The Great Ape Honk Kong, Fabian The Fox Hand Puppets
55.THE GREAT APE HONK KONG HAND PUPPET
Honk is an elaborate combination of overcast
papier-mache and cloth. His mouth is articulated with the full hand inside his head, and
so his arms are stationary.
Cloth and Papier-Mache Combined
Overcast
papier-mache parts are used where rigidity or a smooth texture is needed: in Honk's case,
the crown of his head and his glowering brow, A, and his chest and belly, B. Cloth is then
cut, sewed and glued to the papier-mache parts to complete the puppet. A good deal of
fitting and re-cutting is usually involved, so it is a good idea to have plenty of the
type of cloth you plan to use. When the puppet is assembled, the exposed papier-mache
parts are painted. Honk's face, ears and belly are left exposed and painted black because
these are exactly the parts of a gorilla that are hairless and shiny black. The rest of
him is made of a hairy gray wool material like a gorilla's coarse coat. The upper and
lower jaws are made of strong but flexible cardboard so as to make his grimaces as
expressive as possible. His muzzle is made of a double layer of light gray felt. The
inside of his mouth is lined with pink, his tongue is a deep scarlet, his tusks are of
white felt.
56.FABIAN THE FOX HAND PUPPET
Here a rigid skull of papier-mache was overlaid with
cloth, leaving some parts exposed to be painted. The cloth used is a fur-like cotton cloth
available at stores which sell display materials and where many special materials for
puppets and props can be found.