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Vintage Book Covers: Ventriloquism

Posted in absurd, Books, humor, puppets with tags absurd, Books, humor, puppets on July 17, 2012 by shewalkssoftly

This post is actually inspired by this particular book:

I loved that cover…then realized I’m such a collector-nerd that I had a whole bunch on vintage ventriloquism book covers…who knew?

Simple. Complete. Awkwardly titled.

So lifelike!

They got literal with the cover.

Somehow an LP cover got in the mix…”Instant!”

Why do I even have all of these? Ah well, this lovely 1930’s ventriloquist dummy shall bid you goodbye (we don’t want to get into my folder of antique puppets…no, we do not).

8 Comments »

Czech Marionettes

Posted in craft, puppets with tags craft, puppets on July 11, 2012 by shewalkssoftly

I re-browsed Czech Marionettes recently and remembered what fun things there are to be found on the site.

Look at the old witch’s little companion up there!

Cheerful skeleton…

Scientist!

Decay…

Many fun puppets to browse here.

6 Comments »

Desktop Goodies 6/4

Posted in absurd, art, Books, death, decoration, fashion, food, halloween, home, humor, introvert, meat, photography, pinup, puppets, retro, taxidermy, toys, vintage with tags absurd, art, Books, death, decoration, fashion, food, halloween, home, humor, introvert, meat, photography, pinup, puppets, retro, taxidermy, toys, vintage, vintage print on June 4, 2012 by shewalkssoftly

Does anyone know the artist responsible for this (I bet one of you will!)? I swoon every time I look at this piece.

The lesser known alternative to “shooting lasers from one’s eyes” is shooting pinup models.

My fellow introverts, here is a fabulous KEEP AWAY sign!

Who wants a start a club with this name with me?

From Cake Wrecks comes this awesome reproduction:

Hey, want some fashion? Here goes…

Hairdo hall of fame!

Excellent costume idea:

And while was not intended as a Halloween costume, I think it would work wonderfully as one.

Great alternative to to poodle skirt:

Just make sure you’re not dressed for trouble.

Lovely Crazy Cat Lady:

This has been circulating a lot, but I just have to make sure you’ve all seen it.

Two loves had he…

“Lite Brite, Lite Brite…turn on the magic of colored lights!”

[Imitates Todd Flanders] “Is your source on this reliable?”

This kid is going places in life…

Old Sunday School postcards are always cheese-tastically awesome.

The word of the week: HAMAGINATION.

I love hints of barely detectable darkness amidst standard prim and proper design.

Well done, taxidermist. Well done. Does anyone remember the Ren and Stimpy “Log” commercial that featured “Ultra Log” (which just had a hideous dead squirrel nailed to the top)?

Coincidentally, I also came across what might have been the goal of the project above:

Can this be me, please?

Okay…time to get some reading done…

8 Comments »

The Mutees

Posted in craft, puppets with tags craft, puppets on May 20, 2012 by shewalkssoftly

Have I mentioned that I love interesting dolls and puppets? I like to see the way people give form to the creatures in their heads. I got an email from the creator of The Mutees; handmade balsa wood jointed puppets.

Look at “Rudy the Bull” and the fire in his belly!

Such unique little characters…almost cute…almost disconcerting…

See more here.

2 Comments »

Holiday Video Roundup

Posted in animation, antiques, candy coated nightmares, christmas, kitsch, puppets, video, vintage with tags animation, antique, candy coated nightmares, christmas, kitsch, puppets, video, vintage on December 24, 2011 by shewalkssoftly

Tired of the same old specials on TV? Here are some alternatives.

Let’s kick things off with this warped and wonderful “Spumco Christmas Card,” by Ren and Stimpy mastermind John K.:

I believe this claymation video was supposed to be aired on TV, but was actually cut (perhaps due to the kiddies getting beaten up?):

If not for my dear, talented friend J.E. Larson, I would not have remembered this 1950 rendition of “The Night Before Christmas.” PUPPETS!

Mr. Larson also made sure I didn’t skip the priceless Nativity Scene (this is just the first part, see the youtube sidebar for links to the rest):

And now to go waaaaaaay back to 1898, a simpler time, before Christmas was about Xboxes and iPads:

For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the 1968 Terry Gilliam Christmas Card:

And here’s a suggestion from My Pink Planet; a post-apocalyptic anti-war cartoon in which forest critters rebuild a world after the humans have destroyed it.

We’ll top things off with a gelatin Christmas tree from none other than Charles Phoenix, whom you may remember from his fantastic Fried Cereal video:

5 Comments »

Desktop Goodies

Posted in absurd, advertising, anatomy, Books, humor, introvert, kitsch, photography, puppets, retro, vintage with tags absurd, advertising, anatomy, Books, humor, introvert, kitsch, photography, puppets, retro, sculpture, vintage on July 20, 2011 by shewalkssoftly

ENTHUSIASM!

Anatomically correct.

Are you ready to get the wind up?

I spy…

The road (or track) less traveled…

You have the right to remain silent:

Aw, I bet my roommate has had to do this for me…introvert that I am.

I’m not sure why, but I kind of like this. I think it would look great with other species.

Ah, innovation for the skinny girl. I’ll take mine extra pointy, so it doubles as a weapon.

Actually, I think I can “weight” a little…

Til I eat a few of these…

I always renovate my house in an evening gown.

And just so you leave this blog a little smarter today:

4 Comments »

The Narrative of Victor Karloch

Posted in animation, craft, film, puppets with tags animation, craft, film, puppets on March 30, 2011 by shewalkssoftly

Are you ready for the puppet show of the year? Puppets are not just for children I assure you. I found a great post detailing the as-yet elusive production of The Narrative of Victor Karloch.

The Narrative of Victor Karloch is a non-profit traveling stage show presented in the style of an eerie Victorian triptych puppet theater. The three original stories in the show are about 15 minutes in length and are written in the classic gothic horror tradition of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, M.R. James and Algernon Blackwood. The show benefits The Art of Elysium, a charity that encourages artists to help children battling serious medical conditions.

[The show] uses 30″ tall rod puppets, traditional shadow puppetry (woodcuts designed by Eisner Award-winning graphic novel artist Gary Gianni), rear-projected elements and full scale insert props to present the adventures of Victor Karloch, an alchemist, scholar, and ghost hunter, as he battles the supernatural forces of the Unknown.

Here is the trailer:

I can’t wait for this production!

I’m not much of a facebooker, but I don’t want to miss information and show listings so I actually joined the film page here.

Check out more info about the production and the star-studded cast here.

3 Comments »

The Brothers Quay and the Mutter Museum

Posted in anatomy, film, macabre, oddities, puppets, sculpture, vintage with tags anatomy, film, macabre, oddities, puppets, sculpture, vintage on October 25, 2010 by shewalkssoftly

This is directly from the files of Dream Collaborations I’ve Envisioned, but Never Thought I’d Actually Get to See.

The Brothers Quay are shooting a film at the Mutter Museum.

I cannot think of a more perfect team to utilize the museum’s contents in film. I’m eager to see the results.

“Our films are dark fairy tales with elements of grotesquerie and the pathological,” Stephen Quay said on a recent afternoon.

Timothy added, “We set them in a twilight world, midway between sleep and wakefulness.”

See the Brothers’ last incredible exhibition I visited in NY here.

Source

House on the Rock

Posted in antiques, automata, candy coated nightmares, destinations, ephemera, museums, oddities, puppets, steampunk, vintage with tags antiques, automata, candy coated nightmares, destinations, ephemera, museums, oddities, puppets, steampunk, vintage on June 29, 2010 by shewalkssoftly

I have never wanted to hop a plane to Wisconsin so badly in my life. I absolutely must visit the House on the Rock.

I’m going to be honest. I can’t write detailed descriptions of all the rooms in this place, because I WILL impulsively buy a plane ticket I can’t afford…and we don’t want that, now do we?

However, I will direct you to this fantastic post that describes the house in more detail.

Antiques, oddities, puppets, monsters, instruments, specimens, props, masks, machines, weapons, books, carnival and sideshow relics…enough to make one’s head explode in the most delightful way.

A wise friend recently pointed out a common thread in my preferences: a penchant for intensely created little worlds full of unique vision. I think this place is a perfect example. I like to be sensually overwhelmed, immersed in creativity, history, the carefully crafted extremes of madness and entertainment. Places that collect the bizarre fringes of human invention never fail to fascinate me.

Each bit of ephemera tells a story…stories run through my head with every picture I see…

Time to count the change in my jar and save up for that ticket…

Source
Official site

7 Comments »

Retro Puppet Fun

Posted in humor, puppets, retro, vintage with tags humor, puppets, retro, vintage on March 29, 2010 by shewalkssoftly

The inimitable John K. just had a really neat blog post, featuring some retro puppets. Gotta love the 3-D modeled heads atop (sometimes badly) drawn cloth rags.