“Your fist becomes a real face!”
Released in 1966 by Remco, Fist Faces Funny Face Toy was an inventive but straightforward novelty item that turned a child’s fist into a moving puppet-like character.
The boxed set included four plastic facial inserts, a wig, a kerchief, and a small lip-colouring pencil. To create their own Fist Face, kids slid the wig between their fingers, added the eyes and nose pieces, then made a fist and used the lip-colouring pencil to draw in the mouth and complete the face.
By wiggling their fingers, they could make the assembled character twitch, blink, or grimace. The concept was intentionally low-tech, relying entirely on hand movement to animate the personalities.
A year later, Remco revisited the idea with a tie-in to the 1967 film Doctor Dolittle. Marketed as Doctor Dolittle Animal Fist Faces, the follow-up set replaced the human expressions with four animal versions and reused the wig and kerchief accessories.
COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS
Boxes are prone to wear, so well-preserved packaging significantly improves desirability. Confirm that all four faces, wig, kerchief, and lip-colour pencil are present, as loose sets are often incomplete. Check the face inserts for cracks, warping, or discoloration.
Note: If you buy something using the eBay link in this story, we may earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting independent toy journalism!