The election excitement is really old.  We have a long way to go before we settle on a choice between two candidates representing old parties with old agendas that have never had a proper resolution. The goal should always have been a better world with real equality for all the peoples everywhere– meaning; no more want, no more fear of war and a true freedom of expression.  But, what I know about – probably more than any of my readers, is – puppetry.  I have written pieces about my background in the arts of puppetry beginning with that 25 cents article written by Bil Baird a little more than half century ago.  But, knowing that you think of puppets mainly of the hand variety operated from below and those hanging by strings operated from above; perhaps I can share a little more information about the varieties of puppets.  You can stop reading right here or go on and learn a little more.

If you remember Charlie McCarthy and his operator, Edgar Bergen, you know of the variety of Ventriloquist “assistants”, (known vulgarly as “dummies”).  These come in all kinds of toy-like constructions either very simple or crude to very sophisticated replicas of stock characters like the wise guy Charlie who always was dressed in a tuxedo along with a top hat.  Not really full-sized, they are slightly smaller than humans with empty heads but equipped with eyes that moved, sometimes with eyebrows that lifted and mouths that could simulate speaking.  The Muppets were most famous after the first renaissance of puppetry led by Bil Baird.  They were made of cloth mostly but their variety has lasted to this day.

I am NOT a ventriloquist.  But I began to make half sized humans that could sit on your lap and be operated from behind through a slit in the shirt or jacket.  I never got to the point of using moveable eyes or brows. Jaws and mouths and easily made solid heads out of light-weight Styrofoam can be readily carved with noses and ears glued on.  My present creation, A 1, has such a head. I found that trying to cast a head out of plastic material was beyond me and carving out of solid wood made the whole adventure too heavy.  So, using a piece of broom stick up a neck into the head I could turn it and move the head back and forth and from side to side as well as up and down. Paint or put on a wig and it is complete.

There are several ways to move the mouth and I basically used a spring inside to hold the mouth closed and pulled it open and down from below with a piece of wire at the bottom of the chin.  You must really admire the artistry and workmanship of the crafts-people who filled empty headed casts with the machinery that made them behave like people with eyes and mouth movements as well as the ability to turn their heads from side to side. I would have liked to be able to do that.

The body, usually is a plastic waste-paper basket, with wood at the top opening for boys and turning it upside down with the wood at the bottom for a wider-hipped girl. Put a sweater on the body and fill the arms with light-weight plastic tubes and gloves for hands and, voila!  You get an assistant who looks uncannily like a real person.