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Mr. Tackleton

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“Did you hear that, Uriah Caw? He wants to know where the other toymakers are. There are no other toymakers. (laughs cruelly)”—Tackleton smugly taunting Caleb during their first meeting.


Gruff Tackleton, more commonly known as Mr. Tackleton or simply Tackleton, is the former main antagonist of the 1967 Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Cricket on the Hearth. He is a greedy toy factory owner, Caleb Plummer’s boss and the (former) owner of Uriah Caw.

He was voiced by the late Hans Conried, who voiced Captain Hook and George Darling from the 1953 Disney feature film Peter Pan, narrated the 1953 Tom & Jerry short Johann Mouse, Snidely Whiplash from the Dudley Do-Right shorts, narrated and voiced both Horton and Dr. H. Hoovey from the 1970 Dr. Seuss television special Horton Hears a Who, narrated the Sneetches and Zax segments voiced the Fox and both the North-going and South-going Zax from the 1973 television special Dr. Seuss On the Loose, portrayed Professor Whatley from the 1976 live-action Disney feature film The Shaggy D.A., and narrated and voiced the Grinch in the 1977 Dr. Seuss special Halloween is Grinch Night.

Personality[]

Tackleton’s personality is akin to that of Ebenezer Scrooge (quite coincidental since both Cricket on the Hearth and A Christmas Carol were written by Charles Dickens); initially, he is stern, greedy, strict, grouchy and temperamental at times. Ironically, despite his occupation as a toy merchant, he is very uncaring and selfish, so much so that he is perfectly fine with selling shoddy-looking toys to children, caring more for the profits he makes off of them instead of the quality of said toys and the happiness they bring to children.

He is also very rude and sarcastic as seen during his first meeting with Caleb Plummer in which he, along with his pet crow Uriah Caw, mock the latter’s skills and laugh at him. Tackleton is somewhat vain to an almost delusional level as he believes that he is quite handsome when he is actually a rather ugly-looking man. When Cricket Crocket foils his attempts to propose marriage to Bertha, he shows a more vengeful side to him as he orders his pet crow to get rid of the cricket, believing him to be a threat to his plans.

However, Tackleton is not without any redeeming qualities. Unlike Scrooge, in spite of his overall greediness and unpleasantness, he is gentlemanly, polite and somewhat generous as he does actually pay his employees, though not enough to afford proper living conditions, as seen by him giving a “Christmas bonus” to Caleb and his daughter Bertha at one point. When he sees that Bertha married her true love Edward instead of him near the end of the special, he shows his more sensitive side. He weeps bitterly, believing that “nobody loves him,” to which Bertha convinces him that he is loved and that he is a truly kind and handsome man. Touched by these words, Tackleton then reforms and becomes happier, friendlier and exuberantly joyful since “nobody ever said such nice things to him before,” which might imply that the reason he turned out the way he did was because no one ever showed him love or kindness.

Appearance[]

Tackleton is an obese and rather repulsive middle-aged man with fair skin, beady black eyes with dark eyelids, a long bulbous nose with a wart on it, wispy black eyebrows, a large chin and mouth missing several teeth, balding dark red hair with muttonchops, a prominent potbelly and slender legs and arms. He wears a dark greenish-black overcoat with cuffs and tails, a white high-collared dress shirt with lace cuffs, an orange collared waistcoast with gold buttons, a dark green cravat with a white button, a pocket watch with a gold chain, tan trousers and dark tan shoes.

When he tells Uriah Caw to return to his cage one night, he is seen wearing a long-sleeved light blue nightshirt, a like-colored nightcap and pants.

Role in the film[]

Tackleton is first seen in his office meeting Caleb Plummer, who has come seeking a job after he and his family find themselves deep in debt. Although he mocks Caleb for his abilities as a toymaker and asking for work, he agrees to give him the job and allows him to sleep on the premises and help himself to any leftover food, but he will not pay him. When Caleb meekly asks him where any of the other toymakers are, Tackleton coldly replies “There are no other toymakers” and tauntingly laughs at him.

From then on, Caleb works under Tackleton’s unfair conditions. When it comes to making the toys his factory produces, while Caleb wants the toys to look nice for the children by giving them nice paint jobs, Tackleton on the other hand believes he is “using entirely too much paint” and orders him to use it sparingly since “paint costs money.” Unknown to him, Caleb, not wanting to see the toys sold in such poor condition, paints them and makes them look nicer with a little help from Cricket Crocket late at night, then puts them back into their boxes so Tackleton doesn’t find out what they’re up to. Late one night, Uriah Caw escapes from his cage and chases Cricket around the workshop. He finally catches him, but before he can do the cricket any harm, Tackleton enters and tells him to return to his cage before covering it and bidding his pet crow goodnight.

On Christmas Eve, while Caleb, Bertha and Cricket are busy making toys to sell the next day, Tackleton and Caw enter the room and the former gives Caleb four shillings as a bonus, and even gives an extra shilling to Bertha as well. Tackleton confesses that he intends to get married and he wants to make Bertha his wife. Caleb is shocked by this news, but Bertha (since she is blind, and as such believes her father’s false pretenses about Tackleton being a generous and kind man in order to spare her feelings) is honored by his proposal. He tells her that he will give her an hour and fifteen minutes to think it over and then will return to hear her decision.

Later, when Tackleton and Bertha sit down to tea, Cricket, along with some friends of his, sabotage the meeting. They first drop nuts into Tackleton’s cup, splashing tea all over his face. Undeterred by this, as he wipes his face, he asks Bertha if she’s yet reached a decision. But before she can answer him, Cricket sprinkles pepper into his tea, causing him to break out into a violent sneezing fit which forces him to flee from the room. Back in his office, Tackleton, furious at Cricket for ruining his meeting with Bertha, orders Caw to get rid of him by any means necessary.

The next day on Christmas morning, Tackleton comes into the workshop and finds that Bertha has already married to her true love Edward Belton, who was reported to have been lost at sea while serving in the royal navy but turned up safe and sound. Hurt by this revelation, he sheds bitter tears, thinking that no one cares for him. But Bertha gently comforts him by telling him that everyone does love him and there’ll always be a special place in her heart for him. These kind words, and even a kiss on the cheek, warm Tackleton’s cold heart and, now feeling much better, dances with joy around the room. He wonders why he suddenly feels so good and Cricket whispers to him that it’s probably because it’s Christmas. Tackleton agrees and joyously wishes Caleb, Bertha and Edward a Merry Christmas.

Gallery[]

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