Sally at The Piano

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Sally at The Piano was a single-animatronic show produced by Sally Industries in 1983. 


Sally at The Piano

General Info

Type of Business: Hotels, Resorts, Piano Bars, Restaurants, Museums
Years Active: 1983 - Present
Status: Operating
Number of Characters: 1

Manufacturer Info

Show Manufacturer: Sally Corporation (Sally Industries)


Summary

The show consisted of Piano Sally (Animatronic) performing songs on a piano. They have an 8 hour showtape consisting of playing the piano and singing.[1][2]

The entire show sells from $22,000 - $30,000- depending on which piano is used for the event. The only pianos currently known are an upright piano and a grand piano, but its claimed any Pianocorder piano was compatible with Sally.[3][4] In 1984 the lowest-end option would reduce in price to $21,000.[1]

Showtapes were on Ampex 10-inch reels and consisted of 3 tracks: One for Pianocorder signals, another for Sally's voice track, and a third track for the animatronic signals.

Installed Locations

  • Dallas, TX (???)
    • The earliest known Sally, installed at a Holiday Inn lounge in Dallas in 1983. This variant used a grand piano, as was being used by Holiday Inn as a test for potential further adoption.[4]
  • New York, NY (304 E 42nd St)
    • This was installed at "Jeanne's Restaurant" inside the Tudor Hotel, now the Westgate New York Grand Central Hotel. It was installed some time before January 13, 1984, and was installed on a Tuesday. It uses an upright piano.
  • Unknown Location
    • News footage shows Sally at an unknown place and year.[5] The location looks similar to the Plaza of the Americas in Dallas, TX. This Sally uses the grand piano variant.
  • Atlanta Location
    • Brief mention in an article.[6]
  • Chicago Location
    • Brief mention in an article.[6]
  • San Francisco Location
    • Article mentions bringing a Sally in 1985 "to entertain at around in bars" in the San Francisco area. Implies the same Sally was then used for trade shows.[3]
  • Wisconsin Dells, WI (105 Broadway)
    • Installed at Wax World of the Stars Museum. Sold on Ebay on January 15, 2007.[7]
  • Hokkaido, Japan (13 Izumikawa, Rusutsu-mura, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 048-1711)
    • Originally installed at the Rusutsu Resort around 1987. Has been paired alongside a repurposed Papa Bear figure from Sally's Berenstain Bears display. Both figures were sent back to Sally's facilities along with Daniel and the Dixie Diggers for refurbishment in 2022. Reinstalled in 2023.

Gallery

  • NY Daily Section (Jan 13, 1984)

    NY Daily Section (Jan 13, 1984)

  • NY Daily Section (Jan 14, 1984)

    NY Daily Section (Jan 14, 1984)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://nydailynews.newspapers.com/image/487943410/?terms=Sally%20Piano&match=2
  2. ↑ https://nydailynews.newspapers.com/image/487947112/?terms=Sally%20Piano&match=1
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/461553609/?terms=%22Sally%20Industries%22%20Piano&match=4
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://archive.org/details/sally-the-singing-robot-plays-a-holiday-inn-lounge-in-dallas-1983.-tech-jazz-rob
  5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54vKJlAx3yY
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.sallydarkrides.com/post/sally-who
  7. ↑ https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/animatronic-sally-at-the-piano-life-size
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