Mini Ukulele Fridge Magnet

Ok, so this is probably not what most people have in their houses, but it’s in mine and it’s a fridge magnet so its good enough for me to enter it in as number five of the everyday household objects series.

The ukulele is commonly associated with music from Hawai‘i, where the name roughly translates as "jumping flea". According to Queen Lili'uokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch, the name means “the gift that came here”, from the Hawaiian words “uku” (gift or reward) and “lele” (to come).

Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on a small guitar-like instrument, the cavaquinho, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants. Three immigrants in particular, Madeiran cabinet makers Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias, are generally credited as the first ukulele makers. Two weeks after they landed aboard the Ravenscrag in late August 1879, the Hawaiian Gazette reported that "Madeira Islanders recently arrived here, have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts.”

One of the most important factors in establishing the ukulele in Hawaiian music and culture was the ardent support and promotion of the instrument by King David Kalakaua. A patron of the arts, he incorporated it into performances at royal gatherings.

According to Wikipedia, there are some 79 manufacturers of ukuleles, and this does not take into account home built instruments, or home modified ones.

Source: Wiki

To make this post more compliant with the series of household magnets, I’ve included this little piece from wiki.

A fridge magnet is an ornament attached to a magnet that is used to post items such as shopping lists or report cards on a refrigerator, or simply as decoration. Refrigerator magnets come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, including for example, images die-cut to a specific shape or tiny plastic sculptures of fruits. Refrigerator magnets are a relatively popular object of collectors.

The first refrigerator magnet patent was obtained by William Zimmerman of St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1970s. Zimmerman patented the idea of small, coloured, cartoon magnets to be used for decorative display and convenience.

Photograph details: Nikon D40. Focal length 46 mm, ISO-320, exp: 1/60 sec. F-stop f/5.3

If you liked this post, or have done something similar, why not spend a minute and let me know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Or if you like this blog and would like to receive emails when it's updater why not subscribe. You will only get an email if there is a post on this blog, and your details will not be shared. Plus its free!

Simply enter your email address in the box below:

Email subscriptions are delivered by FeedBurner

As ever, thanks for reading