Who Made the “Hen With Bonnet” Talking Cookie Jar?
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Who Made the “Hen With Bonnet” Talking Cookie Jar? This colorful vintage hen cookie jar has been something of a mystery to collectors. It is always unmarked , and surviving examples are almost always missing the original voice box . Today it is commonly described as a “Hen with Bonnet,” “Talking Hen,” or simply as an unidentified hen cookie jar. Some examples are attributed to Shawnee Pottery. Period advertising tells a different story. The Talking Hen The jar was introduced by at least 1950 and originally contained a mechanical voice device inside its removable head. When the head was lifted and turned over, the hen would “cackle” or cry “Ma-Ma,” supposedly alerting mother that someone was stealing a cookie. The same distinctive jar appeared in advertisements under several names, including Henny Cackler, Talking Hen, TAT-L-TALE, Mrs. Hen, Hen Cackle, Crying Hen, Setting Hen and Cookie Jar with Voice . One advertisement even described its head covering as a red bonne...
