This is an anthropomorphic stove character that appeared briefly (just a single panel), in the story "The Fashionable Fireman and The Soft-Boiled Collar-Button" that ran in October 1943's Jingle Jangle Comics #5. Said series was published by Eastern Color (under the Famous Funnies, Inc. imprint) and lasted for 42 issues (February 1942 to December 1949.) Jingle Jangle Comics was released on a bi-monthly basis, individual issues cost ten cents, and the books were sixty-eight pages in length. The stories were intended for children and consisted of humorous, nonsensical fare. George L. Carlson was the primary artist and Stephen Douglas the editor.

While this particular character wasn't actually given a name in the story, it is directly referred to with a text box stating that "Meantime the Wooden Allegro decided to let his stove polish whenever it wanted to and . . ." Besides the stove, there are numerous other animate objects to be found throughout the adventure, including a ship's anchor delivering mail and the titular Soft-Boiled Collar-Button.

I made this model specifically for a Golden Age Comics themed custom figure contest at Figure Realm. Reasoning that most of the challenge's participants were likely to choose super heroes and villains as their subject matter, I set out to find something more unusual and unique. Doing some research at my local library, I found a Smithsonian tome that contained a collection of Golden Age Comic Book samples; nestled between such standbys as Batman, Superman, Captain Marvel/Shazam, Plastic Man, and The Spirit, I discovered Jingle Jangle Comics and this character. While I can't say that I particularly liked "The Fashionable Fireman and The Soft-Boiled Collar-Button" (too disjointed/surreal for my tastes), the idea of an animate stove appealed to me, so, that's what I decided to bring to life in three dimensions.

Materials:
Newsprint, Manila paper, cardboard from a microwave popcorn box, white glue, wire twist ties, ink, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions:
4.3 cm/1.7 in. x 6.8 cm/2.7 in. (widest point x highest point)

Time:
Roughly two days. I made and painted the stove body and pipe in the afternoon/evening on September 29th, 2011. The arms, brushes, and legs were created and attached the following morning on the 30th (which also happened to be the last day to submit entries for said contest--procrastination at its finest, no?)

•   A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics.
  Edited by Michael Barrier & Martin Williams
  1981 Smithsonian Institute Press/Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York


•   Wikipedia Jingle Jangle Comics article.

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The repeating background is a page from "The Fashionable Fireman and The Soft-Boiled Collar-Button" story.