Thursday, July 15, 2010

Writer's Workshop: Cecil the Sock Puppet

In honor of Mamma Kat's Writer's Workshop I have decided to tackle prompt #4:
Write a funny story involving socks.

Authors Note: Even though this is a rehash of a post I made in December of 2008, I felt it should be mentioned again since socks and puppets go "hand in hand":


When I was a child my mother made a sock puppet out of an old sock, some buttons and a pom-pom and called him Cecil the Sea Serpent Sock Puppet. One time my grandson was using the "puppet hand" when we were playing board games and I had to pull out Cecil and show him. We had so much fun I neglected my turn every time. I always find that the "puppet hand" has so many uses that I thought I would highlight on one of them.

In theater I tend to use the puppet hand as a marker— indicating where a given person is if they are absent. You just take your hand and bend it a bit closing the thumb with the upper fingers. You can pivot the wrist a bit and have the hand puppet look around "playing their part". You can even go so far as to say lines by opening and closing the thumb and upper fingers accordingly.

When I was in the play Deadwood Dick there is a scene where we have a hangin' and proceed to take Pong Ping out to the nearest tree and hang him. Because we had to have off stage voices during the scene— and because Pong had to have a costume change— the posse would act out the scene in the far corner of the stage and use the puppet hand for Pong. Because we couldn't risk a flash during a performance, I had someone snap this shot in the green room as proof of what we were doing.

No socks or Sea Serpents were harmed in the making of this post.


10 comments:

Maria said...

Well, now that really is a different approach. This workshop is great because each and every post is completely different. Yours was original among originals! Well done!

gaelikaa said...

BTW I did this workshop too, but at my W/press blog, which you visited today. Thank you soooo much!

gaelikaa

Lesley said...

Clever, clever! Great that you even took a picture to help visualize "the hangin'". HAHAHA

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog post as well today. Have a good one!

Liz said...

Cecil the Sea Serpent Sock Puppet is the longest puppet name EVER! :)

The Spotted Hen said...

Cecil the Sea Serpent Sock Puppet? Say ... doesn't he sell sea shells down by the shore with Susie?

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Anonymous said...

My mind is completely in the gutter. I had a hard time (pun intended) after reading Deadwood Dick.

Oh my the possibilities!

Los said...

I think Jim Henson got started in a similar fashion, didn't he?

ethnically ambiguous said...

I think you should post a picture of Cecil :) thanks for stopping by earlier today.

Erin said...

I love Cecil the Sea Serpent Sock Puppet is GREAT! Now if only my boys could SAY all that I would make one!

paige said...

Maybe Cecil should do a guest post. That'd be excellent!

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