Russell E. Oakes, Inventor

Russell E. Oakes devised the automatic tip requester 

around 1955. 

The device, designed for hotel bellhops, featured an 

artificial hand and cashbox worn around the waist, 

along with a "No Sale" sign that deployed if the 

gratuity was insufficient. 

Oakes, an advertising executive from Waukesha, Wisconsin, 

created over 50 such inventions between 1930 and 1960.

Researched Russell Oakes inventRussell E. Oakes and the

 Automatic Tip RequesteRussell E. Oakes (died 1961, age 70) 

was an advertising executive and copywriter for a Milwaukee

 agency who lived in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Between 1930 

and 1960 he built over 50 contraptions in his basement 

workshop, earning nicknames like the "Wily Wizard of 

Waukesha" and "Professor I.M. Nuts" (sometimes "Professor 

Ratzin de Garrett")


The Tip Requester Itself

Devised around 1955, the device was aimed squarely 

at hotel bellhops who were too shy to ask for a tip.  

It consisted of:

• An artificial hand connected by a tube to a cashbox 

• worn around the waist

• A slot in the hand where the customer dropped coins

• A "No Sale" sign that popped up if the tip fell short 

• of an acceptable amount 

• It never gained hotel adoption — it was considered 
• too awkward and off-putting in practice. 
• His Broader Career as an Inventor

Oakes was far more than a one-gadget man. His other creations included:

Invention	Purpose
Doughnut dunker	Kept fingers dry, with a forearm pan to catch coffee drips
"Pop at you" toaster	Ejected toast horizontally at speed
Self-winding spaghetti fork	A winder on the fork  for easy twirling
Hydraulic cigarette lighter	A tabletop contraption with a glass of water, balloon, mechanical mouse, weights, paddles, and a match
Self-finding golf ball	Raised a flag and blew a horn when it landed in the rough
"Talking" church collection box	Green light for a dime or quarter; red light for a nickel; a gong for a penny
Breakfast cap	A protective screen to eat grapefruit without juice in your eyes
Eavesdropping ear trumpets	Pivoted forward for movie dialogue or backward to catch a courting couple's conversation
Fly shooer for sandwiches	Swatted flies while eating
Hydraulic bed-light turn-off	Turned off the bedroom light from the bed itself

From Hobbyist to Celebrity

What started as a private hobby became a public act 

when the Waukesha Rotary Club asked him to fill a 

program slot. He went on to make short films in the 

1940s (including Paramount's Popular Science movie 

shorts), appear on national radio and television 

(including The Garry Moore Show), and perform at 

hundreds of personal appearances. A 1939 Popular 

Science profile described his work as "burlesque 

inventions."

In a January 1956 Celebrity magazine interview, Oakes summed up his philosophy: "Life has gotten too 

darned complicated… Our scientists and inventors 

are just great at investigating the sex life of the polyp 

or building bigger and better positronic re-diffraction hypotelemeters — but they ignore the all-important 

everyday problems of the ordinary guy like you and 

me." He admitted most of his inventions were more 

trouble to operate than just doing the task by hand, 

but insisted they made life more interesting. 

Some of his gadgets remain on display at the 

Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum.