The strings-attached, hands-up-the-back-of-the-neck, sock-puppetry verion of the T3

From Terry -

Myth! Myth!
“Yeth?”

Sorry, got Muppet fever for a moment there.

BUT WHAT BETTER WAY to lead into our “Sock-Puppetry Version” of the world-famous Axis of Weevil Thursday Three!

Today we want to ask you three simple questions and expect highly detailed, well-though-out, laboriously researched answers in return. Or just any answers. As usual, anyone may play along--either leave your answers in the comment section below, or cutnpaste everything over to your own blog and leave a link.

NOW THEN, HERE GOES:

1) Who is your most favorite puppet character (and no, it doesn’t have to be a Muppet), and why?

2) Did you have a favorite puppet that you owned as a child?

3) Do you ever engage in puppetry?

Now then, stuff your hand in a sock and start typing out those answers!!

1. I have a confession to make. While like a number of people I have a slight aversion to clowns, it really is puppets that creep me out. From the marionettes in The Sound of Music (the eyes on those goats were truly maniacal) to the fluffy yellow-ness of Big Bird, puppets have always left me with the feeling that, left unattended by human hands, they would rise up and take over the world. This phobia may have begun when I was but a tot, subjected to regular viewings of Senor Wences on the Ed Sullivan Show.

2. Oddly enough, I did have a puppet. One Christmas I received a Mr. Ed talking puppet. The head of the horse was an indestructible plastic, but the neck and mane were soft plush and yarn. The voice box must have been 6" x 8", and was "hidden" in the neck. It weighed a ton, and the voice stopped working after a while. It was treated more as a doll than a puppet. And just in case, I made sure it was firmly esconsed in the closet every night...better safe than sorry.

3. Heavens, no. My old church had a very active puppet troupe, and all the kids I knew who were involved viewed it as the BEST thing ever. While they did have a very active ministry, I think it was the prospect of the long road trips (the troupe was populated by 7th - 9th grade kids) that drew participants. I started attending the church as a young adult, so was never urged to be a puppeteer; I successfully avoided any attempts to draft me as a leader.