I’m sitting here looking at the latest critter from Folkmanis to hit my desk, and to tell the truth, I’m a little unnerved. It’s their Dove Puppet. The tag is quite definite that it’s a white dove, a color variant of the rock pigeon (that’s the one that’s such an omnipresent nuisance in urban areas).
OK. For starters, it’s blue. It’s quite definitely a pale blue, with darker shading on the upper surfaces of the wings and tail. It’s holding in its mouth what I assume is meant to represent an olive branch (“white dove of peace,” get it?) but, quite frankly, to me looks like nothing so much as a piece of overcooked asparagus. It’s also rather slim for a pigeon, but it does plump up nicely when it’s actually on someone’s hand.
Sadly, my hand is a bit large for this one. I expect someone with smaller hands would have less trouble manipulating the puppet — one can move the head and flap the wings, once you’ve got yourself lined up correctly, but since I have trouble actually fitting my hand inside the puppet, I haven’t been all that successful.
I think this one would get a more enthusiastic welcome from someone who could actually manipulate it. It is up to Folkmanis’ high standards in construction, and the tag contains the usual story to go with the puppet that can be used either by itself or as a take-off point for a more elaborate tale. It’s certainly a suitable prop for a children’s story hour.
