Wackel-Elvis

Wackel-Elvis (German pronunciation: [ˈvakəlˈɛlvɪs], "Wobbly Elvis") is a 6 inches (15 cm) tall, hanging dashboard figure designed to resemble musician and actor Elvis Presley. A prototype of the figure was first introduced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi in a series of television commercials which were broadcast in several European countries. The commercials were produced by the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi in 2001 to promote Audi's new continuously variable "multitronic" transmission. Due to a high demand by Elvis fans after publication of the commercials, 15,000 Wackel-Elvis figures were produced and sold at the Audi factory outlet store.

Different from the design found in most conventional bobblehead dolls, not the head of the figure nods or wobbles on an otherwise static figure. Instead, the Wackel-Elvis figure is suspended from an elastic band connected to a suction cup attached to the windshield or rear window of a vehicle. The waist and left shoulder of the figure are equipped with flexible metal spring joints while its right foot stands on a pointed nail. This design prompts the figure to swing its hips, pivot around its vertical axis and shake its left arm up and down while the vehicle is in motion, creating an effect that resembles Elvis Presley performing on stage.

Wackel-Elvis was designed to portray musician and actor Elvis Presley around the time of the early 1970s. The dress of Wackel-Elvis resembles the white jumpsuit Elvis Presley wore in the 1973 Aloha from Hawaii television satellite broadcast. Other than most conventional bobblehead dolls, in which a flexible neck joint connects a wobbling head to a static figure that rests on a surface, Wackel-Elvis is attached to the inside of the windshield or rear window of a vehicle. The figure is suspended from a suction cup connecting to an adjustable elastic string which, at its other end, is attached to a loop on top of the head of the figure. On a sharply pointed nail, protruding approximately .2 inches (5 mm) from the sole of the right foot of the figure, Wackel-Elvis stands on top of the dashboard or rear cargo cover. With the vehicle in motion, the left arm stretched away from the body of the figure produces centrifugal force, causing the figure to spin back and forth around its vertical axis. While spinning, the foot of the figure is held in place by the nail and its head held in place being suspended from the string. The left arm and hip of Wackel-Elvis wobble consistent with the vehicle motion, creating the illusion of Elvis Presley performing or dancing on stage.

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