Professional Puppets

These are the puppets for entertaining at school, church I and community gatherings. They are durable, but not too difficult to make. They offer you plenty of room to use your imagination, but they are not too complicated for use on a portable stage and under the varied conditions you are liable to run into doing neighborhood shows. They take a little time to make, but still no special skills are required. Seven different methods of making heads are described in this section. Study them all carefully before choosing the one that is best suited to your particular ambition and need.

34. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

She wears a red cloak and hood over the basic cloth underskirt. Her hands are of felt sewed over wire frames and fixed to cuffs of cardboard which have been sewed and glued to the sleeves of the underskirt. Her head is made of quick papier-mache.

Quick Papier-Mdche

A quick papier-mache head can be made at one sitting of an hour or so, dried overnight and painted the second day. Papier-mache is cheap, takes paint well and is pretty durable. Its flexibility is an advantage. A plaster or plastic wood head, when banged sharply, might break; a papier-mache head will only dent and can be repaired. But it does dent easily, whereas it takes quite a crack to break a plastic wood head.

You will need flour, water, salt, newspaper, a prepared head shape and some kind of stand to hold the head upright. For this you can use a store spindle, a three-inch stick thrust into a platform of modeling clay, a small board with a big nail driven through it—anything that will hold the head in position so that you can work on it from all sides.

Prepare a head shape by securing a tight wad of paper around a neck tube with string or paper tape as shown—by fixing a neck tube to a small rubber ball as was suggested with Baldy Ball (No. 31), or by fixing a neck tube to a toilet tissue tube, as with Miss Muffet (No. 17). Place the head shape in position on the stand. Cut the newspaper into strips of a quarter inch to an inch wide. Pour water into the flour, mixing slowly, until you have a paste about the consistency of thick soup. Mix in a teaspoon of salt. Select one of the wider strips and drag it through the paste, squeezing off the excess between your thumb and forefinger but making sure there is a thin coating of paste on both sides. Lay this around the head shape. Soak another strip with paste and lay it on. Cover the head gradually, making sure the strips overlap at all points and cover it entirely. Add another layer.

Now build up simple features by pinching and adding little wads of saturated paper, which are then overlaid with bits torn from the narrower strips. Remember that most details can be painted on. Concentrate on forming the proper head shape, pinching out a suggestion of the nose and forming the two shallow depressions for eye sockets. Smooth out air bubbles and cover over unwanted pits with little bits of soaked paper. Dry in a warm room on a radiator, in the sun or on the opened door of a low oven. Further repairs can be made the next day if you wish. Paint with poster paints. After the paint is thoroughly dry, you can spray the head with clear plastic from a pressurized can for protection. Red Riding Hood's hair is made from red yarn glued in place strand by strand after the paint has thoroughly dried. Details on more advanced use of papier-mache are given further on.

35. DAME RIDING HOOD

Red's mother wears a blue dress and a white apron over her underskirt. Her hair (which can be made of theatrical crepe hair) barely shows under a tight dustcap. Her bosom is made to billow with the addition of a little roll of padding sewed to the underskirt under her dress. Her head is quick papier-mache.

36. GOODMAN RIDING HOOD

Red's father, who saves her from the wolf in the end, is a stoutish woodsman. His stomach is the result of padding added to the underskirt under his wide belt. His head is also quick papier-mache.

37. THE WOLF

"But why have you such big teeth, Grandma?" "Because they are cut from thick cardboard, my dear." So is the mouth, which is cut in two pieces and hinged to fit the hand as shown. Two glued loops of cardboard or tape hold the fingers on top and the thumb below. A big stocking is then cut (on the dotted line) and slipped over the hand. The cut edges of the sock are glued to the edges of the mouth. Cloth ears and button eyes are added, the mouth is painted red and the teeth are glued in place. Arms which can rest outside the covers of Grandma's bed can be made of cloth-covered cardboard and sewed in place. An easier wolf can be made along the lines of the Stocking Dragon (No. 24).

38. PUNCH

He has been known as Pickle Herring, Hanswurst, Kasperle, Polichinelle and Punchinello. Beloved and persecuted in a dozen countries, he has been up to his wicked tricks for hundreds of years and is not likely to stop now, although he might change his name every hundred years or so. Here he is, complete with his poor family and enemies (he has no friends) and his play. Don't be too hard on him for his many sins; after all, he's only a puppet.

"Do you know, then, what Polichinelle is? He is the good sense of the people, the brisk sally, the irrepressible laughter. Yes, Polichinelle will laugh and sing as long as the world contains vices, follies and things to ridicule. You see very well that Polichinelle is not near his death. Polichinelle is immortal."

CHARLES MAGNIN

Modeling in Plasticine

Before we can overcast Punch's head in papier-mache, we must make a model of plasticine, a re-usable plastic modeling clay available at all art stores. For modeling tools use professional tools or anything handy—spoons, knives, orange sticks. A pound of plasticine will last you through many, many puppets. Make a ball approximately the size of the head you will make, attach a neck and jamb the whole thing down onto a working spindle. Make sure you have the features in balance on the head by beginning with guide lines to indicate the position of the nose and the line of the eyes.

Model the features roughly at first, adding clay where needed, then refine your work. Avoid details such as hair texture and wrinkles, as they will be lost in the overcasting and can be added later. Remember too that many details can be painted on.

Overcasting in Papier-Mdche

Prepare the flour paste as you did for quick papier-mache. You can add a drop of formaldehyde to drive away any insects that might want to eat your puppets. CAUTION: formaldehyde is poisonous; do not mix your paste in eating or cooking vessels. Prepare strips of newspaper as you did for quick papier-mache. Cover the plasticine head with a very thin coat of vaseline or butter. Lay on the saturated strips carefully, criss-crossing them for strength and making sure the head is completely covered with each coat. Put on at least four coats. More than five will probably obscure the details of the model. You can accentuate features by pinching the papier-mache shell out a little here and there. You can also add features, such as ears, by building out with wads of the saturated paper and securing these in place with more strips. Use smaller bits for difficult places, such as the tip of the nose and the lips. Dip your fingers in water and lightly smooth down the last coat, making sure there are no air bubbles or unwanted wrinkles.

Dry thoroughly in the sun (48 hours at least) or with a mild artificial heat. Then with a sharp razor blade cut through the shell into the plasticine along the line shown in the diagram, page 40. When the features are not so prominent as Punch's beak nose, you can cut the shell in half sideways, along a line going through each ear. Complete the halving of the head, with a sharp knife, working it carefully down through the clay so as not to crumble the edges of the paper shell. Carefully remove the two halves of the plasticine model from the two halves of the shell, using a dull knife as gouge. Allow the shell halves to dry (do not use artificial heat), and then glue them back together to form the hollow head. There will be some warping, and the edges of the shell may not match perfectly. The seam can be smoothed with the addition of more strips of papier-mache. The bottom of the neck and any small bubbles and unwanted wrinkles can be smoothed down with a razor blade or fine sand paper. Glue a neck tube inside the neck, paint with poster paints or oils, and Punch is ready for his stocking cap and little hump-backed body. His club should be padded with cloth or made of rubber or styrofoam to save damage to the other puppets, his dear family and dear enemies.

39.  JUDY

Punch's wife has her husband's great hooked beak and jutting chin, but there is a certain pleasing innocence in her insipid smile and beady eyes. She wears a dress of pale lavender and a little lace cap. Notice that legs of stuffed cloth have been attached to the underskirt and dangle out from beneath her dress. Similar legs can be added to all the characters. They are seldom used for actual walking, but are flopped over the front rim or apron of the stage when the puppets are sitting. Articulated wooden legs for hand puppets are described on pages 120 and 121.

40. THE BABY

This is a little rag doll built over two crossed sticks. (To save time, you could use a store-bought doll.) Make the head out of quick papier-mache and paint on the yowling mouth. The arms stick straight out to either side; the dress flaps loosely at the end as Master Punch is tossed about by his father.

41. TOBY THE DOG

Toby is the only member of the family who gets a crack at Punch, so he needs good usable jaws for nipping that rascal's nose. He can be a simple stocking puppet (see No. 24), or he can be made like the wolf (No. 37). Front paws of stuffed cloth can be added as shown.

42. SCARAMOUCHE

Scaramouche masquerades here as the mailman, wearing a gray uniform. His head, made of overcast papier-mache, is not glued to the neck tube, but just fits down over it, so that a sharp blow from Punch's club sends the head flying and leaves the puppeteer's first finger wiggling like a severed neck. You could paint the tip of the finger red, or is that too grisly?

43. PAT THE POLICEMAN

Pat is a jolly fellow, wearing a neat blue uniform. He carries a club, something like Punch's, but it doesn't do him much good.

44. JACK KETCH THE HANGMAN

Jack wears a black mask and black cape. The noose hanging from his gallows tree must be large enough and stiff enough to be easily slipped over his head. Single-strand insulated wire is better than cotton cord because it will hold the loop shape.

45. THE GHOST

Make a vague, spooky blue mask of quick papier-mache, attach it to a twisted wire body with cardboard hands, attach this to a stick and drape some filmy white gauze over the whole thing. He will be frightening enough with his jiggling wire arms and fluttering white shrouds.

46. THE DEVIL

He is a dashing demon, dressed in clashing shades of red, scarlet and tangerine. His pitchfork should be made of wood or tin and be strong enough actually to lift his victim right off the puppeteer's hand and carry him away to Purgatory.

The Swazzle

Traditionally, the shrill inhuman voice of Mr. Punch is produced with the aid of the swazzle or sifflet-pratique. It is made of two discs of metal tied together with strips of cloth or tape. In speaking it is held between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, and the voice seems to buzz between the discs, coming out shrill and metallic. It takes some experimentation to make a good swazzle and more experimentation to make it work properly, so unless you have the time for long practice, it can be dispensed with. Besides, during the excitement of Punch's battle with the devil, there is serious danger of swallowing your swazzle!

A Portable Scrim Stage

This is a folding, portable stage for use with professional puppets. It uses a semi-transparent backdrop or "scrim" of heavy gauze or semi-transparent cotton material, hung between the operator and his puppets, A. (See page 78 for the other basic type of puppet presentation, the overhead stage.)

The 3-screen stage should be approximately of the dimensions shown. The framework can be made of wood, aluminum piping or aluminum angle strips. The three frames are pin-hinged together B, so that they can be easily taken apart for transport. A bar across the open back locks the screens into position when in use, C. The masking material, of cloth, canvas or heavy cardboard, D, can be permanently tacked to the frames or can be draped attractively. The playboard, E, should be about six inches wide and placed in the proscenium opening so that half of it is set back inside the stage. This way, properties can be clipped to the back edge of the board while the curtains are closed in front. For the draw curtains, F, use any of the standard drapery tracks. Or the two curtains can be simply hung from eyelets on a wire and drawn by hand from inside. Lighting is best placed outside the proscenium as shown, G. The rod from which the scrim hangs should be movable forward and back. It must be close enough to the playboard so that the puppets can manipulate props placed on the board. Background scenery can be painted on the scrim with poster paint; backgrounds can be varied by the use of any number of removable scrims, each with its supporting rod. The great advantage of this type of stage is that the operator has direct vision of his puppets and props through the scrim. However, it has to be a shallow stage and cannot be much wider than shown here.

PUNCH AND JUDY

A TRAGICAL DRAMA FOR TOYS IN ONE ACT

A Note On The Production: As there are never more than two puppets on the stage at one time, one performer can do the whole show. The plot of the Punch drama is always pretty much the same, but the dialogue varies according to the taste and invention of the performer. You don’t have to use the lines given here. Each of the exchanges can be drawn out as long as you wish it and the audience enjoys it. Punch has always been more cheerfully nonsensical than witty, so don’t be afraid to slip in any silly answer or addlepated verse that pops to mind.

Curtain opens. Punch discovered, peering at audience.

PUNCH: Root-ity-toot-ity-toot, Good morning, good morning! (He keeps it up until the audience answers.)

PUNCH: Have you seen my Judy? Oh, she is a beauty! Have you seen my Judy, my root-ily-toot-ily-Judy? (He keeps it up until the audience answers.)

PUNCH: NO? Then I'll call her. Judy, my dear! Judy!

Enter Judy carrying Baby.

PUNCH: Isn't she a beauty?

JUDY: Well, Mr. Punch, what do you want?

PUNCH: Why, I want to give you a kiss, to be sure. (Punch reaches for her, misses, kisses the side of the stage noisily.)

JUDY: Fickle! You always were stage-struck. I'm going! (She thrusts the baby into Punch's arms, exits.)

PUNCH: Such a beautiful baby! Just like me! (Rocks the baby, sings, "Rock-a-bye, Baby, on the Tree Top.")

Baby cries, Punch slaps it, continues:

Rock-a-bye, baby,
Sleep while you can; If
you live till you're older,
You'll grow up a man.

Oh, you little duck! What a good, good, good baby you are!
BABY: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

PUNCH: (Knocking Baby's head against side of stage) Go to sleep, go to sleep! (Sings some more, desperately.)

BABY: Waaaaaaaaaaa!

PUNCH: (Banging harder) Rock-a-bye, Baby, rock-a-bye, Baby!

BABY: Waaaaaaaaaaaa!

PUNCH: Bless him, he's got his father's nose. Bless me, he's got it in his teeth! Help! Murder! There, go to your mother then! (Throws Baby offstage, calls.) Judy, my dear, Judy!
 
She's a beaut,
But if you're going to squeeze her,
Watch out for that enormous beezer.

Enter Judy.

JUDY: Where's the baby?

PUNCH: The baby?

JUDY: Yes, the baby.

PUNCH: What, didn't you catch him? JUDY: Catch him?

PUNCH: Yes; I threw him out the window. I thought you might be passing.

JUDY: Oh, my poor child!

PUNCH: See here now, he was as much mine as yours.

JUDY: YOU beast, you cruel monster!

PUNCH: Root-ity-toot! (They fight. Punch ducks down, comes up with club, hits the dodging Judy on the head and kills her. He lays the body out neatly across the front of the stage.) Isn't she a beauty! (Dances, sings.)

She's as blue,
As a peacock's tail,
She's as dead,
As an old doornail.
Pat the Policeman enters.
 
PAT: All right, all right, I am here.

PUNCH: All right, all right, so am I! (Whacks Pat on the head with the club.)

PAT: See here now, 111 have no more of that!

PUNCH: Oh, do have another. (Whacks him again. They fight, pause face to face.)

PAT: Take your nose away from my face, sir!

PUNCH: Take your face away from my nose, sir!

PAT: You have committed an aggravated assault and contempt of court, sir, and I am under the painful necessity of taking you in.

PUNCH: And I am under the painful necessity of knocking you out! (Kills Pat with a blow of his club, lays the body out beside the other, counts them gloatingly.) One, two, doodle-dee-doo, not a bad day's work.

Enter Toby the dog.

PUNCH: Ah, my dog, Toby, man's best friend! Dear Toby, nice Toby, good Toby. (Pats Toby, embraces him, becomes soppily sentimental, weeping to the dog.) Oh, Toby, if you only knew. I am surrounded by enemies. See them there, one, two, doodle-ee-doo. Nobody loves old Punch. Old Punch has nobody in the world, nobody but you, dear Toby. (Pauses, peers angrily at Toby.) Well, what have you got to say to that? (Toby seizes his nose in his teeth.) Help! Murder! Traitorized! (Toby hangs on; they lurch from one side of the stage to the other. Punch manages to get hold of his club, gives the dog a tremendous clout. Toby collapses; Punch hops about holding his nose.) Oh, ouch, my nose, my dear nose, man's best friend! (Notices dead dog, lines the body up with the other two.) Still, it was worth it. (Dances, sings.) One, two, three, doodle-&ood!e-dee!

Enter Scaramouche.

SCARAMOUCHE: See here, Mr. Punch, I'm returning this letter. You forgot to put a stamp on it.

PUNCH: Did I now? (Whacks him on head.) There, how's that?
SCARAMOUCHE: But this letter is special delivery!

PUNCH: Oh, is it? Sorry. (Whacks him on backside.)

SCARAMOUCHE: Now, now, you can't fool me, Mr. Punch. You have to pay certain amounts of money for certain letters. I know. I have it all here in my head.

PUNCH: Where is that?

SCARAMOUCHE: (obligingly bends head forward.) Here, in my head.

PUNCH: Ah! Well, I think I'll send that air mail. (Strikes head with club and sends it sailing. Scaramouche runs around headless, finally topples over on the edge of the stage. Punch lines the body up neatly with the rest, singing.) One, two, three, four, every moment brings one more. Root-ity-toot-ity-toot!

Enter Jack Ketch the Hangman. j.

KETCH: Mr. Punch, you are my prisoner.
 
PUNCH: What for?

j. KETCH: For having broken the laws of the land.

PUNCH: But I never touched them,

j. KETCH: Anyhow, you are to be hanged.

PUNCH: Hanged! Oh dear!

j. KETCH: Yes, and I hope it will be a lesson to you. (Sticks gallows into bracket on back edge of playboard.)

PUNCH: But what about my poor wife and sixteen small children, most of them twins and the oldest only three years of age!

j. KETCH: Mr. Punch, you are to be hanged by the neck till you are dead, dead, dead!

PUNCH: What! Three times?

j. KETCH: I expect once will be enough. Put your head in this noose.

PUNCH: (Pretending to thrust his head into noose, missing completely.) Where? There?

j. KETCH: NO, no, a little further to the right.

PUNCH: I'm not very good at this. I was never hanged before, you know. Here? No, there. Oops, missed again.

j. KETCH: No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. I suppose 111 have to show you how. Now then, keep an eye on me. I take aim, put my head slowly forward and thrust it into the noose, so! (Puts his head in the noose.)

PUNCH: Ah, now I see! (Pulls rope tight, hanging the hangman.) Yes, indeedle-ee-dee, I see! Root-ity-toot! Here's a man hung up to dry! (Lays the body out with the rest.) One, two, three, four, five; and nary a man is left alive! Hurrah, hurrah!

Ghost rises behind him.

GHOST: Boo-o-o-oh!

PUNCH:  (Terrified) Help, help!

GHOST: YOU are wanted.

PUNCH: But where and what for?

GHOST: In the other world, to answer for your misdeeds.

PUNCH: Wait a minute. Whom were you to ask for?

GHOST: For the man who was to be hanged.

PUNCH: Oh, the man who was to be hanged. Well, that's him there, obviously. (Points to body of hangman.)

GHOST: Oh, I beg your pardon. (Bends over hangman.)

PUNCH: (Raising his club.) Let me beg yours. (Kills ghost with one blow.) I can hardly believe it! Surely this must be a record bag! One, two, three, four, five, six; there they lie, the silly sticks! (He dances, sings.) Root-ity-toot-ity-toot! (Dancing back and forth across the stage, he returns from the wings a last time to discover The Devil dancing with him, matching him step for step.)

PUNCH: What's this? There seems to be one I've missed.
DEVIL: (Looking him over.) I beg your pardon, there seems to be one we missed.

PUNCH: See here now, who are you?

DEVIL: YOU can call me Nick.

PUNCH: The devil you say!

DEVIL: YouVe got it right the first time. I think you’ve met your match, Mr. Punch. (He aims his pitchfork.) I want you!

PUNCH: But    but I don't want you! (The Devil lunges; Punch is forced to defend himself. A furious battle rages, but his club is no match for the pitchfork. The fatal thrust goes home; Punch crumples slowly down, beseeching.) Oh, oh, I am dying. Pray for me, children, I was such a good man. One, two, three, four, five, six—seven. (He falls into place at the bottom of the row.) (The Devil hoists him on his pitchfork.)

DEVIL: Root-ity-too! Serves him right, Wicked Mr. Punch has been put to flight; Ladies and gentlemen all, good night, To the freaks of Punch and Judy!

The Devil carries Punch off to Purgatory.

Curtain.

(Final note: in an older English version, Punch wins the battle with the Devil and hoists him on his own pitchfork, crying triumphantly, "Hurrah, hurrah! The Devil is dead; now we can all do as we like!")

47. DUSTY RODENT

The head for this cheery little chipmunk is made from cast plastic wood, which can be purchased by the can or tube. But before the finished head can be cast, a plasticine model must be made and a plaster mould made from it.

Making a Split Plaster Mould

Model your plasticine head, then cut it in two halves by drawing a strong thread or thin wire down through it as shown in the illustration, A. This is not as easy as it looks and should be done slowly and carefully. It is easier with someone else holding the head in the palms of his hands with the features up and the neck pointed toward the cutter, as shown, B. The two halves of the head are then placed with their flat sides down in a frame about three inches deep. Mix plaster of Paris into about 2 pints of water, adding the plaster to the water, until it is the consistency of thick cream. Pour this slowly over the two halves of the head, making sure there are no bubbles against the plasticine. Fill the frame until the highest parts of the plasticine halves are covered by at least 1/2 inch of plaster. When the mould is dry, turn it over and remove the halves by carefully prying them out with a screw driver. Break off any overhang of plaster around the edges of the two depressions, and your mould is ready.

Casting Plastic Wood

The inside surface of the mould must be lightly but thoroughly greased with Vaseline before the plastic wood is applied. Fingers should also be lightly coated with Vaseline for handling the plastic wood. Apply it carefully, pressing it firmly into all the features of the mould, A, and trying to maintain a uniform thickness of an eighth of an inch. The wood must be left to dry naturally. Do not use direct artificial heat. Test the dryness of the wood by pressing at the thickest part; it should be rock hard. Remove the two halves of the head from the mould by lifting from the back edges, B. Join the two halves together as soon as possible, as they tend to warp if left standing. If the edges do not butt together evenly, you can trim them with a sharp knife or by rubbing them gently in a circular motion on a piece of sandpaper lying flat on a table. Trim the bottom edges of the neck on each half so that they match. Prepare the edges for joining by first putting glue around the edges of both halves. Then put a little plastic wood on top of the glue all around the edge of one side only. Place the halves together, lining up the features at the front of the head carefully, C. The back can be fixed later. Build a small rim around the bottom of the neck, D, to aid in joining the head to the body later. Smooth the excess wood and glue into the joint and allow to dry. The head can be finished with added plastic wood and careful sanding.

48. BIRD McDERMITT

This sour-faced bird has a movable beak with which he pronounces his prophecies of doom. His body can be made out of any old speckled rag and bit of feather lying around the house. His head can be cast in plastic wood or in papier-mache. The overcasting in papier-mache explained earlier results in a loss of some detail, as the paper is built up over the model. But by casting the papier-mache inside a mould, as with plastic wood, you can retain most detail. However, papier-mache has to be cast in a more complicated mould—a shim cast mould.

Making a Shim Cast Mould

Shims are anything which divide; in this case, strips of plasticine. Divide your plasticine model head by drawing a faint line running through the center of the features and down the center of the back of the head as in A. Prepare strips of plasticine about 3/4 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. Apply these strips along the line you have drawn so that there is a small, upright wall of plasticine running all the way around the head like a crest, as in B. Now lay the head on its side in a nest of soft paper. Take another long strip of plasticine and run it around the dividing crest so that it forms a sealed trough, C, that will contain the plaster. The neck of the plasticine model should stick out free of this trough at the bottom. Now heap plaster into the trough, making sure it fills in against all the features. Build up the plaster so that it covers the entire side of the head, D, then smooth it off a little on top so that when it dries and is turned over, it will sit flat. When the plaster is dry, turn the mould over and remove the plasticine dividers to expose the 3/4-inch plaster shelf or margin, E. With a pointed knife, scrape this shelf until it is flat and smooth, then into it dig three holes, F, about 1/2 inch deep: one opposite the chin, one over the top of the head, one opposite the back of the neck—all in the center of the margin's width. These holes will line up with lugs and keep the two halves of the mould in line when the other half is poured. Put a little collar of plasticine around the bottom of the neck, G, so that the neck again thrusts free. Grease the surface of the margin or shelf thoroughly, making sure to get a good coating down into the lug holes.

Now pour plaster over the head and scrape it clean where it runs over the edge of the shelf so that the dividing crack between the first and second halves of the mould is clearly visible, H. Pack the plaster up over the head, covering it completely. When it is dry, tap the mould gently in a number of places around the crack and pry the two halves gently apart. Remove the plasticine. Fill any inside bubble holes with plaster, smoothing the patch with your finger. The two halves should fit snugly together, I, the lugs of the one half fitting neatly into the lug holes of the other, the only opening being where the neck of the model thrusts out.

You now have a cast that can be used for casting papier-mache, celastic, latex or plaster. It can be used again and again, if you take care of it. Store your casts carefully in boxes with shaving or paper excelsior cushions. Many puppeteers use the same mould for a number of characters, counting on painting and dressing to add the required character differences.

Casting Papier-Mdche

Shellac both halves of the shim cast mould and allow it to dry well. This time you might add half a teaspoon of alum to the cold water papier-mache paste for added strength, mixing it in thoroughly. In addition to the strips of newspaper, you might use strips of finer paper, such as that used in Japanese crepe napkins. This is not absolutely necessary, but will give your heads a finer outside finish. Do not grease the mould. Pass the strips of finer paper quickly through clean water, then paste them lightly on one side only and press them into the mould with the pasted side up. Make sure the- paper lies perfectly flat without creases or bubbles and that the inside surface of the mould is covered completely.

Allow the paper to overlap the top edge of the mould about 1 inch all the way around, as in A. Give the first coat of paper a thin coat of paste. Add another complete layer of the thinner paper exactly as you did the first. Make sure it is thoroughly pressed into the features to get full definition from the mould. Now draw the strips of newspaper through the paste mixture and begin to lay down your third coat. This time omit the 1-inch overlap over the top edge of the mould. Add two or three more complete layers of newspaper. Now paper the second half of the mould as you did the first, but allow all coats of both grades of paper to overlap the top edge of the mould. When this half is prepared, turn the overlap inward from the top edge, B, but do not allow it to droop down into the mould. You might have to shorten it by tearing, but keep it as wide as possible, for it is going to secure the inside of your seam. Now lower this half of the mould over the first one, lining the lugs and lug holes up, C. Holding the two halves tightly together, run your finger around the inside of the neck, smoothing the overlap down across the seam inside. Work as far as you can up into the head, sealing the overlap over the seam. The overlap which you cannot reach can be smoothed with a stick pushed up into the neck, as in D. Add a reinforcing collar of paste-soaked newspaper around the inside of the neck. Now carefully remove this half of the plaster mould, jiggling gently in case any paste has soaked through the first layers and stuck to the plaster. The overlap of lighter paper from the first half of the mould will be revealed, F, lying flat on the shelf or margin. Shorten this overlap to about 1/4 inch, then with the edge of a knife lift it up and press it carefully onto the paper head, thus securing the outside of the seam, as in E and F. A thin coat of paste will flatten it smoothly against the head. Allow the exposed half of the head to dry until it holds shape. Remove the head from the mould and rest it on the drier side and allow it to dry thoroughly all over. To further strengthen it, you can paint it with a final thin coat of paste. 

Making a Movable Mouth

To make Bird's movable beak, overcast a papier-mache" lower jaw, cut a hole in the head to receive it and rig it as shown. The beak is controlled with the tip of the finger inside the puppet's head. A good deal of experimentation and practice will be necessary before you will discover the proper rigging to fit your hand and perfect the method of moving the mouth, but in the end, you'll have a talking bird!

49. KLONDIKE KITTY

This feline vamp has long-lashed eyes, a tight-fitting sheath dress of mustard velvet, and a long white furry tail which she drapes up over her shoulders like an ermine stole. Her head can be cast in plastic wood, papier-mache or Celastic.

Casting Celastic

Celastic is the trade name of a material that makes light, practically unbreakable puppet heads. It is expensive compared to plastic wood or papier-mache. The material is purchased by the yard along with some acetone and a special parting agent which prevents it from sticking to the plaster mould. The mould should be wetted, then the parting agent brushed on. The Celastic is torn in strips and made pliable with the acetone. It is then laid in the mould much the same as in casting papier-mache, although two layers are usually enough. Always work in a well-ventilated room and use rubber gloves to protect your hands.

Movable Eyes

Movable eyes should be mounted in the front half of the head before the two halves are joined together. They can be made of wooden beads or doll eyes. Kitty's eyelashes are of the kind purchased at cosmetic counters. Her eyes are controlled by the tip of the finger inside the puppet head, but movable eyes can also be operated by a wire passed down through the body. This method occupies both the operator's hands, however.

50. FLAK J. FROG

The bug-eyed gentleman in the camel's-hair coat with the carnation in his buttonhole is a super-drummer, an advertising man. His hands are permanently fixed to his stomach because the operator's whole hand is up inside his head. His smile is flexible and liquid because his head is made of rubber, or to be more exact, latex.

Casting Latex

There are several commercial latex mixtures that dry without oven curing. Pliatex is one of them, sold by Sculpture House in New York City. No separating solution is needed with Pliatex. The casting rubber is mixed with a special casting filler, the proportions depending on the amount of flexibility desired. Flak J. Frog was cast from a mixture of three parts rubber to one part filler. The filler should always be added to the rubber. The mixture is poured into a shim cast plaster mould and allowed to "build up" to desired thickness, usually from 15 to 30 minutes. The excess liquid is then poured out and the mould is allowed to drain for 10 minutes or more. It is then removed and allowed to air dry or is dried in an oven at 150 to 180 degrees. Flexible latex casts can be decorated only with special latex paints, available wherever latex is sold. You can make a rubber patching compound by mixing casein glue with Pliatex filler.

51. TALKING STORYBOOK

His face is a flexible latex mask fixed to the front of a false book. There is a hole at the back, through which the operator reaches, fitting his hand into the nose and lower jaw to open and shut the mouth.

52. YANKEE PANKY

Yankee Panky, the All-American bear, is made of cardboard, felt and an old overcoat. His body is cut from a woman's overcoat made of dark blue wool material with a thick nap. One great advantage of animal puppets is that they do not need to have hands. The fingers of the operator come right to the snub end of the paw and enable him to have sure and direct control over any props handled. Yankee's paws are of white felt, as is his nose. His ears are lined with white felt, his mouth with pink, and his tongue is a double thickness of red felt. His eyes are made of cardboard discs and clear discs of celluloid from a toothpaste box, glued together with a chip of black plastic sliding around inside. His mouth is moved by the puppeteer's finger, crooked inside the head and extending into the nose.

Making Cloth Animal Heads

To articulate the mouth of a cloth head, first build the skeleton construction, A, of cardboard, gluing or securing it together with strong masking tape. The operator's bent finger fits into the loop, B, raising and lowering the upper jaw against the little platform of the lower jaw, C, which rests against the folded second and third fingers. The head is then cut and sewed to fit around this construction, with the necessary cotton padding added up inside the head to give it form. Cloth is especially good for the heads of animals and fantasy characters, not so good for puppets meant to represent realistic people.

53. MIZ ROO

Mama Kangaroo is constructed just as the bear was, but of brown cloth, with bent paws and a button up pouch for:
 
54. WALLY ROO

Her son, who is a miniature version of his mother, is as small as the operator's hand will allow.

55. THE GREAT APE HONK KONG

Honk is an elaborate combination of overcast papier-mache and cloth. His mouth is articulated with the full hand inside his head, and so his arms are stationary.

Cloth and Papier-Mache Combined

Overcast papier-mache parts are used where rigidity or a smooth texture is needed: in Honk's case, the crown of his head and his glowering brow, A, and his chest and belly, B. Cloth is then cut, sewed and glued to the papier-mache parts to complete the puppet. A good deal of fitting and re-cutting is usually involved, so it is a good idea to have plenty of the type of cloth you plan to use. When the puppet is assembled, the exposed papier-mache parts are painted. Honk's face, ears and belly are left exposed and painted black because these are exactly the parts of a gorilla that are hairless and shiny black. The rest of him is made of a hairy gray wool material like a gorilla's coarse coat. The upper and lower jaws are made of strong but flexible cardboard so as to make his grimaces as expressive as possible. His muzzle is made of a double layer of light gray felt. The inside of his mouth is lined with pink, his tongue is a deep scarlet, his tusks are of white felt.

56. FABIAN THE FOX

Here a rigid skull of papier-mache was overlaid with cloth, leaving some parts exposed to be painted. The cloth used is a fur-like cotton cloth available at stores which sell display materials and where many special materials for puppets and props can be found.

A Permanent Professional Stage

This stage is designed for professional performances in a more or less permanent place. It is for presentation of the type in which the operators hold the puppets overhead so it can be long and deep with plenty of room for the puppets to move about. Enough room is allowed on either side of the opening for satisfactory entrances and exits. There should be room behind for three operators to work comfortably.

Backgrounds can be painted on cloth or cardboard covered frames or on window shades, which can be fixed in series overhead and raised and lowered as needed. Lighting can be as elaborate as wished, although the strongest key lighting should come from straight out in front to prevent the puppet's eyes from being deeply shadowed. Puppets can be hung from hooks or strong spring clips behind the stage-head down so that the operators can easily thrust their hands into them and pull them free for action.

Properties

Although props can often be found in the dime store, many have to be especially made for the puppet stage. They can be placed on the playing board, as shown, A; they can be clipped to the back edge of the playing board or placed on it, as shown, B; or they can be placed further back into the playing area by use of brackets, as shown, C. Getting a puppet in and out of the doorway of a three-dimensional house is solved by use of brackets, as illustrated, E. Stairs must be shown in silhouette, of course. Paper foliage and manufactured paper ironwork and other decorations can be found in display stores. Props and set pieces that are going to be placed on brackets should be as light as possible.

Setting for a Modern Fable

Following is a play in which you can use some of the professional puppets you have made. You do not have to have all the puppets listed for the play; other puppets of suitable character can be substituted. The construction of the stump for the play is shown opposite, D. It is made in relief from quick papier-mach6, with the back open so that the puppets can appear to go in and out through the opening at the top. The round billboard should be mounted on a bracket sticking out from the side of the stage, so that the puppets can move between it and the stump, which is further forward.

THE BEAR, THE BOMB, AND THE BILLBOARD

A MODERN FABLE IN ONE ACT

Characters:

YANKEE PANKY                 full of fun and fancy free
DUSTY RODENT                   fussy and forever proper
FLAK J. FROG                       a drummer
BIRD MCDERMITT               prophet of gloom, doom,
and dark days ahead
FABIAN FOX                         vile and villainous, a scamp

Scene: A quiet glade in an evergreen forest. Center stage a hollow stump, open at the top. Directly behind the stump, a round red billboard with one word in black: BLISS!

SCENE 1.   Curtain opens.

The stage is empty. Morning birds are twittering. A great deal of groaning and yawning is heard—the sounds of someone waking up. Finally Yankee Panky appears at the top of the stump rests his paws on the top edge and gazes sleepily around. He does not notice the billboard behind him.

YANK: A D-double dandy day! By my buttons, a D-double dandy day indeed! Good morning, sun! Good morning, birds! Good morning, forest! Why, it's a most unusual day. I believe this calls for a nap. (He starts to disappear back into stump.)

Dusty Rodent enters with broom, sweeping furiously.

DUSTY: Hold on there, Springcleaningtime, Springcleaningtime!

YANK (aside): Oh oh, here comes the grim sweeper.

DUSTY: Come on, Yank, up and at 'em. Springcleaningtime!

YANK: Spring cleaning! But Dusty, it's September.

DUSTY: A stitch in time saves nine. The early bird gets the worm. Can't get started too soon on these things. (He sweeps the playboard, raising dust.)

YANK: Why? (Cough, cough!) Why are you always sweeping the forest floor!

DUSTY: It's so messy. Twigs and leaves and stones lying around.

YANK: But they lie where they fall. It's meant to be that way.

DUSTY: Oh no, these things have to be rearranged, tidied up. That's our mission in life, Yank.

YANK: HOW can you say that! On a beautiful morning like this, when Mother Nature has arranged things so perfectly— (He turns to survey forest, starts at sight of billboard, turns back to front, stiff with shock.) What—what is that?

DUSTY: What is what?

YANK: There behind me. What is it?

DUSTY: Oh that. That's a billboard. (He sweeps his way offstage.)

YANK: (Stunned.) A billboard. In my backyard. (He sneaks another look behind him, gasps and sinks down into stump. Slowly he reappears, gasps, retreats again.)

Enter Flak J. Frog.

FLAK: Is it still there? (Surveys billboard proudly.) Oh yes. Superb! Marvelous! A gem! a MASTER-piece!

YANK:  (Reappearing) Flak J. Frog, does that belong to you?

FLAK: To me? Well, yes, I did have a modest part in its creation. But now it belongs to the world, to the great commonwealth of peoples, to Everybody!

YANK: Not to me. I don't want it. Get it out of here.

FLAK: But my friend, you’ve got it. We steamrolled it through the forest council, leased the land and put it up. Isn't it outstanding?

YANK: It stands out all right. What does it mean?
 
FLAK: Bliss? You know what that means: contentment, peace, happiness complete!

YANK: You mean they have that in the stores now?

FLAK: Well, not exactly. You see, it's a pill.
YANK: A pill?

FLAK: That's right. One-a-day Bliss Pills. One a day keeps the BLUES away. You should try some, Yank, you're looking a bit ragged this morning. (He exits, whistling cheerily.)

YANK: (Shouting after him.) I felt fine until a few minutes ago. (Grumbling.) It's a fiendish system. The billboards make you so nervous, you have to take pills. Well, I can see the time has come for me to hibernate. (With a disgusted fiance at the billboard.) I think I'll make this one a good long hibernation. Let's see, everything ready down there. A year's supply of peanut butter, clean sheets—

Enter Bird McDermitt.

BIRD: Oh woe! Oh woe! I have received dark news, dark news.

YANK: (Not glad to see him.) Don't tell me, I don't want to hear it.

BIRD: Dark clouds, ominous shadows in my crystal ball.

YANK: YOU should get a new crystal ball.

BIRD: Don't mock me, Yank, I see all.

YANK: And tell all.
 
BIRD: Dark news, Yank. The world is to end Thursday, next, if not sooner.

YANK: How is it going to end this time?

BIRD: The bomb, Yank, the bomb! I see it in my mind's eye, the bomb! It is about to go off. I see it. I hear it, ticking, ticking-
(There is indeed the sound of ticking produced by rapping a stick sharply and rhythmically backstage.)

YANK: Yikes, I hear it too!

BIRD: Yes, yes, the bomb! Ticking, ticking!

YANK: Wait a minute, that's only my alarm clock. (He climbs down from stump, pulls clock from behind bush, climbs back up into stump with it.) I'm going into hibernation this morning. I think 111 be down all winter this trip.

BIRD: But what do you need an alarm clock for?

YANK: I set it to wake me up every half hour to take a little peanut butter and bread. After all, one can't sleep all the time.

BIRD: Every half hour—

YANK: Every hour on Sunday, the day of rest.

BIRD: Are you blind? How can you sleep with the bomb ready to go off any moment. Ticking, ticking—
 
YANK: I beg your pardon, that's my alarm clock.

BIRD: Irresponsible indifference. For shame. I tell you, beware! Beware the bomb! (He goes off, muttering Roomily.)

YANK: What a morning. First the billboard, now the bomb. Til probably have nightmares about bombs. Better take a little bread and peanut butter before retiring, that way I might dream some beautiful dream—all about bread and peanut butter. Well, to bed. (Holding his clock, he sinks down into stump. The ticking subsides, the birds twitter.)

Enter Fabian the Fox, stealthily, carrying a black box marked BOMB.

FABIAN: Ah, this must be the place. Yes indeed, a hollow stump, they told me, where there lives a silly bear entirely surrounded by jars of peanut butter. (Cautiously he peers down into the stump.) Black as pitch down there. Hmmm, perhaps he's hibernating. Well, this will bring him out. (He places the box beside the stump.) Nothing like a bear for curiosity. And besides, my good gloomy friend, Bird McDermitt has planted the idea in his head. Perhaps he is dreaming of bombs even now. Peanut butter, peanut butter! Oh my, how I love peanut butter! Now to wind my clock. (He takes an alarm clock from the box, winds it, replaces it and closes the box. The ticking begins again.) Now to coax him from his slumber. (He bends over the top of the stump and whispers loudly.) Bomb, bomb, beware the bomb! Beware, bear, beware the bomb, bomb! (He pauses. Silence.) Hmm, sleeps like a log. (He shouts.) Egad, I do believe there is a BOMB up here!

There is a startled snorting from below. The stump shudders. Yank appears, wild-eyed.
 
YANK: Bomb, bomb! Where? Where?

FABIAN: Here, in this box clearly marked BOMB. Quickly, before it goes off, we must smother it.

YANK: But how? How?

FABIAN: With peanut butter, of course. That's the only way to smother a bomb, with peanut butter, lots of peanut butter. (He pauses, sidles closer.) You, uh, don't happen to have any peanut butter around, do you?

YANK: (Waking up now, suspicious.) Yes, I think I might have a bit tucked away in the pantry.

FABIAN: Then get it, quickly, all you have! Hurry, there's no time to think it over, Bear!

YANK: (Knowingly) Oh, I've had time to think it over. Very well, Fox. (He ducks down into stump, comes up with pot marked PEANUT BUTTER. He hands this to Fabian, who pours its contents into the black box. The ticking continues.)

FABIAN: It's still ticking! More, we must have more. More peanut butter!

Yank continues to bring peanut butter jars up. Fabian pours them into the box, urging him on. The ticking continues. Six or seven jars have been emptied, and Yank collapses on the rim of the stump, pretending exhaustion.
 
YANK: I can't go on. Up and down this ladder. I'm tired.

FABIAN: But the bomb is still ticking!

YANK: Isn't it out yet? Well, then, let it go off. I'm too tired to go down there again.

FABIAN: But you can't give up. You'll be blown to bits. I won't let you commit suicide like this. Here, let me go down.

YANK: Very well then, if you insist. (He steps aside. Fabian goes down into stump.)

FABIAN: (His voice rising faintly.) It's so dark down—Oof! Stumbled! Which way do I go?

YANK: Further back. Keep going. The peanut butter is there. You'll find it— (He continues to encourage the Fox while turning to the billboard and pulling it off its stand.)
YANK: (to himself) I knew I'd find a use for this thing.

FABIAN: (voice sounding fainter) But there's no peanut butter here, only an empty shelf—

YANK: (Holding the billboard over the opening in the stump.) On the table. In the spoon. There must be a good mouthful there.

FABIAN: A mouthful! I've been tricked! Let me out—what... what's that ticking down here? It's so dark. I can't see. What is that ticking!
 
YANK: Well now, it could be a bomb.

FABIAN: A bomb! Oh no! No! Let me out!

YANK: Later, Mr. Fox. (He jambs the billboard down tight, lidding the stump securely. The ticking stops. He turns to the box marked BOMB, chuckling to himself.) Poor fellow has bombs on the brain. He needs a rest, a long rest—say, until Spring.

Enter Dusty, sweeping.

DUSTY: Fallcleaningtime, fallcleaningtime!

YANK: What happened to springcleaningtime?

DUSTY: Oh, that's all done. Never an idle moment. By next year I should be a year ahead. (Yank starts out with the box.) Hey, where are you going?

YANK: To hibernate.

DUSTY: Without your alarm clock? Without your peanut butter?

YANK: I have both in this box. The alarm clock belongs to Mr. Fox, but it'll do.

DUSTY: But where's your alarm clock?

YANK: (Pointing to sealed stump.) Down in the stump with Mr. Fox.

DUSTY: But what's he doing down there?

YANK: He's hibernating too, I expect. Well, toodle-oo, happy fall cleaning. (He wanders off, humming cheerily.)

DUSTY: (With a puzzled look at stump.) Hmmn, I didn't know foxes hibernated. And the billboard is gone too. Strange morning. Well, to work, I've a whole forest to tidy up. (He sweeps his way out. The ticking resumes faintly, comes up strongly. The fox’s voice is heard calling feebly.)

FABIAN: The bomb, the bomb, help, the bomb!

The ticking subsides slowly. The birds twitter.

Curtain.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...