~ marionette 1: aina maninonet ~
as soon as we got home from the Botanic Gardens yesterday, aina and ari went straight into making a marionette (a string puppet). since she started watching The Sound of Music a few months ago (which she watched nearly everyday, twice a day), she’s been wanting a marionette similar to those played in the movie.
it was more like a trial and error project. we used the left-over materials of the giant spider.
- extra balloon sticks (or straws might work, too)
- that plastic thing shaped like a cone to keep the balloon on the stick
- the styrofoam ball for the head
- masking tape
- flathead steel pins, the leftover from making last year’s christmas decoration
- sewing thread
- and that cylindrical carton thing from a roll of toilet paper.
the head was made out of the styrofoam ball, the shoulder and bodice were constructed by connecting the toilet paper carton with the plastic cone for the balloon. we had to snip the “neck”, so that it’s not too long.
the shoulder and bodice were attached by the masking tape, while the head and the shoulder was attached by sewing thread and pin.
the limbs were created by piecing the balloon sticks together with thread running inside it. one end of the thread attached to the bodice, while the other to the controller.
the feet were made using the plastic cone with some coins underneath it to weigh it down.
aina had a great time with it. she loves it so much that she named it after herself: Aina Maninonet (because she can’t pronounce marionette). she continuously gave us a puppet show using the back of our couch as the stage.
ari can’t get enough of Aina Maninonet, either… he kept revising it all night last night, and all morning today. by this morning, ms. Maninonet has a pair of shorter arms, big bright eyes and smiling lips (drawn by aina), shorter and better controller, heavier bottom and a pair of hands. she looks very happy, especially with that big smile.
ari is already planning to build another marionette. this time, a real one made out of wood and not naked. we have a long list of materials, so tomorrow is our shopping time :)
~ comment (10) ~
lol, maninonet! that’s cute.
it looks very Tim Burton-esque :)
that’s what i said, too!! skeleton-esque body with huuuuge black eyes is totally jack skellington, no? but aina refuses to see the similarity… oh well, aina maninonet it is, then.
it is a dream comes true for Aina….
no, not yet… it will be a dream come true for her, once ms. maninonet wear pink dress and sport long hair :)
Hey this is fantabulous and entertaining too Thalia, Arie and Aina Maninonet…creative and dilligent..I should say…
“One little girl with a lonely goat..yo de le i yo de le i yo de le hi hoo…” the marvelous voice of Julie Andrews in the movie The Sound of Music danced around in my head..Bravo ! :)
hahaha, that puppet show is aina’s favorite out of the whole movie… i have to sing that song for her everyday, at least twice a day. “yodelay heee, yodelay heee heee….!”