Our Reluctant Dragon

CAN I BUILD US A DRAGON?

The Question...
I remember one of my high school puppeteers. He was really into puppetry. We were just expanding into creating our fairy tale shows. He was convinced we needed a dragon and he volunteered to create one! I loved that attitude!

Harder Than You Might Think
Our dragon started out as papier mache. My volunteer wanted to create a fearsome figure that would tower over our existing marionettes. A dragon worthy of slaying.  He brought the beast in its rough form to one of our practices. His fellow puppeteers didn't catch his vision. They told him what he had would never work.  He was bummed and ready to give up on his project.

Never Give Up -- Never Give In!
Admittedly, am evil fairy tale dragon with newspaper colored skin does not make for a formidable foe. Still the form was definitely there.  Green felt scales, dragon eyes, nostrils, and special controller were able to bring our beast to life.

Satisfying Moment

I remember the first time we took our fairy tale show on the road.  We were performing our puppets in an Appleton gymnasium filled with gradeschool children. The curtain pulled open and as the beastly Dragon threatened the beautiful Princess and challenged the brave Knight, a gasp went up from the audience. 

That was our reluctant dragon!