Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/412

 �A Smoke by Proxy

This picture divulges to us the secret. The young lady, who stands in the wings, is responsible for the mer- chant's smoke. She takes a puff from a cigarette and blows the smoke into a rubber tube which leads in- to the puppet's mouth, and gives a very realistic effect

THERE is no tell- ing what may de- velop from the hobby of a collector. The most life-like pup- pets that ever graced a miniature stage came into being just because an artist had the hobby of collecting toys. Some years ago Tony Sarg, a New York illustrator, began the collection of old-fashioned toys. He picked them up in all parts of the world. One day he came across a puppet which had been an actor in a pupi)et show. This little wooden figure, poorly designed and lacking in joints, gave Mr. Sarg an idea. Why not puppets capable of giving really good imitations of hu- man beings?

��NOSE. STRING

��SHOULDta STRING

��BALL AND SOCKtT JOINT^

fOOT STRING

��Marionettes Extraordinary

An ancient art brought up-to-date

By A. M. Jungmann

This question was more easily asked than answered. But after several years* hard work on the part of Mr. Sarg, the puppets are here to speak and act for themselves. To design natural-appearing puppets requires, among other things, a knowledge of anatomy, mechanics, art, the principles of the drama, and the craft of the costumier.

One of the first points which had to be

settled was the question of size. The

average puppets are too small to simulate

living human beings on the stage. On the

other hand, it is possible to have the

puppets too large. Mr. Sarg finally

decided that puppets about three feet in

height were the most satisfactory. They

must not be too heavy, because if they

are, the puppeteer cannot operate them.

I Finally, they must be

constructed with joints

which will enable them

to move just as a human

being moves.

These puppets move, not only their hands, feet and heads, but their eyes and mouths as well. Imagine a puppet making goo-goo eyes at his lady love!

The design of the pup- pet is very ingenious. The head is fastened to the shoulders in such a manner that it can move forward, backward, and sidewise. The arms have ball and socket joints in the shoulders, elbows and wrists. One of the puppets, which takes the part of a singer, is built so that its chest rises and falls exactly as does the chest of a person who is sing- ing. Movement at the waist is provided by means of flexible ma- terial, and the legs are joined to the trunk by

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���MOUTH STRING

��HEAD STRING

�� ��SHOULDtR, STRING

���FOOT STRING

��How It's Done

If you arc ciirimis [ti> soc what makes the puppi-t act in such a life-like man- ner, examine this drawinn. Vi>u will be able to see how its joints are arranufd and huw the strinKS the puppeteer su cleverly pulls, are attached to the jointa

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