Wahini Loa, The Dancing Palm Tree, The Purple People Eater, The Weirds Hand Puppets
79.WAHINI LOA HAND PUPPET
Like the Lynch Bros., this Hawaiian maiden has a black sleeve
coming out of the middle of her back, through which the operator's arm passes. Her hips
are attached to the torso by a single, angled swivel. The hips are weighted with lead, so
that a twist of the operator's wrist causes them to swivel on their wire and set the
cellophane skirt to weaving hula-hula style.
80.THE DANCING PALM TREE HAND
PUPPET
Even the trees join in when Wahini Loa dances. The leaves can be made of paper
or bought at a display store. The trunk is of painted canvas arranged around an angled
center wire which is cranked from below to give the tree its weaving motion.
81.THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATER HAND PUPPET
Inspired by another song from the LP The Monster
Rally, this one-handed, one-eyed, one-horned creature uses both the operator's hands, one
inside the head, one inside the garden glove hand. The hand fingers the openings in the
trumpet nose. The single eye is made from a large rubber ball. The nose, face, and eye
socket are built of masking tape; the puppet is finished off with exotic
cloth.
82.THE WEIRDS HAND PUPPET
Their heads are made of rubber balls cut in
half and glued to the top and bottom of a universal hinged cardboard mouth. The heads are
attached in a row to a wooden box frame, on which are painted the bodies and behind which
the operator's hand hides to open and close their gaping mouths in chorus. They are
especially good at caterwauling popular music.