From: "Mary Horsley" <mphorsley-AT-earthlink.net>
To: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 23:02:22 -0500
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] What is it about puppets?



As a teacher who enjoys dressing as a clown, I have made it a point to
"dress" in front of children, and then apply the make-up so they can see
that there is a person under the mask and costume. I also tend to talk to
children instead of being totally in mime. 

I also have had 4 year old students who actually watched "Chuckie" which
would scare me if I watched it.......yikes!

Mary

"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."
-Walter Bagehot

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the
choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape
ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make
are ultimately our own responsibility."-----Eleanor Roosevelt

"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are
dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do
it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many
tomorrows.

-Michael Landon

www.gentleteaching.com

We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are.
 
--Oprah Winfrey
 




> [Original Message]
> From: Charles Taylor <cecetaylor-AT-verizon.net>
> To: <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>
> Date: 1/6/2007 9:35:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] What is it about puppets?
>
> What a great subject! I had to read the article: It stimulated a lot of 
> thoughts. 
>
> I too have puppets on display in my living room that frequently creates
an 
> unsetteling response from guest. Occaisonaly a visitor will be very
outspoken 
> about his or her discomfort with these “things”.  These “things” happen
to be 
> an exquisite pair of Punch and Judy puppets made by Wayne Barolow an 
> extrodinary puppeteer from the nineteen thirties, forties and fifties.
These 
> puppets were costumed by Francis Oznowics, (mother of Frank Oz). They had
been 
> given to Bob Bromley and then Bob Bromley passed them on to me.
>
>  I believe Wayne Barlow once was in business with Bob Baker manyyears
ago.  I 
> recently saw a nineteen forty movie, Blackbeard in which the marionettes
were 
> made by Wayne Barlow and Bob Baker. John Carridene played the master
puppeteer 
> that was murdering  ladies in Paris. 
>
> I lhave long held a theory that the interest or fascination in puppetry
is a 
> natural phenomenon that stems from our primitive needs for self
preservation. 
> Humor me please. Now just imagine you are walking down a dark street on a 
> windy night. No one is around. The wind makes the trees and bushes move.
The 
> junipers are swaying. The moon is out. Perhaps clouds make the night
light 
> flicker.  This is a theme in many horror movies when the young engenue
crosses 
> the dark park.  You are alert, your eyes constantly scan for something
that 
> moves, that might jump out at you. You watch the shadows for shape, size
and 
> eyes that gleam in the dark. Goosebumps rise on your skin. The hair on
the nap 
> of our neck is up. You are genuinely scared. Maybe you whistle or maybe
you 
> are as quiet as possible to not be seen yourself. Not until you are in
the 
> safety of your home can you relax and even laugh at the foolishness of 
your 
> imagination. 
>
> When very young children, say three maybe four years old, see puppets
they 
> think they are “real” live creatures. This may frighten them. Experencied 
> puppeteers know to move the puppet away from a frightened child so as not
to 
> further any fear, crying or screaming. 
>
> How many parents forced their young infants to sit on the lap of Santa
Claus 
> while the child screamed in terror?  Why would a child scream? Because
they 
> don’t see Santa the way adults do. Our experience and traditions tell us
he is 
> benevolent, kind and filled with generosity. The child may see him very 
> differently. He’s  a stranger, hairy, old,  he smells funny, maybe he’s a 
> smoker.  The child is asked to sit on his lap in close proximity and must 
> touch and be touched by this stranger. The child is not able to
communicate 
> it’s fears to the parents and so cries in fear or frustration.   The
parent is 
> perplexed as to why the child isn’t more cooperative for this photo that
is to 
> be sent to all the relatives as a Christmas card.
>
> But as children have more experience with puppets they come to realize
that 
> just because it moves, dances and talks, it does not  pose a threat. 
Then the 
> pretense, the suspension of disbelief, makes the puppet more enjoyable.  
>
> As we gain knowledge of what makes the things go bump in the night, we
lose 
> our fear. We become more sophisticated about the environment and enjoy
the 
> savoriness of the complex world about us.  That’s what holds our
fascination 
> with puppetry. We know they aren’t alive but we like to suspend our
disbelief.  
> Our “fascination/repulsion”  holds our attention.
>
> In Japan, I’ve heard told, that the puppeteers remove the heads of the
Bunraku 
> puppets at night to prevent them from coming alive and causing mischief. 
So 
> this fear maybe univerasal.  We are afraid of most human effigies that
move, 
> puppets, automata, vet figures, statues, manikins etc. etc. etc. 
>
> Puppets are inanimate objects in which they are “given” life through the 
> animation or manipulation by the puppeteer.  My wife likes to agrue that
there 
> is a fine line between dolls and puppets. Her contention is that a child 
> playing with dolls gives them animation through  interaction though
usually a 
> very close and interpersonal relationship  with the child and doll.
>
> I do question the objectivity of a psychologist, psychiatrist or analyst
using 
> the word “dead” when refering to an inanimate object.  Didn’t they learn
in 
> high school the difference between objects once alive eventually become
dead 
> but objects never alive, such as a rock, cannot be dead? Trees, flowers, 
> crocodiles, humans, fish eventualy die and become dead. But rocks,
plastic, 
> wire, beads, cloth, are not thought of as dead or even the undead. That
is a 
> bit too much. 
>
> Now puppeteers maybe a bit more jaded about puppets than the average Joe.
But 
> really, a college educated adult that claims to understand the human mind

> should have a better understanding and knowledge of art, theater, and the 
> differenece of animate and inanimate obejects  to be taken seriously.  I
would 
> have to dismiss anything the article by Paska or Heinrich von Kleist’s
seminal 
> 1810 essay had to say as being very uninformed and predjudicial.  Perhaps
they 
> were struggling to understand their own fear of their creepiness reaction
and 
> could not express very well their feelings through lack of personal 
> experience.  
>
>
>
> >From: Ed Atkeson <edatkeson-AT-earthlink.net>
> >Date: 2007/01/03 Wed PM 12:42:08 CST
> >To: Puptcrit <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>
> >Subject: [Puptcrit] What is it about puppets?
>
> >There was a string a few months back on the subject of "what is it 
> >about puppets?" or something like.
> >
> >Pertaining to that, I've come across this article from 1998 on the 
> >creepiness of puppetry. Includes comments from puppeteer Roman Pasca.
> >http://www.firlefanzgallery.com/creepypupp.html
> >
> >best,
> >Ed
> >
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