Frank Marshall, the famous woodcarver from Chicago, always claimed that he made the dummy that would become
Charlie McCarthy. A recently discovered document backs his story. He also made
Paul Winchell's
Jerry Mahoney and
Knucklehead Smiff dummies,
Jimmy Nelson's
Danny O'Day and
Farfel the Dog (famous for Nestlé's commercials), and
Terry Bennett's Red Flannels and Rusty Hinges, as well as many other famous dummies.
Edgar Bergen used three Charlie McCarthy dummies over the years. One can be seen in the Smithsonian Institution; one is in the Museum Of Broadcasting & Communications in Chicago; and the third was purchased by magician
David Copperfield for $110,000. Bergen retired in 1978 and died three weeks later; he was 75. Charlie still lives on... display.