Ken Dodd Happiness! exhibition - tickling sticks, Dicky Mint and Knotty Ash

20 July 2023 , 18:53

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Ken Dodd was one of Britain's best-loved comedians (Image: Daily Record)

An exhibition celebrating much-loved comedian Sir Ken Dodd is to open in Liverpool this autumn.

Called Happiness!, the exhibition is the first to celebrate a comedian in a national museum and is said to be “steeped in Doddy’s unique blend of whimsical, physical, surreal and theatrical humour”.

The items on display will include some of his famous tickling sticks plus ventriloquist puppet Dicky Mint, who was so popular in the past that he received his own fan mail. When Ken and his wife Anne stayed anywhere overnight Dicky, who was the Jam Butty Mine foreman, would be kept safely with them in their hotel room.

Fans will also be able to view Dodd’s copy of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, with notes in the margin from when he played Malvolio at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1971.

The visitors to Liverpool Museum, from 9 September, will also get a glimpse of the gold door star, keyring and Knotty Ash Great Drum from Ken’s show How Tickled I Am, filmed at the London Palladium in 1990 for Thames Television.

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Exhibition will display Dodd's famous tickling stick (Gareth Jones)

It will also feature never-before-seen personal objects, film, photography and jokes.

Curator Karen O’Rourke said: “Sir Ken Dodd remains one of Liverpool’s most famous sons, so we’re very excited to be sharing his incredible career and achievements at Museum of Liverpool.

The gold door star, keyring and Knotty Ash Great Drum from Dodd show (Gareth Jones)

“’Happiness!’ explores the two sides of the much-loved Doddy, from the larger than life, quick-witted performer we know best, to the deep-thinker and private man off stage, who diligently filled more than a thousand notebooks with his jokes, observations, and philosophy of comedy.

“An exhibition about Ken would be incomplete without trying to capture his irresistible spirit. Expect plenty of gags and some of his most memorable props and costumes, as we celebrate Ken’s humour and lifelong passion for spreading happiness and laughter.”

Nicola Methven