Just another mint NOS Hum-A-Tune

Just another mint and new old stock Hum-A-Tune (yellow, this time!). This one is so clean that even the stapples aren't rusty, and the pre-perforated hole for hanging on a display is not hollow.

Humatune ?!?

In the field of the historical research, new discoveries and findings often do not help much to achieve the puzzle or even consolidate it, but generally open new breaches in the 'global frame', and make even more fragile the facts that were regarded as ascertained. This is particularly true in nose flute historic research, and notably because there is no previous corpus to lean on.



I found a vintage nose flute that is a real mystery, the Humatune. Oh yes, it sounds like the Hum-A-Tune, the late 1960s Hong Kong copy of the plastic Gretsch Humanatone (see here for instance), but this Humatune brand wears no dashes. Yes, it has the shape of a Gretsch Humanatone, but it is made of metal. Yes, it was made in Japan, like the Gretsch metal Humanatone (see here). In fact it is the exact same flute that the Japan made metal Humanatone. Just the brand and the packaging are different.

Both Humatune and Humanatone, Japan make:
In fact, it is not the packaging which is different, but the brand, the color and the text. All the rest is identical. May we deduce that one follows the other or could have they been sold at the same time, and if so, why?

The Humatune clearly uses the same branding codes and graphic chart that the Humanatone, also declined on the 1950-60 plastic version box (see here)



So, the Humatune should be a Fred Gretsch Mfg Co. product. But there were earlier versions of the plastic Humanatone (since 1943), and the brand 'Humanatone' was already a Gretsch property. So why having used an new brand ?

As we said, the printed texts are different. It is interesting to notice the differences, notably in the titles, on one hand "The Nose Flute / A musical instrument…" and on the other hand "Nose Flute / The musical instrument…". It is sometimes possible to deduce which text is prior to another one, for instance when typo had been corrected. But here ...



Although the text is elegant and rather regular, a closer look shows that it had been hand written. Not even produced with a lettering guide... Check the differences between the letters (the size of the 'o' or the 's' for instance). This is pure meticulous hand writing:



And this was probably the same person who wrote both text. The global 'hand' is the same, but more, the little mistakes are the same! For instance, the 'kerning' mistakes regarding the just placement of the 'i' between 'r' and 'l' in NOSTRILS, etc.




(this is not a) Conclusion

The Japan make Humatune and Humanatone should probably have not been sold at the same moment. Indeed, as they were both produced by the same company and share many identities, the text should have been the same. So, my opinion is that one preceded the other. Which one first?



Points in favor of the anteriority of the Humanatone:

- The headline "The musical instrument that anybody can play" is placed on the Humanatone version just over a insertion cutting: when the instrument is on the cardboard, it masks half of the text. The Humatune version, on whish the text has been displaced, may look as a correction.


Points in favor of the anteriority of the Humatune:

- If the first metal flute had been branded Humanatone, there would have been absolutely no obvious reason to change the brand into a new and unknown brand.

- "… and first finger of hand" [Humatune] sounds like gibberish (would one have thought they could play with their foot ?). The sentence "… and forfinger of either hand" [Humanatone] sounds like a correction.

- The use of the article 'the' ('the nose flute') is a bit strange, and did not appeared on the the different boxes that packaged the plastic version. This looks like an archaïc version.

- The sentence "No opening at the corner of the mouth so air can escape" is not very clear. On the Humanatone, the last part is missing. This could have been a correction.

- "you can play" [Humanatone] sounds like a simplification of "you can learn to play" [Humatune]

- 'firmly' ("Hold the Humanatone firmly") is a word you would add, but probably not remove from a user manual. It doesn't appear on the Humatune.

- Many other little details ... "anybody"/"anyone", "hum a tune or sing"/"sing, hum or whistle a tune"… plead in favor of the Humanatone as an amended version.


So, why would have the Gretsch co. used another brand in the early version of this instrument ? Could have it been in order to avoid confusion between the metal and the plastic instruments ?
Could have Gretsch bought a competitor called Humatune, kept the name, but replaced the instrument and the graphic chart ?

Hum-A-Tune: Another Version!

The Hum-A-Tune was a Humanatone cheap copy made in Hong Kong in the mid to late 1960s. We already published here and here, about the two (packaging) versions we had. Plus the Bulwinkle branded version (see here).

We just found another version. The flute is the same, a low grade plastic Humanatone (not polystyrene like in the Gretsch original version), not "true tremolo" hole, and no stampings beside a reversed "Made in Hong Kong" on the inside of the mouth shield. But aslightly different version of the packaging.



In this version, the red color surrounds a yellow splash, much more flashy! The typo ink as turn from navy blue to black. And again, the whole text has been designed once more. On the back side, the text is now medium blue, while it was almost black in (what I suppose to be) the previous versions.



Let's make a little comparison between them all (1-2-3 or 1-3-2 ?):

A Humanatone copy from 1997

Maikel Mei generously sent us a lot of plastic nose flutes made in China. These are Humanatone copies in very bright colors, which appeared in 1997 (check the end of this post). Bright colors, indeed, with very interesting shades, notably ranging from orange to pink.



Yes, this is a copy, and no brand or text appears on the nose flute (for sure no patent references), except "Made in China". This is the only detail that keeps from calling it a total forgery. Indeed, if you check a Hum-a-Tune from the end of the 60s, you can see a Humanatone copy, but some differences : no "true tremolo" hole, no heel at the bottom of the mouth shield... In this case, this is a real copy : exact same shape, same dimensions, same details, same angle of the nose scoop...

Even the printed wrapping is an "interpretation" very inspired by the original : Yes, the drawing has been "re-drawn", the brand name has disappeared, but the text and his typesettings are absolutely identical.

Well, there some differences. First, as we told before, no text or patent mentions appear on the flute, except "Made in China". But there are other ones.
The most obvious is the quality of the plastic material that has been use in the injection. The genuine Humanatone one is a bit soft (PVC?), and the chinese spin-off one is much more breakable. With this plastic, some moulding stigmata were left on the air duct cover :



But the easiest way to make you feel the difference in the plastic is a recording : first, you can hear a genuine Humanatone falling on my desk. Then the chinese copy, dropped the same way (but I had to amplify the original Humanatone recording), then followed by a scale played on each (I must admit I prefer the chinese copy sound (2nd scale), a bit less "windy"):



Another difference lays in the quality of production. The chinese "Hum" has been made with no care, and the bottom of the mouth shield is rather "worn". Is it because the Humanatone was directly copied by moulding it ?



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On a similar topic :

- Hum-a-Tune : a vintage low grade copy
- Hum-a-Tune : different colors
- Bullwinkle's Hum-a-Tune and Humanatone
- Humanatone copy from 1997

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The Topps nose flute

The Topps Chewing Gum Company was founded in 1938, and from 1951, began to sell baseball cards that become its specialty. But the company continued to produce candies, and also some toys. Here is a Topps nose flute, found on The Topps Archives blog. According to the keeper of this blog and Wikipedia, the flute can be dated "after 1965", since the header card mentions Duryea as location for the company.



This nose flute clearly is a Humanatone, although I don't think it is stamped with this brand, which was still owned by the Fred Gretsch Mfg. Co. at this time (I cannot read what written on the flute itself...). However, it looks of a much better fabrication than the contemporary (end of the 60s) spin-off "Hum-a-tune" and its branded version Bullwinkle's Hum-a-Tune (1969), which were produced in Hong-Kong.

The Topps nose flute presents 2 features from the Humanatone that do not appear on the Hum-a-Tune : the small "true tremolo" hole on the right wing, and the lip-rest heel at the bottom (as did the late Gretsch Humanatones). The (yellow) plastic of this Topps looks more like the new Humanatones (consistent and not marbled).

I guess I can read on the header: « ©TOPPS CHEWING GUM, INC. / DURYEA, PA. 18642 / MADE & PRTD. IN U.S.A. » and I suppose this model was a "real Humanatone" by Gretsch (or already by Grover ?), but specially branded for the Topps Co. A physical examination would be necessary to be certain.

A Humanatone and clones chronology

In order to clarify my previous post, I attempted to depict a chronology of the Humanatone and its clones : old and modern shapes, that is, metal and plastic. The zones in plain color are "sure", and the ones filled with gradations represent uncertain dates.




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About metal Humanatones, check :

- Humanatone - part I : the metallic era
- New Humanatone ads
- The Two metal Humanatones
- Another metal Humanatone
- Humanatone boxes
- Another Humanatone box
- Humanatone: A very early user manual
- The Magic (Nose) Flute: only questions... .
- A Humanatone and clones chronology
- A Humanatone in 1892 ?
- Humanatone: Early promotional demos
- Another Humanatone archive
- Huma... something
- Rectification: Humanatone appearance date
- Great paper from 1903
- Nose Flute Pioneers: The Stivers - Part I
- Nose Flute Pioneers: The Stivers - Part II
- Nose Flute Pioneers: The Stivers - Part III
- Nose Flute Pioneers: The Stivers - Part IV
- Nose Flute Pioneers: The Stivers - Part V
- A Humanatone as a scientific tool
- Two other Humanatone Ads

And on later Humanatones :

- Humanatone - Part II : the Gretsch plastic era
- Humanatone - Part III : the Gretsch metal era

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Hum-a-Tune : different colors

We already presented the Hum-a-Tune in this blog. The basic version of this low-grade Humanatone copy first, here, and the branded Bullwinkle's version there.

Since, we found other representants of this Hong-Kong 1970's production. We discovered the range of colors proposed to the public, and also, that there had been at least 2 different versions of the packaging.

Some pictures of the babies :


And here is a comparison between the two different typos I noticed on the packaging, one printed in vermillion/dark blue, and the other carmine/black :


Which one was the first ? I don't know, but I assume that the blue typo was later than the black one, because the front design is more realized, more compact, and that the mispelling ("nostrile") has been corrected.

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On a similar topic :

- Hum-a-Tune : a vintage low grade copy
- Hum-a-Tune : different colors
- Bullwinkle's Hum-a-Tune and Humanatone
- Humanatone copy from 1997

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Bullwinkle's Hum-a-Tune and Humanatone

I found some vintage plastic nose flutes, dating to 1969. They were sold with the brand "Bullwinkle's Hum-a-Tune" for 29 cents, and made by Larami Corp.
The printed credits are : © P.A.T. WARD MCMLXIX (the Bullwinkle character creator) and ITEM NO 2820 LARAMI CORP .. PHILA. PA. 19107 PARTS MARKED WITH COUNTRY OF ORIGIN HONG KONG.

Bullwinkle J. Moose was a rather stupid moose, character of the 1959-1964 TV series Rocky and Bullwinkle, produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott. Many by-products were issued, including comics, plastic figurines and toys.

Larami Corp. was founded in 1947 and was a toy company whose products ranged from 39 to 99 cents. They were rack toys, doomed to convenience stores and grocery stores. Let's say cheap and crappy toys...

I already have a Hum-a-tune, with no particular branding, that I showed here. The regular Hum-a-Tune and the Bullwinkle's are strictly the same products.

The only exception, apart of the packaging, is the quality of plastics (the regular one is made in a softer and opaque plastic material). The Bullwinkle's is rather translucent.

Now, let's compare the Bullwinkle's to a modern Humanatone ...

First, the plastic material is absolutely not the same. On a blog, it is difficult to make feel the difference, but you can figure it with these little sound samples : the first sound is a Humanatone that I dropped on my desk, and the second the Bullwinkle's dropped the same way :



Next, as we already noticed in the Hum-a-Tune review, there is no true tremolo hole on the Bullwinkle's, nor padded strip at the bottom of the mouth cap.

More, contrarywise to the 1950 and the current Humanatone, no patent numbers appear inside the mouth cap. No "Humanatone" brand stamped, just "Made in Hong Kong".

And finally, the angle of the nose scoop is not the same :

This leads us to conclude that the Bullwinkle's and the Hum-a-Tune more generally, are not at all a different production of the « genuine » Humanatone. They are (low grade) copies, let's say forged Humanatones made in Hong Kong, but have nothing to do with the Gretsch or Trophy Music nose flutes, contrarywise - and this is said in a friendly way and with much respect - to what affirms and teaches Master Mosurin : There were no Humanatone made in China (nor in the Commonwealth's Hong Kong).

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On a similar topic :

- Hum-a-Tune : a vintage low grade copy
- Hum-a-Tune : different colors
- Bullwinkle's Hum-a-Tune and Humanatone
- Humanatone copy from 1997

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