Mooseblower

The Mooseblower is a simple acoustic device used by the Hanlon family on their Derry farm to scare crop-eating birds away from the fields. Constructed from a can with both ends cut off and a length of heavily waxed and rosined string stretched tightly across the middle, it produces a wonderfully spooky, whining croak when the wind blows through it. For Mike Hanlon, the sound of the mooseblower is a cherished herald of spring, marking the end of winter and the beginning of the farm's annual cycle of work. The device also appears in a more sinister context during the Losers' Club's exploration of the house on Neibolt Street, where It uses a similar contraption—a Sterno can with a waxed string—to create a terrifying buzzing scream, a cheap trick that momentarily deceives the children before Mike Hanlon recognizes and dismisses it.

Construction and Function

The mooseblower is a homemade noisemaker. It is made from a can with both ends cut off. A length of heavily waxed and rosined string is tied tightly across the middle of the can. When the wind blows through the can, the string vibrates, producing a wonderfully spooky sound—a kind of whining croak. This sound is specifically designed to frighten off crop-eating birds, and it does so effectively.

Role on the Hanlon Farm

For Mike Hanlon, the mooseblower is a deeply evocative object, intimately tied to the rhythms of farm life and the changing seasons. Each spring, Mike would help his father, Will Hanlon, put new mooseblowers on top of the scarecrows—Larry, Moe, and Curly—that stood in their fields. The sound of the wind vibrating the waxed strings was a signal that spring had truly arrived, a time of renewal and hard work. The mooseblowers were essential for protecting the crops, as the birds would soon decide that the scarecrows were no threat, but the mooseblowers always frightened them off. The devices were seasonal; they would be taken in during the winter, and it seemed they had to be made anew each spring, as they would disappear over the cold months.

Sinister Recurrence at Neibolt Street

The mooseblower's innocent farm function is grotesquely inverted during the Losers' Club's confrontation with It at 29 Neibolt Street. As the children explore the house, they hear a terrifying, buzzing scream emanating from behind a closed door. The sound is so inhuman and menacing that it freezes them in their tracks, and Beverly nearly fires a silver slug from the Bullseye slingshot at the door. However, Mike Hanlon recognizes the sound. He pushes forward, opens the door, and reveals the source: a Sterno can with both ends cut off, with a waxed string stretched across the middle. It is a mooseblower, a cheap trick designed to scare crows. Mike kicks the can into a corner, and the buzzing stops. He explains to the others that it is just a mooseblower, something his family puts on scarecrows, and that It is trying to frighten them with a simple, mundane device. This moment serves as a crucial turning point, demonstrating that It is not invincible and that it relies on tricks and illusions, which can be seen through. The mooseblower, a symbol of honest farm work and seasonal renewal, is perverted into a tool of terror, but its recognition by Mike breaks the spell and restores the group's resolve.