“Humpty Dumpty” children’s paper tearing trick

The 1948 advertisement (illustrated here) describes a long sheet of paper printed in red and black showing Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall. To the well-known Nursery Rhyme, the magician tears up the sheet to illustrate how Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and became broken in pieces. The magician continues the story; ‘All the King’s Horses and all the King’s Men could not put Humpty together again’. Maybe not, but the magician squeezes the pieces and when opened out into a long strip again, there is Humpty back sitting on the wall. This trick came out in the period of post war shortages. A simple red and black picture would have suited the period. The example in the collection, shown here, is in red and green and is probably from the 1980s. This is a Davenports item, confirmed by the LD & Co in the bottom left corner and the DEMON on the standard carried by the horseman.