Wonderful Set of American Paper Mache and Cloth W.P.A. Puppets Featuring Healthy Teeth

3 Watching

Live Auction

18" (46 cm.) Set of nine puppets, each with hand-crafted paper mache head with uniquely-sculpted face, hair, or feature, and with cloth-costumed "empty" body form designed for hand puppet use, and wooden or cloth hands and feet. The puppets include Johnny (boy of school age), Mother, Doctor Fixit dentist, two Toothbrushes, two Germs, and One Nerve, each with amusingly-detailed features (the toothbrushes, e.g. with child's face on the front and toothbrush bristles on the back of head), and the Germs with evil faces. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: along with the puppets is a copy of the original puppet show, with book cover titled "The Big Show, A Health Play Dental Care, A Guignol Play. Museum Extension Project, Works Progress Administration, Volume Two, Pennsylvania", with complete script and listing of the characters. The puppets were created as part of the Federal Artist Project of the Great Depression W.P.A., circa 1933. Value Points: very rare Americana in perfectly-preserved condition, with original script.