Figure of the Month
December 2007: Joe Nemo

Figure Name: Joe Nemo

Created by: Unknown

Used by: The Great Edgar

Trivia: 
1. Joe Nemo was used by German ventriloquist Paul Edgar Reick, who performed under the name The Great Edgar.
2. Vent Haven founder W.S. Berger purchased Joe and three other figures from the Great Edgar in 1965.
3. Along with the four figures, Edgar included a letter describing each of the figures and Edgar's career.
4. In that letter, Edgar stated that Joe Nemo's last name is taken from Latin and means "no body."
5. According to the letter, Joe was originally used as a robot which was operated by assistants offstage. It was later converted to a ventriloquist figure.
6. Edgar states in the letter that he sculpted the figure, but a "mechanic" did the inner workings of the robot. Edgar states that at the time of the letter--as far as he knew--the mechanic was still alive, but the mechanic was trapped in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall was erected, and that Edgar had not spoken with him in 20 years.
7. Edgar claims in the letter that there were several parties interested in keeping Joe Nemo in Germany, and that he had received several offers higher than Berger's offer, but that Edgar sold the figure to Berger for two reasons: 1) Because he knew Berger would treasure the figure and care for it, and 2) Because he remembered that, during shortages caused by World War II, Berger had sent Edgar "care packages" and asked nothing in return .

Do you have additional information about this figure? Do you have a suggestion for a future Figure of the Month? Is there a figure maker whose work you would like to see featured? Let us know by emailing the Vent Haven staff.