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In Spanish, we have a word for a little toy that always stand up, "tentetieso".

I want to search for those toys in English, but I can't find the correct word or specific description to find them.

image of a children's toy, a clown, that cannot be knocked down

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  • 19
    Step one: go to the Wikipedia article on tentetieso. Step two: select English from the language list. Done.
    – RegDwigнt
    Jul 31, 2019 at 8:27
  • By the title, I was expecting a push puppet.
    – JoL
    Aug 1, 2019 at 17:30
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    The more general descriptive term for an object that always "stands up" by itself is self-righting.
    – Deepak
    Aug 2, 2019 at 4:31
  • it doesn't always stand up
    – Arm the good guys in America
    Nov 14, 2019 at 5:28

3 Answers 3

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I'd call that a Weeble Wobble or Weeble but I think that's a trademark usage of a roly-poly toy (as GileBrt notes as the generic term for one) much like Hoover is not only used for vacuum cleaners that are made by Hoover but other manufacturers too. Whether this is a UK convention though I'm unsure [Judging from comments it's AmE too].

I'm also certain that somewhere I've seen a cartoon or kids TV character roly-poly toy that even says "Weeble Wobble" as it bobs back and forth. (Also Weebl)

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    Wasn't there a TV ad that said "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down"? Yes, found it :youtube.com/watch?v=WKcAWO_IznI Happy memories :))
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jul 31, 2019 at 11:32
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    Weeble Wobble is the name in AmE as well.
    – StackOverthrow
    Jul 31, 2019 at 16:58
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    Before reading this I would have understood "weeble" but not "roly-poly toy", FWIW. (I'm British.)
    – Especially Lime
    Jul 31, 2019 at 21:04
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    @EspeciallyLime Likewise, as an American.
    – Admiral Jota
    Jul 31, 2019 at 21:15
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    @EspeciallyLime Same here as a fairly Commonwealth-contaminated American. Never heard of the other, just weebles.
    – tchrist ♦
    Aug 1, 2019 at 2:42
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I believe it is called a roly-poly toy. :)

Wikipedia

A roly-poly toy, round-bottomed doll, tilting doll, tumbler or wobbly man is a round-bottomed toy, usually egg-shaped, that tends to right itself when pushed at an angle, and does this in seeming contradiction to the force of gravity.

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    Yep, we called this a "rolly-polly doll" when I was a kid.
    – Hot Licks
    Jul 31, 2019 at 11:35
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    I don't dispute that this is the "official" name but I (like the commenters here) have only ever heard of these things called weebles. If somebody said "roly-poly toy" to me, I wouldn't actually know what they meant, and they'd have to explain it.
    – David Richerby
    Aug 1, 2019 at 8:56
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    This name is curious given that a roly poly specfically involves turning all the way over. So, they're called roly poly toys because they... don't do roly polys?
    – AakashM
    Aug 1, 2019 at 9:55
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    If you told me you had a roly-poly doll, I would be very confused and wonder why you had a plush pill bug (northern US here).
    – David K
    Aug 1, 2019 at 15:59
  • @AakashM A gymnast doing a proper roll doesn't fall down, they land back on their feet. So while the weeble doesn't roll all the way over, it still lands on its feet when it starts to roll. I admit it's a stretch, but language doesn't have to be logical. "poly" is probably in both just because it rhymes, they're not references to each other.
    – Barmar
    Aug 1, 2019 at 17:13
-1

It is Okiagari-koboshi or daruma doll

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    – Community Bot
    Jan 23, 2022 at 13:58
  • 2
    These don't appear to be English language terms for the toy.
    – KillingTime
    Jan 23, 2022 at 13:59
  • Looking these up, they are used for specific Japanese toys that are made of papier-mâché. In my experience, these terms would not be used in an English speaking country for a plastic toy like depicted in the question.
    – Laurel ♦
    Jan 23, 2022 at 14:05

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