From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:46:20 GMT
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Punch and Judy heads


Oops- I thought I'd caught all my typos, but missed a missing letter "i" from "different".

Some Punch puppets were made of papier mache--I have one old head which is pretty sturdy, thanks to many paper layers---the interior is hollow. In the 1930s Plastic Wood might be used. It might be 1930s or perhaps older.

Coincidentally, not all vent dummies were wood---some of those were papier mache. Later ones could be plastic wood. Current ones might be of neoprene, latex rubber, soft sculpture, or foam construction but they don't take a beating like Punch puppet cast members.

My first "Punch" puppet had a soft rubber head, and a commercial cloth body. It was widely marketed in dime or toy stores after WW II. I think the trade name was "Punchy" for him. His mouth was a cut slit, so he could animate his mouth. The downside was that after prolonged use the slit would tear beyond the mouth position, into the cheek area. Then he was no longer usable.

There was a solution for me. I stuffed the old head to make it "solid", then covered it with papier mache strips. I still have the papier mache replacement---it appeared in living room shows when I was a kid.

I also have a Punch & Judy made of cloth by a PofA member, which I bought at a Puppetry Festival. It was a great Festival souvenir.

You don't need a wooden head for the slapstick sound effects---the slapstick itself provides a sound. Many "Punch & Judy how-to books" describe the construction of a slapstick. The Puppetry Store usually stocks one or more Punch scripts with how-to information.

Periodically checking the PofA Puppetry Store webpage information is a good idea.


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