Nellie The Elephant- The Toy Dolls (1984)

Description

Additional information about this, The Toy Dolls vinyl art.

The Toy Dolls – The Artist

Toy Dolls are an English punk rock band formed in 1979. Departing from the angry lyrics and music often associated with punk rock, The Toy Dolls worked within the aesthetics of punk to express a sense of fun, with songs such as “Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead”, “My Girlfriend’s Dad’s a Vicar” and “James Bond Lives Down Our Street”. There is often alliteration in their song titles (e.g. “Peter Practice’s Practice Place”, “Fisticuffs in Frederick Street”, “Neville Is a Nerd”). They are probably best known however for their sole UK hit, a punk-rock cover of “Nellie the Elephant”. The Toy Dolls formed as a quartet featuring vocalist Pete “Zulu” Robson; guitarist Michael Algar, also known as Olga (born 1962, South Shields, England); drummer Colin “Mr. Scott” Scott; and bassist Phillip “Flip” Dugdale. After just a few gigs, Zulu left to form his own band and was replaced by Paul “Hud” Hudson on vocals for one concert. After Hud’s departure, the Toy Dolls became a trio, with guitarist Olga assuming permanent vocal duties.

Nellie The Elephant- The Song

Nellie The Elephant is a single by the English rock band, The Stranglers from 1977. On its release it was not an album track but later appeared on CD reissues of the album. It was however a double A-sided release in 1977, with the song Something Better Change. The intro includes a sample from the original 1956 release.

The original Nellie The Elephant is a children’s song written in 1956 by Ralph Butler and Peter Hart about a fictional anthropomorphic elephant of that name. The original version, released on Parlophone R 4219 in 1956, was recorded by English child actress Mandy Miller with an orchestra conducted by Phil Cardew. It was arranged by Ron Goodwin and produced by George Martin. Although never a hit single, it was played countless times on BBC national radio in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly on Children’s Favourites.

The Elephant – The Shape

Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea. Three species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. All elephants have several distinctive features, the most notable of which is a long trunk, used for many purposes, particularly breathing, lifting water, and grasping objects. Their incisors grow into tusks, which can serve as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. Elephants’ large ear flaps help to control their body temperature. Their pillar-like legs can carry their great weight. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs while Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They prefer to stay near water. 

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