2007.0079.01
• accession number: 2007.0079
• catalog number: 2007.0079.01
• Credit Line: Jay K. Johnson
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.