Chattery Teeth

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Chattery Teeth is a children's wind-up toy. Originally called "Yakkity Yak Teeth" upon release in the 1940s, a pair of mechanized teeth are wound up at the back, and the teeth clatter and chatter away. Reproductions are today sold at novelty stores. While some chattery teeth come equipped with walking feet, some do not.

[edit] Chattery Teeth in Popular Culture

Stephen King wrote a short story called "Chattery Teeth" in his collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes. In the story, a man decides to purchase an odd pair of walking chattery teeth (odd due to their unusual large size and the fact that they are made of metal). After making his purchase, he is carjacked by a hitchhiker. They struggle, and the man's van crashes in the sandstorm-striken desert. The teeth suddenly come alive, kill the criminal, and rescue the driver. When the carjacker is attacked by the teeth he yells "Jeeeeeeeus"-the EEEEEEE connecting him to the Crimson King from the Dark Tower Series.

The short story was turned into a short film in the television movie Quicksilver Highway.