Watschenmann

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Watschenmann on the Vienna Prater in 1935

The Watschenmann was a man-sized figure typical of the Vienna Prater at shooting ranges and other stalls.

Function and history

1950s

Such a figure usually had a large balloon-like head covered with leather. It gave her a slapped (slap), taking a characteristic buzzing and rattling sound uttered. The strength of the blow was measured with a pointer instrument above the head. It was considered "something for strengths / show-offs or for everyone to let off steam". The predecessor is said to have been a Turkish figure made of fabric. In the later common form as a force measuring device with a coin slot, it first appeared around 1890 and lasted until the 1970s. Variations like "Watschenfrauen" and "Watschenaffen" were only short-term phenomena. A copy of a classic Watschenmann is exhibited today in Vienna's Pratermuseum. Modern successors are dynamometers such as arm wrestling machines, or machines that can be hit.

reception

The word Watschenmann entered colloquial language in the sense of whipping boy . One of these phrases is "don't let yourself be made into a waddling man". A well-known satirical broadcast on Austrian radio was called Der Watschenmann . In the jingle, which is sung by Heissa in a funny and carefree way from Raimund's spendthrift , the typical beating sound can be heard at the end.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Johann Werfring: The musealization of the Watschenmann. Wiener Zeitung, January 14, 2016, archived from the original on December 10, 2016; Retrieved on November 27, 2019 (column museum pieces, supplement ProgrammPoints p. 7).
  2. ^ Johann Werfring: patient face for angry Viennese . Wiener Zeitung, November 15, 2012, archived from the original on December 7, 2016; Retrieved on November 27, 2019 (column museum pieces, supplement ProgrammPoints p. 7).
  3. ↑ duden.de: Watschenmann, der . Accessed December 7, 2016
  4. ↑ Elisabeth Mach: The joke in words: to the mocking comedy on Austrian radio. Analysis and comparison . University of Vienna, diploma thesis 2012 p. 60f.
  5. ↑ Watschenmann jingle in the Austrian media library . Accessed November 27, 2019

Web links

Commons : Watschenmann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Watschenmann  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations