What's the Name of That Tree?

What's the Name of That Tree is based on an African folktale.  I first read this tale in a book called The Name of the Tree by Celia Baker Lottridge.  Since I decided to set my show in the Ghana, Togo, Benin area I chose animals that would be native to that area.  Cape Buffalo was a must, because of it's fabulous curly horns.

Here he is under construction:

His head is made of a Styrofoam ball, nose is a piece of cardboard with wadded up newspaper at the end. All is held together with masking tape.  I was going to make his horns out of papier mache as well, but they were too heavy.  I ended up sewing them with muslin fabric.

The papier mache was great because it became very hard and sturdy when dry.   I used Jonni Good's  paper mache clay recipe. She's got several other good ideas and recipes on her Ultimate Paper Mache site.

Cape Buffalo is a rod puppet (or stick puppet?). The rod is actually a piece of thin pvc pipe and his body is the top of a kitty litter jug.  Since I don't know how to sew a puppet body, he just has draped fabric for his body.


My co-worker, Bry, painted the eyes and I think it added just the right touch. If you click on any of these photos you'll see a larger version.

The woman who lives at the foot of the Togo Mountains:

One of my favorite mediums is Styrofoam. I don't know what the "crunchy" type of foam is actually called, but it's easy to shape and mold.  I've also learned that a rasp is good for sculpting this type of foam.

Her eyes are made of small pieces cut from little Styrofoam balls.  Her neck and shoulders are made from a milk jug.  Hair is made from strands of very wavy yarn stuck into the head with bits of wire.  

Her hair is pretty awesome, but I think she needs some arms - or broader shoulders, at least.

Honey Badger don't care!

Once I found out that Honey Badgers live in the east central part of Africa, I had to have one in my show.   He's made of Crayola Model Magic, another of my favorite mediums. The only disadvantage to Model Magic is that it's not very sturdy.

Honey Badger is a traditional hand puppet. 

You can't tell from the photos, but his body is just the typical hand puppet shape.

Wise Tortoise:

His shell is a large piece of green Styrofoam, cut into an oval and sculpted into a shell with a knife and rasp.  His head and tail is one complete sock. His legs are the toe sections of four socks. He has marbles for eyes. 

His shell was covered in fabric and coated with Mod Podge for protection and to add a nice sheen.

I suffer for my art:

Finally, I have to say that I learned my lesson. Don't cut styrofoam (especially little pieces) with a bread knife. Use the proper tools.

I had to have two stitches.