Inspiration comes in all forms & as I’ve mentioned, vintage toys & books give me a little rush of excitement. But a marionette find…. well, that’s just on a whole new level of inspiration. So, you can imagine my delight when I found this simple & sweet marionette on a late night cruise through Etsy from a London shop called Wooden Donkey (for the price of 2 lattes). This puppet was produced by English puppet manufacturers in Pelham – & this model was first introduced in 1964. While it was listed as a boy marionette, I can’t help but think that if I was made of wood… I might look strikingly similar (minus the glasses).
The middle string is actually elastic so the puppet bounces. Which, come on… how could that not make you smile? Immediately after the postman left her at my doorstep- I tore open the box and began playing. Just like all of my other vintage treasures, I’m not sure what they will inspire in the studio – I just know that I like to see them in my workspace.
I remember my first marionette vividly. It was a bird made out of wood & it had a pom pom made of yarn for tail feathers that was red. I got it in about 3th grade I think. I really loved how I could make it come to life. I just adore puppets for that reason. My dream job would have been to work on the Muppet Show. So, with that said, Sayer was introduced to puppets at a very young age. I have a hot pink, fluffy Ostrich marionette that used to totally entertain him when he was just a tiny baby.
And from the looks of things, he’s a chip off the ol’ block. Which fills me with joy. Do you have something from your childhood that still makes you happy?