Canadian Animated Alarm Clocks

Westclox Canada in Peterborough, Ontario and Ingraham Canadian in Toronto made several models of windup (spring driven) animated alarm clocks in the mid 20th century for the Canadian market.  The Westclox PIXIE model dates to the 1930s. The other two are a decade later: 1940s/50s EARLY BIRD (bobbing robin with worm) and late 1950s WOODY'S CAFE (Woody Woodpecker, Walter Lantz license).

Examples of these are shown in our Galleries section:  ANIMATED ALARM CLOCKS.

During the 20th century many American, European, and Chinese companies also made various versions of "animated" alarm clocks.  The standard balance wheel movements were modified with an extended escape wheel arbor (axle) or first wheel arbor passing through the colourful dials to the front.   The result was a ROCKING motion (e.g. a bird, head, or arm) or a ROTATING motion (e.g. a ball or wheel) to attract attention.  And there are some models with two eyes moving back and forth, seen through two holes in the dial .

Westclox, Lux, Ingersoll, New Haven, and Waterbury all made animated alarm clocks in the United States, some as early as the 1930s.  Other models date as recent as the 1970s.

Westclox in Scotland (e.g. a ball on a seal's nose), Smith in England (e.g. bobbing chicken, Noddy head), and Bayard in France (various Disney characters under license) also produced similar animated models during the same time period.

Examples found with the word STURM and MADE IN BRAZIL on the dial were probably made in the Westclox factory there (e.g. rocking goose, cowboy models).

Animated models also turn up from Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and China (e.g. moving eyes models and a student's arm waving Chairman Mao's Little Red Book).