Electric Snake Scarecrow

Those high-tech scientists at General Electric have solved many problems, but this “Electric Snake” scarecrow wasn’t one of them. Let’s read the press release from 1951: ELECTRIC SNAKE “SHOCKS” ROBINS An “electric snake” keeps marauding robins out of a GE engineer’s garden here. Simple but effective, the “snake” itself consists of two basic parts: a 12 foot light bamboo fishpole and a thin heart-shaped piece of aluminum about 10 inches in diameter. The pole is striped with alternating bands of green and red paint. The head is white with glaring black eyes. What scares the birds away is the fact that the “snake” moves. A clock motor connected to the pole at its balance point keeps it turning continuously. Squirrels, who like strawberries, are unimpressed by the contraption, according to Halsey W. Kline who built the “snake.” Original General Electric News Bureau promotional photograph, September 6 1951. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb