The Snarfblatt (a.k.a. the tobacco pipe) is an object that appears in the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. It is a human artifact that resembles a tobacco pipe but is misidentified by Scuttle as a musical instrument. Scuttle claims that humans use it to blow air through and make music.
Appearance
In the film, Ariel, a mermaid princess fascinated by human culture, finds a snarfblatt among other items in a sunken ship and brings it to Scuttle for identification. Scuttle demonstrates how to use it by blowing into it and producing a loud noise that scares away some nearby fish. Later, when Ariel sees Prince Eric playing the flute on his ship, she tells Scuttle that she likes the one playing the snarfblatt, unaware of her mistake. The snarfblatt is one of the many examples of Scuttle's humorous and inaccurate descriptions of human objects in the film.
He also calls a fork a dinglehopper and says that it is used to comb hair, and a telescope a thingamabob and says that it is used to see distant objects. The snarfblatt has become a popular item among film fans, and some have even created their own versions of it using expanding foam, fake seaweed, plastic pearls, and rhinestones. The word snarfblatt is likely derived from the words snarf and blat, which are both onomatopoeic words for noises made by blowing air. The word snarf can also mean to eat something quickly or greedily, which may be a reference to Scuttle's appetite.
Other appearances
The snarfblatt has also been featured in the stage musical adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which premiered on Broadway in 2008 and has since been produced in various countries around the world. The musical follows the same plot as the film, with some changes and additions, such as new songs and characters. The snarfblatt appears in the musical numbers "Fathoms Below", "Daughters of Triton", "Human Stuff" and "Positoovity". In the musical, the snarfblatt is used by Scuttle and his fellow seagulls to teach Ariel about human culture and language.
They claim that the snarfblatt is a device that humans use to communicate with each other and that by blowing into it, Ariel can learn how to speak like a human. They also use it as a percussion instrument in their songs. The musical uses various techniques to create the illusion of an underwater world on stage, such as flying harnesses, roller skates, heelys, and puppets. The snarfblatt is one of the props that help to establish the contrast between the sea and the land and the humor and whimsy of Scuttle's character.
Trivia
- The snarfblatt does not appear in the 2023 live-action remake, due to Disney enforcing a ban on smoking and drugs in 2007.
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