Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:39:52 -0600 (CST)
From: Charles Taylor <cecetaylor-AT-verizon.net>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: [Puptcrit] Puppets and human effigies
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Michael from England said,
=E2=80=9COne of the most common clich=C3=A9's for me as collector more so than performer, is =E2=80=98oooh they scare me, I don't know how you can have them around your house - it's like they are watching you=E2=80=99.=E2=80=9D
I suspect that is a very common reaction from people not use to human effigies. After all, most puppets are just that. I have a pair of beautifully crafted Punch and Judy puppets made by Wayne Barlow. They were given to me by Bob Bromley. We proudly display them in our living room. They are the only puppets in that room and kept in a discreet corner hardly noticeable to us. Many of my wife=E2=80=99s friends have said how uncomfortable they are visiting with those puppets looking at them. It gives them the =E2=80=9CWillies!:=E2=80=9D
I remember as a four year old taking a walk with my older brother. We got maybe ten houses down the street on our long block. There on a front lawn was what I thought a dead body. I was quite frightened and screamed. My older, and much wiser brother (he was six), explained that the figure was merely clothes stuffed with torn newspaper and a paper bag for a head. It still scared the daylights out of me.
For the last twenty years of my teaching, I had a kindergarten class. I had the children make a scarecrow by tearing newspaper and stuffing pants, shirt, garden gloves, socks and shoes. Elaine, my wife, made a felt pumpkin with a hole at the bottom and holes for eyes and mouth with black netting sewn in. The children would set it in a chair and every day when they came into the room, several would go and talk to it. Over a two or three week period we would discuss the fun if our scarecrow could come alive and play with us. On Halloween morning, if a school day, my aide would pull out the paper and put on the costume. I would stuff the paper in to give it that =E2=80=9Cbumpy=E2=80=9D look it had before. Then just before I opened the classroom door for the children to enter, she would take the place of the scarecrow and sit very still. Of course the children were excited about Halloween and want the scarecrow to come alive. We would try various magic words that the children would suggest. Finally the scarecrow wiggled and stood up slowly. It always had tremendous effect. The first year I had the scarecrow by the windows. When it came alive the children jumped up and ran out the door. After that, I always had the scarecrow near the door so the children wouldn=E2=80=99t ran out. The aid and I made sure the scarecrow moved slowly and non threateningly. And everyone had a good thrill and laugh. I was a great tradition and many youngsters later told me it was the day they never would forget!
Wouldn=E2=80=99t you know the irony is that I am the puppeteer in the family and wound up in the prop department at Knott=E2=80=99s Scary farm working around corpses, body parts, guts hanging out and all kinds of scary stuff. And I sleep well at night.
By the way, thanks to all that sign the bottom of their letters. I notice the format has changed for me and It is difficult to constantly scroll back up to the top to see who has written the letter. Alan, would you please sign yours? I always enjoy what you have to say.
Charles (Tinker) Taylor (I=E2=80=99ve discovered there is another Charles in this chat group)