Date: 22 Jun 97 15:39:32 +0500
From: puppetco-AT-thepuppetco.org (Christopher Piper)
Subject: Re: Marionettes have my respect


>I've always been amazed at how you marionette workers keep your strings from
>tangling.  I can't even fix the 4 strings on my kid's LIMBER LOUIE!  Arrrggh!

There are a lot of factors in professional marionettes that make tangles
less a problem than with toy puppets.  First, kids are a lot harder on
the toys.  Second, because of the way good puppet joints are made, there
is less "flip over" of appendages contributing to the tangles.  Also,
because strings are usually secured to the controller, and the
controller has a solid hook off, unless you drop a controller (this
neeever happens :)) the strings stay in a set relationship to each other
and tend to keep from twisting around each other.

Sure, there are some real train wrecks sometimes, but usually tangles
amount to little more than one or two strings looped over a control or
under a leg.

My dad told me that Bil Baird used to "audition" newbies by handing them
a really tangled puppet and seeing how well they managed to get them
untangle.  He stopped doing this when one supplicant thought it was the
old Gordian Knot problem, and took a scissors to the mess.  Ouch.

  ________________________________________________________________________
  * Christopher Piper }P-{>   ||||||||||||   The Puppet Co. Playhouse    *
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