Thanks to Carson Scott!

Ditty Talk Hawkins was adopted by Carson Scott. Thanks, Carson, for choosing this amazing dummy! Ditty Talk Hawkins is one among four dummies sold to W.S. Berger in 1967 by Ted Estes, son of Lt. Lee Allen Estes.

Lt. Estes was a Kentucky State Trooper who used magic and ventriloquism to educate children in school safety shows. He died of a heart attack on January 28, 1967, at the age of 53. His son contacted Mr. Berger about Lee's dummies in February of that year. After having worked out a plan for Estes to bring the dummies to Vent Haven for Mr. Berger to inspect and likely buy, Mr. Berger's wife died on April 3rd. Mr. Berger was so distraught that he cancelled the visit and the purchase. A few weeks later, Mr. Berger wrote Estes and said he would help find a buyer. They rescheduled their visit and eventually reached a deal that Mr. Berger would buy them after all.

This particular dummy has McElroy mechanics, paint, and a McElroy body, but is not made from a McElroy sculpt; in fact, the head is wood carved. Glenn McElroy stated that the head was sent to them from Lt. Estes to be reworked. The origin of the head is unknown. The McElroy mechanics installed include a winker, moving eyebrows, a stick out tongue, a blinker, moving eyes and upper lip, and wiggling ears. Ditty Talk Hawkins is seated in the McElroy section of the Josephine Berger Memorial Building.