File puptcrit/puptcrit.0805, message 293


Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 21:14:00 -0700
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
From: Steve Axtell <steve-AT-axtell.com>
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Pocket-sized puppets


Hobey... that's a very cool story.  I'd love to see some photos of these!

One of these days....I've got to upload a photo 
of your Peppers in the Axtell family back yard!

Ax



  At 04:04 PM 5/14/2008, you wrote:
>The master of small puppets is my friend Clyde. I met my mentor Clyde
>Hollifield  30 years ago.  He was hitch hiking to Carlin Nevada to visit a
>Shoshoni family I was living with on the Nevada desert.  Entertainment in
>this desolate locale  was a highly appreciated and one night he pulled out a
>shaving bag from which he entertained us with around a wood stove for nearly
>an hour,  He had a series of small rod puppets, one more amzing then the
>next.  He pulled character after character out of this little bag which
>would have made Mary Poppins envious.  He was hilarious. His little
>characters exuded personality and would improvise little routines. The
>finale was a shadow show performed by candle light.  I followed Clyde to NC
>to learn how to engineer tiny rod puppets.  Clyde never toured extensively.
>His professional show was good but his mastery was not for the public.  His
>best work was to small groups or even one to one. He is the of  small.  His
>little Monkey rod puppets were to die for.  They were maybe six inches
>tall.  They were so quick and articulate I was an instant convert to rod
>puppets.  The thing about that scale is that the expectation is so low and
>Clyde's manipulation and engineering was exquisite.  He still messes with
>puppets but it is not his focus.  I was at Clyde's when I placed a couple of
>marbles on my hand and decided to make Peepers.  Peepers is conceptually not
>original.  There were many who came upon with the idea individually
>including  Ives Joli, Peg Callahan, Ruppert Williams, Jim Henson, Senior
>Wences(who did that?) Roger Mara and Mario Mariotti. Jim Henson said every
>idea has been thought of , it is what you do with it.  My hook was the idea
>that it could go on any finger toe or object.  The act of putting an eye on
>any object brings it to life. The last thing the wayang puppet maker does is
>create the eye, for then it is alive.  If I hadn't made Peepers I would
>still be its biggest fan.  It is always in my pocket for that one to one
>moment that I've learned can be magic
>
>On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 12:58 PM, Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
>wrote:
>
> > Hi all.
> >
> > Yesterday when I was cleaning up a bit, I found a small box that came with
> > a
> > hallogen lightbulb.
> > I was debating wether or not to recycle it or use it, and then I thought I
> > might fit a puppet in it, perhaps for packaging and shipping. My first
> > "advanced sock puppet" (the one-eyed Purple Zlorg) fits perfectly in this
> > small cube. This suggested a topic to discuss:
> >
> > Compact puppets!
> >
> > I'm curious to know what has been done in this category.
> > Many of us have the dream of having a complete show fit in a single
> > suitcase.
> >
> >
> > So, we have sock puppets, which can be folded or squished in a smaller
> > bunch, especially if made mostly from soft materials.
> > One obvious winner is Hobey Ford's "Peepers", so small that one could fit
> > hundreds in a suitcase.
> > Smaller Glove Puppets can be easy to carry around.
> > Finger puppets are among the smallest pu ppets I've seen, but I wonder what
> > kind of actual show one could make with this scale and limited movement
> > range.
> >
> >
> > As always, curious for your thoughts...
> >
> >
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Steve Axtell
Axtell Expressions, Inc.
****************************************
  http://www.axtell.com


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