10′ TALL PUPPET APPARITION — a pillow cushions each ‘lunge’ by the heavy Apparition — the sounds of the puppet’s movement is an indescribable, drawn-out rattle
Once I began making large puppets in Tucson, HALLOWEEN became MY holiday: there was no looking back — only upwards. The largest apparition was exactly 10 feet tall, designed to bend at the waist and lunge forward; at the last second, the head and hands would pop up, surprising even teenage trick-or-treaters. Inside the large head was a set of speakers with my Jekyll and Hyde voice (playing on CD) — randomly welcoming and insulting — to keep the kids on their toes. It wore a heavy tunic during Halloween, and was made even more terrifying by a strobe light. I miss those days: creating new puppet designs on paper, then making them come alive; I was thrilled the neighborhood became known for my ‘apparitions.’ Funny: we screened the little kids to make sure they wouldn’t be terrified, but the most satisfying ‘victims’ were teenagers — whose only ‘costumes’ were large pillow cases for loot.